Tobe Awaka Joins Wildcats
TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona men's basketball head coach Tommy Lloyd has announced the addition of forward Tobe Awaka to the roster. Awaka has two years of eligibility remaining after playing his first two seasons at the University of Tennessee.
"Tobe brings an energy and toughness around the basket that you cannot teach, with a passion for rebounding that is second to none," Lloyd said. "He's an extremely bright young man that has been well-coached throughout his career so far and we look forward to having him join the Arizona basketball family."
Tobe Awaka ("toe-BAY uh-WAH-kuh"), who is 6-foot-8, 250 pounds, played in 69 games over the past two seasons with the Volunteers, averaging 4.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and shooting 59.1% from the floor while playing 11.7 minutes per game.
During the 2023-24 season, the native of Hyde Park, New York, averaged 5.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and shot 59.1% from the floor and 74.2% at the free throw line. He scored in double figures five times, including 10 points five rebounds and a block in 11 minutes against Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. His top overall performance came in a comeback win over Missouri, dropping a career-high 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
In the Summer of 2023, Awaka was a member of USA Basketball's FIBA Men's U19 World Cup team that played in Debrecen, Hungary. He started six of the seven games and was one of three players in the tournament to average a double-double at 11.6 points and 10.6 rebounds. He also paced all players in the tournament with four double-doubles and his 18.1 FIBA efficiency rating was the fifth-best of the entire tournament.
As a freshman at Tennessee, his numbers were modest – 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds – but his impact on the glass was profound. He averaged 1.83 offensive rebounds per game in SEC play despite ranking ninth on the Vols in minutes played in conference play.
Awaka was born in Poughkeepsie, New York and attended Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, New York and was the 2022 New York Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 19.2 points and 13.9 rebounds.