Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
West Virginia

UNC Wilmington transfer center Harlan Obioha commits to West Virginia

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•04/06/25
On3 image
© Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

UNC Wilmington transfer seven-footer Harlan Obioha has officially committed to West Virginia, his agents Noah Reisenfeld and Adie Vongontard told On3’s Pete Nakos on Sunday evening. He averaged 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds for UNCW this year and was a highly coveted big man in the portal.

Obioha transferred to UNCW after spending 2.5 seasons with Niagara. He tallied 17 double-digit scoring efforts in the 2024-2025 season with the Seahawks. The seven-footer scored a career-high 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds in UNCW’s Feb. 24 game against William and Mary. That jump started a six-game winning streak to propel them to the CAA crown. And he also tallied five double doubles.

UNC Wilmington made it to the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, where they lost to No. 3 seed Texas Tech, 82-72. In the losing effort, Obioha had seven points and nine rebounds. He played a critical role in guiding the Seahawks to the CAA Championship Game, where they defeated the Delaware Blue Hens 76-72.

In the 2023-2024 season at Niagara, he earned MAAC Player of the Week honors, playing in 32 games, averaging 10.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 26.6 minutes per outing. He poured in a season-high of 22 points against Rider, while also grabbing a season-high of 16 rebounds against Manhattan. He shot 63.3% from the field, while connecting on 81 of his 128 free throw attempts.

In the 2022-2023 season at Niagara, Obioha played in 28 games, making one start, tallying 2.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He also grabbed a double-double (11 points and 11 rebounds) in his team’s win over Quinnipiac on Feb. 10th. He went 4-for-5 from the floor against Iona on Feb. 12th.

In the 2021-2022 season, Obioha joined the Purple Eagles midway through the season and red-shirted the remainder of the year. As a high school prospect, he enjoyed a decorated career at Hoxie High School (Hoxie, Kansas). He averaged 28.0 points per game, 11.0 rebounds per game, and 4.0 assists per game while surpassing 1,000 points his senior year. He was a two-time first team All-MCL honoree. Following his junior year, Obioha earned first team All-State honors and runner-up for the AA Player of the Year.