WKU basketball signs JUCO forward Kevin Osawe

WKU men’s basketball head coach Rick Stansbury addresses the media following the announcement of the cancellation of the Conference USA basketball tournament due to Covid-19 concerns on March 12, 2020.

Drake Kizer

The WKU men’s basketball team has signed standout junior college prospect Kevin Osawe to a National Letter of Intent in the 2020 class, head coach Rick Stansbury announced Friday.

Osawe verbally committed to WKU on Thursday, becoming Stansbury’s third pledge for the 2020 class, and he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining after transferring from Vincennes University in Indiana.

Rated the No. 10 overall JUCO prospect in the nation by JUCORecruiting.com, the 6-foot-6-inch, 205-pound wing chose the Hilltoppers over reported interest from West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

“We’re excited to have Kevin join our family,” Stansbury said in a release. “It’s very obvious he comes from one of the best junior colleges in the country under coach Todd Franklin. He joins us from a program where he’s been coached and where he won a national championship as a freshman, and had another opportunity this year. He brings us some experience and some versatility, and he’s a young man we think will fit right in with our program with his work ethic.”

Originally from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, Osawe was named a NJCAA Division I Third-Team All-American this year following his sophomore season.

He averaged 17.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists as Vincennes compiled a 28-5 record, a No. 9 final national ranking and a No. 10 overall seed in the NJCAA National Tournament that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Osawe also made 66 3-pointers during the 2019-20 season while ranking No. 6 nationally in defensive rebounds and No. 25 in total rebounds.

As a freshman, he averaged 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists on the Vincennes squad that won the NJCAA national championship with a 34-2 record.

He shot 39.7% from 3-point range for the season and was named MVP of the National Tournament, including 22 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game.

Prior to arriving at Vincennes, Osawe was a standout prep player at Central Technical School in Canada.

Osawe will join freshmen signees Dayvion McKnight and Kylen Milton as newcomers on the Hill this fall. The trio will help Stansbury replace departing seniors Jared Savage, Camron Justice and Matt Horton, as well as redshirt freshman Jeremiah Gambrell, who transferred away from WKU on April 4.

Sports Editor Drake Kizer can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Drake on Twitter at @drakekizer_.