Ernest Udeh Jr., 2022 4-star center, cuts list to 10

Ernest Udeh Jr., a 6-foot-10 center out of Orlando Dr. Phillips High School, tells On3 he is down to 10 options – Michigan, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Tennessee, Baylor, UCLA, Miami, Alabama and the Overtime Elite league.

Udeh Jr. has not yet taken any college visits, but he is currently in the process of setting them up. Ernest Udeh Jr. discussed each option with On3.

Michigan

“Coach (Juwan) Howard is my guy,” Ernest Udeh Jr. said. “I don’t have anything negative to say about him. You know with him being a big, I can really relate to him. And just him being an all-around, humble guy… easy to talk to. He explains to me that development is key. And him being able to increase what I have in my game to get myself better, to prepare for the next level.”

Florida

“Florida is very consistent,” Udeh said. “One of the more consistent schools that recruits me. The whole staff is at almost every event I play at. They’re always constantly talking to me. I’m always on the phone with Mike (White). They’ve been recruiting me hard since day one. I really love the consistency about them.”

Georgia Tech

“Georgia Tech is almost the same way (as Florida),” Udeh said. “Their whole staff shows me a tremendous amount of love. They’re sending me edits every single day. They check in with my mom and have great conversations with her.”

Kansas

“They’ve had a lot of success with their bigs,” Udeh said. “That has a lot of value to me considering I want to get to the next level. Their whole coaching staff are a bunch of genuine guys.”

Tennessee

“They watched me really good and studied me before extending an offer,” Udeh said. “They continued to talk to me and just the consistency, but not extending an offer.. it just spoke volumes to me about how serious they are about this process. And they just don’t want to, I guess could say, make a mistake. They just wanted to make sure that I was the kinda guy they were looking for and I was. Ever since they offered me, the whole staff has been on me. Coach (Justin) Gainey and all them have been talking to me every single day. Me and my mom have had multiple conversations with them about my future and even criticism. They always keep it real about what I need to do to get better, and what I can work on. They are all really good guys.” 

Baylor

“Baylor is really good with their criticism,” Udeh said. “They let me know what I need to get better on, and what they like about me now. They don’t just sugarcoat everything. That’s what I find really important and I feel like that’s valuable. They explain to me how I would fit in their system and their style of play. They like my style of play as an individual and they noticed how I’m able to play with my teams from Southeast Elite to Dr. Phillips… how I benefit the team and how I can get them a win.” 

UCLA

“If I go there, I’d be able to make an impact right away,” Udeh said. “We recently had a zoom the other day, and they walked me through how I’d fit in. If you were to ask me today about how I feel about them… I feel really good about them.”

Miami

“From Coach (Jim) Larrañaga to Coach Bill (Courtney)…they’re all just genuine guys,” Udeh said. “Talking to them, they always put a smile on my face. They always have positive things to talk about. The connections that Coach Larrañaga has with people around the league and the basketball world is really phenomenal. The amount of emphasis that they put into the development of their bigs is really great and of course not only see myself playing in their playstyle but benefiting a lot by going there and attending the school.”

Alabama

“They have a very well-known program of course,” Udeh said. “They saw me for the first time during my summer high school games. The sets they run, I definitely see similarities to how my team plays and whatnot. Coach (Nate) Oats and (Bryan) Hodgson really love my game and what I bring to the table in terms of being able to help my team win.”

Overtime Elite league

“It’s pretty early in the relationship, but you know I understand I have an opportunity to not only be a pro, but also keep my family “comfortable” for now,” Udeh said. “I know that they’ll have the resources to keep my development on the rise so they are a real consideration.”