Tennessee Vols newcomer should be an instant fan favorite after first regular season game of 2024-25 basketball season
The Tennessee Vols basketball program added several key transfers to the roster this past offseason. And one of those transfers, former Ohio State center Felix Okpara, should be an immediate fan favorite after his regular season debut for the Vols against Gardner Webb on Monday night. Okpara's stat line wasn't too crazy at first glance […]
The Tennessee Vols basketball program added several key transfers to the roster this past offseason.
And one of those transfers, former Ohio State center Felix Okpara, should be an immediate fan favorite after his regular season debut for the Vols against Gardner Webb on Monday night.
Okpara's stat line wasn't too crazy at first glance — two points, nine rebounds, and one blocked shot in 25 minutes of action — but it became impressive after Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes pointed out after the game that the 6-foot-11 junior is dealing with a "serious" hip pointer.
Barnes told reporters that despite the injury, Okpara refuses to miss either practice or a game.
"Honestly, it's probably, since I've known Felix, it's probably the toughest day he has had," said Barnes. "Not to make excuses, but to tell the truth, he's got a really pretty serious hip pointer. But he absolutely refuses to come out of practice and play in the game. I mean, he's going to play. And I thought he was slow getting off the ball, which he's not normally slow at doing that.
"But I'm really proud of the fact that, if you have ever dealt with a hip pointer you know what it's like. And I can show you film in practice where he's almost trying to protect it with his hands. But, again, from a production standpoint, since I've known him, this might be the worst day he's had. But he'll work at it and he'll get better. I'm talking more offensively. Defensively, I thought he tried to do the things that we asked him to do."
Okpara, a native of Nigeria who spent the first two seasons of his career at Ohio State, is going to be a defensive force for the Vols this season (the Knoxville News Sentinel's Mike Wilson boldly predicted that Okpara will be the SEC Defensive Player of the Year).
And based on Barnes' comments, Okpara should be much better offensively this season than what we saw on Monday night against Gardner Webb (Okpara was 0-for-3 from the field and 2-for-4 from the free throw line).
Stats and expectations aside, Okpara should be an instant fan favorite on Rocky Top. He could've easily chose to sit out against Gardner Webb, but it's clear that he doesn't view sitting out of a game (or missing a practice) as an option. That's the kind of mentality that helps win championships. And it's a mentality that's contagious. Okpara is going to be an important player for Tennessee this season — both on the court and off the court.
