NKU receives verbal commitment from highly regarded junior-college basketball player

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

Northern Kentucky University has received a verbal commitment from a highly regarded junior-college basketball player in Florida.

Eastern Florida State College power forward Silas Adheke committed to play at NKU on Friday. The 6-foot-9, 237-pound Adheke originally signed with the University of Evansville, where he redshirted as a freshman during the 2016-17 season.

Adheke asked for his release from Evansville last summer and enrolled at Eastern Florida State, where he is currently averaging 6.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Eastern Florida State is coached by Jeremy Shulman, who led the Titans to 31 wins last season. Eastern Florida State also advanced to last year’s NJCAA Division I national championship game, where the Titans lost to Hutchinson (Kan.).

“Silas is an outstanding player, capable of playing at the high-major level, and he is an absolute steal for Northern Kentucky,” Shulman said. “The staff at NKU did an outstanding job recruiting Silas, who will have three years to play for the Norse.

“Silas is a 6-9 [power forward] who can rebound and block shots, but he is also an outstanding shooter. But above all, Silas is a flat-out amazing person, just an outstanding young man. NKU will be very excited to have Silas for the next three years.”

Adheke has played in 24 games and started seven times for Eastern Florida State, which owns a 22-3 record and is ranked No. 15 in the NJCAA Division I poll. He is also shooting 54.6 percent from the field and has blocked 15 shots.

Adheke has scored in double figures eight times this season, netting 14 points twice. He also pulled down at least 10 rebounds in three games, with a high of 14 boards against Coastal Alabama-North on Nov. 11.

A left-handed shooter, Adheke drained a trio of 3-pointers during a 102-64 win over Chipola (Fla.) on Dec. 10 and finished with 11 points.

A native of Nigeria, Adheke moved to the United States as a freshman in high school and played three years at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn. Adheke, who owns a 32-inch vertical jump and has a 7-foot-1 wingspan, was recruited by schools such as Kansas State, Southern Illinois, and Missouri State before choosing Evansville.

Adheke joins high school standouts Trevon Faulkner and Bryant Mocaby as NKU recruits for next season. Faulkner and Mocaby, a pair of scoring guards, signed national letters of intent with the Norse in November.

NKU is currently 17-7 overall and tied with Wright State for first place in the Horizon League standings with a 10-2 record. The Norse play host to Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at BB&T Arena.

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport