saint louis forward bradley ezewiro commits to andy kennedy and the blazers
APRIL 22, 2024 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
By Steve Irvine
It’s been a somewhat crooked path through college basketball for Bradley Ezewiro. However, the Southern California native, who signed with UAB on Monday, thinks he’s found the perfect spot to end his college career.
“I feel like their winning speaks for itself, the culture speaks for itself,” Ezewiro said about Andy Kennedy’s UAB program. “What they’ve done over the past four years has just set a standard. It’s something I really haven’t had a lot in my college career. This is something that I really want to focus on, to take that next step to help me and my family. I want to win, of course. Win back-to-back is kind of what’s in everybody’s mind right now. It’s not about last year, it’s about getting in the gym right now.”
The 6-foot-9, 265-pound Ezewiro is a big piece – literally – to what has turned into an excellent recruiting class for Kennedy and his staff. Ezewiro, who has played collegiately at Saint Louis, Georgetown and LSU, is the third transfer portal signee, joining guard Demani Gordon from Iona and Tyren Moore from Georgia Southern. Jaborri McGhee, the No. 3 junior college player in the country from South Plains College in Texas, rounds out the current signing class with two spots left to fill.
Ezewiro, who turns 22 in July, takes over a spot on the roster left when 6-foot-9, 265-pound Javian Davis finished his college eligibility.
“Just being able to play with Yax (Yaxel Lendeborg) and being able to play the 4 and the 5, it’s going to be hard for people to shut down our front court,” Ezewiro said. “There is going to be a lot of impact from the guards and a lot of good screens set. The team really just works. JD, he was a good 5, a really good 5, but I feel like I’m a little bit more skilled. I can put the ball in the basket. I’ve been working on my feet, trying to get that down, so I can be a good defender inside too.”
Ezewiro has a lot of varied seasoning, both in high school and college. He played at a couple of strong Southern California high school programs – Long Beach St. Anthony and Bishop Montgomery in Torrance – before finishing at basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. His size and athleticism in high school drew attention from the Utah State football staff, who offered Ezewiro a scholarship to play tight end, even though he hadn’t played football since the eighth grade.
But basketball was his college ticket and his experience at Oak Hill Academy helped him get more attention.
“I think I grew a lot that year, just being able to hone in and try to be the best version of myself,” Ezewiro said. “There was homesickness, especially being so rural. Oak Hill is on a mountain in Virginia. It was rural, so it was hard for family to get out there. But it was always okay. I knew what my end goal was, so I was willing to make that sacrifice.”
He played in seven games as a true freshman at LSU and played in 27 games with seven starts the following season for Georgetown. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds at Georgetown, before moving on to play at Saint Louis.
Ezewiro missed the first part of the 2023-24 season while waiting to become eligible. Once eligible, he put together his best college season, averaging 12 points and 6.2 rebounds in 22 games with 21 starts. He reached double digits in scoring in 16 games, with a season-high 20 points against VCU, and had three double-doubles.
One of the more difficult parts of Ezewiro’s college journey is part of the uncertainty of college athletics. The program’s head coach – LSU’s Will Wade, Georgetown’s Pat Ewing and Saint Louis’ Travis Ford - was fired following the season in each of his three stops. That, in part, was part of the reason for his winding college path.
“It’s been frustrating, but, it’s nothing I can control,” Ezewiro said. “I only get mad over stuff that I can control. The only thing I can control is my play. I feel like I got everything from those coaches that I was supposed to get. It’s a business. I still talk to all those coaches. I appreciate what they gave to me. I appreciate them for the opportunity and I appreciate Coach Kennedy for the opportunity.”
Now, Ezewiro is getting ready to fit into a program coming off its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons. Lendeborg, the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, leads an experienced core that also includes returning starters Efrem “Butta” Johnson and Alejandro Vasquez and another player, Christian Coleman, who joined the starting lineup in the stretch run for the Blazers.
“I can bring a physical presence inside,” Ezewiro said when asked what he can bring to the Blazers. “I can bring a lot of dunks, bring a lot of lobs, bring a lot of energy to the stadium. I’m not going to come here and overbear anything. This team is already well functioning before I got here. I just want to be a key piece and (make) an impact. Yax is still going to do his thing, Butta is always going to do his thing, Vasquez. They’re always going to do their thing. I’m just here to complement things and try to help them win as much as possible.”