UWGB lands potential gem in 6-10 center Scottie Ebube, a transfer from Southern Illinois
GREEN BAY – There is a chance Scottie Ebube will be a man of few words in his first season with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team.
The 6-foot-10 transfer from Southern Illinois instead might just let his play do the talking.
“Fans can expect a guy who is going to wow them with his size and power,” said UWGB guard Foster Wonders, who was teammates and good friends with Ebube while both were at SIU in 2022-23. “And he is going to be able to get the Resch Center crowd on its feet with a lot of highlight plays.”
Ebube, whose signing with UWGB became official this week, did not return a text message to talk about his commitment.
But there is little question the Phoenix is excited to add what should be an imposing presence down low for a team that needed size entering the offseason and recruited some in Ebube and Cole Henry, a 6-9 forward who transferred to UWGB after five years at Northern Iowa.
Ebube played 31 games and started one last season. He averaged 6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game while shooting 69% overall, although his 38.6% shooting from the free throw line needs improvement.
He averaged a combined 5.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and shot 67.9% in two seasons with the Salukis.
Ebube was a two-time all-state selection at Mundelein High School in Illinois. He helped lead his team to its first conference championship in 27 years as a senior in 2021 while being ranked among the top 10 prospects in the state.
His numbers from this past season don’t jump off the page, but UWGB coach Sundance Wicks is confident there is another level his new post player can reach in his final two seasons of eligibility.
He believes Ebube was the most underevaluated big man in the NCAA transfer portal. Wicks is big on metrics, and metrics tell a story of what Ebube could be with more playing time.
His per 40 minutes numbers last season stood at 21 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
“It’s insane when you dive into the film for a guy who is 6-10, 275, how explosive he is, how light his feet are,” Wicks said. “Basically, big guys need this: Head, heart, hands and feet. You got the head to really want contact. The heart to play through it all the time, because big guys, man, get beat on. If you have great hands, great feet, you are an elite back to the basket post player.
“He’s as good a sealer as I’ve seen, he is as good at pursuing a rebound outside his area for 6-10, 275. He’s an elite rim runner 1 to 5.”
Wicks wasn’t done.
“He’s classically undervalued with his back to the basket game, over his left shoulder and right shoulder,” he said. “He has got the explosive of a second, third jump that looks like he is dancing around at 220. I just think people look at him and there is not 15 points and 8 rebounds, but when you are playing the limited minutes he was playing and the production he had and his efficiencies, it’s pretty insane.”
There is a chance Ebube could look to drop a few pounds in the offseason in order to have a better chance of playing more minutes than he did at Southern Illinois.
The opportunities for production certainly are available at the five spot for the Phoenix.
UWGB already knows what kind of person and player Ebube is, not only thanks to Wonders but also Phoenix assistant Pat Monaghan, who served in the same role at Southern Illinois from 2019-23 before being brought to Green Bay by Wicks.
When it comes to the “juice” Wicks looks for in players, Ebube likely will be one who brings it in a different way than most.
“Scottie’s got that quiet strength, man,” Wicks said. “That inner strength where when you watch him play, you are like, ‘That guy has got real juice.’
“If you know someone who has been in the foxhole with him, that can co-sign on his character and who he is on a daily basis and know that they are about the right stuff, that’s the best vetting you can get. Someone who has been in the trenches with you.”
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UWGB announces addition of Cole Henry
Along with Ebube, the Phoenix announced the signing of Henry on Wednesday.
Henry was the first commit of the offseason last month and is coming off a career at Northern Iowa in which he played 104 games the past four seasons.
He averaged 3 points and 1.8 rebounds last season after averaging 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 2022-23.
Henry has one season of eligibility remaining.
"What I absolutely love about Cole is his feel for the game and basketball IQ," Wicks said in a statement. “Cole can play 5-out basketball from the delay and be a point post, he can pick you apart in the ball screen with his understanding of angles and playing out of the short roll, or he can back you down in a (Charles) Barkley situation and attack you with a go-to or counter move.”
UWGB still had four scholarships remaining entering the weekend as it reshapes a roster that lost its top scorer in guard Noah Reynolds and its top rebounder in forward Elijah Jones to the transfer portal.
Reynolds recently committed to TCU, while Jones remains unsigned.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB men land center Scottie Ebube, a transfer from Southern Illinois
