USC Men's Basketball Adds Russian Forward Iaroslav Niagu To 2022-23 Roster

The USC men's basketball team has added incoming freshman Iaroslav Niagu to its 2022-23 men's basketball roster it was announced by head coach Andy Enfield today (Aug. 30).

Niagu, a 7-foot, 215 pound forward, comes to USC from the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia. The NBA Global Academy is an elite training center which serves as the main training and development hub for athletes around the world. In July, he traveled to Atlanta for the fourth annual NBA Academy Games and helped lead the NBA Global Academy team to a second-place finish, posting a 20-point, 10-rebound effort along the way. During the 2022 NBA Academy Games he averaged 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 73.7 percent (14-19) from the free throw line over the course of six games.

In addition, Niagu has extensive experience in international competition, having represented his home country on several occasions. He recently played for the U20 Russian National Team at the U20 FIBA European Challengers held in Munich, Germany in July 2021. Prior to that, he suited up for the U16 Russian National Team at the U16 European Championships held in Udine, Italy in July 2019. He averaged 12.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists 1.4 blocks as one of the youngest players in the tournament.

Niagu originally hails from Krasnodar, Russia, where he played for Lokomotiv Kuban from 2019-21, averaging 12.8 points during the 2021 season.

Niagu joins an incoming USC freshmen class that was ranked top-ten by ESPN and includes Vince Iwuchukwu, Oziyah Sellers, Tre White and Kijani Wright.
 
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