Wolverine TV: Olivier Nkamhoua discusses transferring from Tennessee to Michigan, FIBA World Cup, more
Michigan Wolverines basketball graduate forward Olivier Nkamhoua, a Tennessee transfer, has only spent a couple weeks in Ann Arbor. In the coming days, the Helsinki native will head to Finland and then Japan for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, representing Finland. Nkamhoua met with the media Saturday evening ahead of his trip, discussing a myriad of topics, including his decision to join U-M, the World Cup and more.
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Nkamhoua tested the NBA Draft waters this offseason, before ultimately choosing to return to college and join Michigan basketball. Playing at the next level is what he’s shooting for, and he believes head coach Juwan Howard and his staff can help him achieve that.
“I just feel like in the offense that they run here with a guy like Juwan, I’ll be able to adapt my game, still do many of those things that I was doing at Tennessee, but also adapt my game to more of an NBA style offense,” Nkamhoua said. “I’ll get to run plays from different positions and then just ultimately play in a bigger role, I feel.”
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He ended up at Michigan because of relationships, in large part.
“My first time going through the process, I felt as though my best decision for myself and my future was to do one more year of school. And then the relationship that I, over time, built with Juwan, I felt like it was the best place for me. And then there was already a connection between me and Coach Martelli, who had been here for a couple years. He recruited me in high school. So I just felt like this was a place and people who I could really connect with and have a great situation.”
Nkamhoua is projected to start for Michigan at the power forward position, a spot that lacked production last season and was a priority for the staff to improve heading into the 2023-24 campaign.
Nkamhoua and the Wolverines will begin the season Nov. 7 against UNC Asheville at Crisler Center. Marquee non-conference games for Michigan are at St. John’s at Madison Square Garden for the Gavitt Tipoff Games, at Oregon and versus Florida in Charlotte, N.C. That’s before the Big Ten schedule, which has yet to be announced.
