2019-20 Season
One of two players to start all 30 games…finished the season with averages of 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 21.7 minutes per game…shot 45% (72-161) from the field…the 1.5 steals per game ranked fifth in the Big Sky…average of 1.9 steals in league play ranked second in the conference…known more for his defensive exploits during the majority of his two-year tenure with the Hornets, Nwachukwu went on an offensive tear his final six games of the season…during that six-game span, he averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 59% (32-54) from the field and 76% (19-25) from the free throw line…scored in double figures in five of those six games after doing so nine times in his first 55 games in a Sacramento State uniform…had a team-high 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-4 3FG) in the Hornets’ Big Sky Tournament first round win over Weber State…had a career-high 20 points at Idaho, and at home vs. Montana…went 2-for-2 from the free throw line with 1.0 second to play to give the Hornets a 57-56 home win over Cal Poly…drew six charges…of his 104 rebounds, 43% of those boards (45) came on the offensive glass…had a career-high five steals vs. Northern Arizona.
2018-19 Season
One of six Hornets to play all 31 games…that included 17 starts…one of the team’s best defenders…finished the season with averages of 6.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 22.8 minutes per game…shot 46% (82-177) from the field and 67% (18-27) from the free throw line…started the Hornets’ Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal game vs. Montana…scored in double figures seven times, including a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) vs. Eastern Washington…of his 112 rebounds, 37 came on the offensive glass…had two rebounds, a steal and a tip-in during the final 2:30 of the Hornets’ 58-55 win over rival UC Davis at the Golden 1 Center…season-high 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting in 26 minutes in a home win over Portland State…played 37 minutes on a pair of occasions…had at least two steals in six of the first 10 games of the season.
Prior to Sacramento State
Played two seasons of basketball at Antelope Valley Junior College in Lancaster, Calif…a first team all-conference selection as a sophomore after averaging 14.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocked shots per game…shot .534 (181-339) from the field, .409 (27-66) from the 3-point line and .733 (74-101) from the free throw line…played in 31 of the team’s 32 games that season (starting 30 times) while averaging 26.6 minutes and scoring in double figures in 23 of the final 26 games…that included a career-high 30 points vs. San Diego Miramar…as a freshman in 2016-17, Nwachukwu played in all 33 games for a team that finished 22-11, and reached the quarterfinal round of the state championship…that season, he averaged 7.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 18.4 minutes per game while shooting .591 (104-176) from the field and .691 (47-68) from the free throw line.
High School
A 2015 graduate of San Leandro High School in San Leandro, Calif…played four years of basketball for the Pirates (2011-15), the final three seasons on the varsity team.…was a two-time all-conference selection, earning first team honors as a senior and second team accolades as a junior…the team combined for a 58-28 overall record and 21-12 conference mark during his three varsity seasons.
Personal
A communication studies major who is on pace to graduate in the spring of 2020…son of Neneyen Eshiett-Nwachukwu…prior to his two seasons at Antelope Valley, Nwachukwu played one year of basketball for DME Sports Academy Prep in Daytona Beach, Fla., where he averaged 28.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
