Four-star Ebenezer Dowuona wins championship, intrigues programs
RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings
Ebenezer Dowuona finished his junior season at The Heritage School (Newnan, Ga.) the way every player hopes to finish. His team won the state championship over Holy Spirit Prep, and he played a big role with his 13 points and 14 rebounds. For the season, the four-star center averaged 8 points, 14 rebounds and a few blocks per game.
As his junior season progressed, Dowuona’s confidence on the offensive end continued to improve, and that’s exactly why college coaches are so intrigued by him, especially when you combine it with his ability to control the paint on the defensive end.
Auburn, Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Ole Miss are the schools he said are hitting him the hardest right now. Georgia has also stayed involved with him as well. Dowuona’s older brother, Emmanuel, plays at Purdue and the Boilermakers have been involved, too. Ebenezer’s already taken visits to Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Ole Miss.
MORE: Memphis adds four-star Damion Baugh | Five-star RJ Hampton schedules second official visit
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Auburn: “I love Coach (Bruce) Pearl and the players over there. I feel like they have a great connection, like a family over there. I really respect that, because I’m not really from here, so having a good relationship with the coach really means a lot.”
Georgia: “Coach (Tom) Crean is really competitive and I like that. I’m a competitive person and I want to be around players and coaches that want to compete. I watched them practice and I really liked what I saw. I feel like he can help me get to the next level.
Georgia Tech: “It went pretty well. The game was great against Boston College. I talked to Coach (Josh) Pastner and Coach (Julian) Swartz before the game. They said they are really interested and they hope I like Georgia Tech because it’s close to home. I do like it.”
Ohio State: “When I went there for a visit, I spoke with Coach (Chris) Holtmann and that was great. I actually talked to Greg Oden, too, for a while and he told me although he left early for the NBA he had the opportunity to come back and finish his degree. That’s one thing about Ohio State is they still have a connection with you no matter what to come back.”
Ole Miss: “They play hard over there. I went over there and watched them practice for a little bit and they were getting after each other. I loved the intensity, especially on the defensive end. They are well-coached. I love Coach (Kermit) Davis. I spoke to him and he’s really interested in me.”
Purdue: “I was talking to them last summer a good bit, but I haven’t talked to them as much lately.”
RIVALS’ REACTION:
It certainly sounds like Dowuona's relationship with the players and coaches at the school is going to be the biggest factor in his decision. He’s been fortunate to be able to see a lot of schools already for some quality face time with the coaching staffs involved.
Ohio State appears to be in a really good spot with Dowuona. Holtmann and his staff have put in a ton of work with him, and meeting Oden was a big deal for him on his visit. Auburn, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss also impressed him on his visits and are firmly in the mix as well. Dowuona said he plans to play out his last season with Game Elite before moving forward with a decision, so there is still time for new schools to jump into the mix.