ATLANTA - Ebuka Okorie is making waves in college basketball, and the Atlanta Tipoff Club has taken notice. He's just been named to the 2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Late-Season Team, a nod to his standout performances this season.
Okorie is one of 30 players to earn this honor, and he's turning heads as one of three ACC players and one of ten freshmen to make the list. Stanford's basketball program is no stranger to this accolade, with Maxime Raynaud earning a spot last year.
This season, Okorie has been electric for the Cardinal, boasting impressive stats: 22.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. His scoring prowess places him sixth nationally and third among freshmen, trailing only Duke's Cameron Boozer and BYU's AJ Dybantsa in the freshman scoring race. He’s also sitting pretty at second in the ACC.
Okorie isn’t just playing well; he’s rewriting Stanford's freshman record books. He's smashed the program’s single-game scoring record with a 40-point game and holds the season scoring record with 541 points.
His average of 22.5 points per game is set to eclipse Lichti’s previous freshman record by 5.3 points. Okorie has topped Stanford's freshman single-game scoring record three times this season, with standout performances against Colorado, North Carolina, and a jaw-dropping 40-point game against Georgia Tech.
This makes him the first Stanford player to hit 40 points in a game since Casey Jacobsen in 2002.
Thanks to Okorie’s heroics, Stanford holds a 16-10 record and a 5-8 mark in the ACC. The Cardinal is one of 35 teams nationwide boasting at least four quadrant one NET wins.
The Naismith Awards, overseen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, are the pinnacle of recognition in college and high school basketball, celebrating the legacy of Dr. James Naismith, the game's inventor. Each year, the awards highlight the top players and coaches in the sport, and Okorie’s inclusion is a testament to his exceptional talent and impact on the court.