THUNDER BAY - The Lakehead Thunderwolves men’s basketball team has added another junior college transfer for the upcoming 2019-20 season.
The signing of Chume Nwigwe, a 6-foot-4 wing originally from Toronto, Ont., was announced on Tuesday.
Nwigwe played high school basketball in Toronto before committing to play for Midland College of the NJCAA for the 2018-19 season.
In 27 games for Midland, Nwigwe averaged 23.9 minutes per game despite scoring under five points per contest.
Head coach Ryan Thomson said he was thrust into a bigger role due to injuries.
“He’s obviously an explosive and athletic guy. He’s going to bring a lot of energy and be able to defend multiple positions.”
Thomson said Nwigwe was a player they were keeping tabs on after he left Canada to play for Midland in 2018-19.
Through his first two recruiting classes, Nwigwe is the sixth player Thomson has recruited through transfer from a U.S. school. Three of those were originally from Canada.
“There’s a lot of reasons for guys to come home. Whether it’s being closer, or having a better opportunity here, we feel like it’s a good opportunity both for us and the player,” Thomson said.
In late June, Lakehead also announced the signing of Eric Gonzalez, a 6-foot-8 power forward who formerly played on Spain’s U18 national team.
Gonzalez spent last season at Gannon University in Pennsylvania, but was listed as a medical redshirt and comes to Lakehead with five years of eligibility.
“He got to play on a big stage with Spain so we’re excited about the experience he brings,” Thomson said. “He’ll be able to play on the wing as a (shooting forward) or (power forward), and we’d even like to give him a little bit of time at (centre) this season.”
While the team is always looking to add size, rotations will ultimately come down to chemistry and fit.
Six-foot-two guard Rayshawn Scarlett from Toronto, Ontario rounds out the recruiting class so far for Lakehead. Thomson said “a few more” recruits will be announced in the coming weeks.
In Thomson’s first season, Lakehead improved their conference record by eight games, and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17.
