Recruiting Update: Jonathon Nchekwube (2019 Jefferson HS)
There’s just one more year at the high school level for Jonathon Nchekwube and he’s looking to make it count. The developing 6-foot-7, 190-pound forward will be at Jefferson High School for his senior campaign and aiming to do big things. Nchekwube is coming off a solid summer with Hoop Salem on the AAU circuit and has caught the eye of several college coaches.
“I wish we could have won more games but I liked how my game improved personally,” Nchekwube said. “I’ve been developing pretty good – I’ve been working out with a guy named Charles and he’s going to take my game from post to wing and that has me super excited. That’s the main thing I’ve wanted to add to my game – those guard skills, dribbling, shooting, things of that nature.”
Thanks to his play, Nchekwube was invited to the prestigious Prime Time Top 40 Showcase in October where he had the opportunity to match up against the area’s best, including notably Nathan Bittle of Crater and Kaden Perry of Battle Ground. “I liked it at first as there was a lot of intensity but in the end it started getting a little sluggish, but it was pretty fun,” Nchekwube said. “I felt really confident about how I played and that I’ve made a lot of strides in my game.”
College coaches watched Nchekwube all summer long to monitor his progress. He notes that he’s currently hearing from Division II schools such as Cal State East Bay, Colorado Mesa, Alaska-Fairbanks, and Academy of Art. There’s no rush on making any decisions at this point. “I’m going to wait until the end of the season and see what my best offer is, what’s on the table and go from there,” he said.
Instead, his focus is on his senior season where he joined Jefferson for June ball and has been actively working out with the start of the year less than a month away. “I feel like I’m fitting in really well,” Nchekwube said. “I feel like I can be the most versatile player here and a guy that can guard perimeter and the post pretty well. I think my defense is going to be a bigger contribution than my offense really, as well as rebounding. If we can fit everyone together and get our chemistry, I think we’ll have a really good shot at getting our title back that we lost last year.”
Nchekwube currently ranks as the #25 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.