Uche Izoje named ACC Rookie of the Year, 2nd winner in program history
Syracuse’s Uche Izoje won the ACC Rookie of the Year award, the conference announced Tuesday. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse center Uche Izoje won the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year award, the conference announced Tuesday. Izoje posted 15 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 55.3% from the field in the regular season.
Izoje is just the second SU player ever to win the award, following Kamilla Cardoso’s 2020-21 campaign.
A native of Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, Izoje moved to Japan by herself at age 13. She played three professional seasons in the Women’s Japan Basketball League before committing to the Orange in July as their final roster addition of the offseason. Few could’ve predicted she’d be the best. But Izoje, a 6-foot-3 center, revolutionized Syracuse’s frontcourt this season.
“To see what she’s evolved into as a student-athlete…you can’t really put it into words,” SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said.
Izoje started in all 29 of Syracuse’s games and led all ACC freshmen in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage. She totaled 13 double-doubles on the season, notably scoring 27 points and hauling in 12 rebounds against North Carolina Jan. 25 and dropping 21 points and a career-high 17 boards versus Florida State Jan. 1.
After Syracuse’s season-opener versus Stony Brook, Izoje’s first game of her collegiate career, Legette-Jack called Izoje a Hannah Hidalgo or Paige Bueckers-type talent. At the time, having only played one collegiate game, those were big shoes for Izoje to fill.
Throughout the season, it became increasingly evident that Legette-Jack was correct, as Izoje took home a program-record eight ACC Rookie of the Week honors.
She had no problem proving her head coach right this season. And now, Izoje has the silverware to show for it.
