What's next for Okku Federiko now that he's joined South Carolina
South Carolina received some much-needed good news on Friday when it learned freshman forward Okku Federiko was finally cleared to join the program.
Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, Federiko was a part of South Carolina’s class of 2024. But due to issues with his move to the United States and earning final clearance from the NCAA, he missed the entire summer, preseason and first 19 games of the 2024-25 season.
Now that Federiko is on the roster and eligible to play, the question becomes what’s next for him? Part of that question was answered before South Carolina’s 65-60 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday, when Federiko was not in uniform. He instead donned a black team-issued jumpsuit and sat with injured teammate Myles Stute on the bench during warmups and throughout the game.
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Which leads into a likely scenario for the 6-foot-10 big man. With 11 games left in the regular season, there’s a good chance he could redshirt to have up to four years to play at South Carolina.
“I think he’s still getting the final eligibility in terms of being able to participate in games,” head coach Lamont Paris said. “But at this point, that’s also very difficult, just being completely transparent.”
It’s also important to keep in mind that Federiko is just now starting his college journey in Columbia. Before this weekend, he hadn’t been involved with the team while waiting for things to clear up with the NCAA.
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Rather than rushing into game action with a team he just joined, especially with South Carolina’s postseason chances dwindling by the day, odds are he will not play this season.
“I’m happy that he’s here,” Paris said. “But from a basketball standpoint, he hasn’t done one single thing. So, it’s hard to say what any of that would look like.”
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But there’s still an opportunity for him to make the most of the time he has before turning the page to next season. He’ll have a chance to start practicing regularly with the rest of the players, which Paris seemed excited about.
“My expectations as far as that go are that he will enjoy spending time with the guys that are on the team, getting to know them, carving out his niche individually,” he said. “Putting on a pair of shoes and practicing with his teammates, which he hasn’t done yet. My expectation is that he will enjoy all those things — college life, meeting new people here and thrive. I mean, really, that’s the only expectation I have for him.”
