Top 50 Canadian Izaiah Ugoalah Commits to UBC

The University of British Columbia picked up a steal in their recruit Izaiah Ugoalah, who was originally a part of the NPH Top 50 list of Canadians in the 2017 class. Ugoalah has decided to withdraw from doing a prep year and move on to the next level for 2016 in the CIS, as a UBC Thunderbird.

Even with the move into the 2016 class, this lengthy guard with a ton of upside remains among the Top 50 for this year’s graduates. He is merely scratching the surface and is sure to make an impact upon arrival at UBC.

Ugoalah has played on both sides of the border during high school and AAU season with Sunrise Christian Academy and Drive Elite respectively.

After a year at Sunrise, he opted to come back to BC where he experimented with all that he had learned in Kansas and got the playing time and experience necessary to be ready for the collegiate level.

The 6’5 combo guard is equipped with ball handling, vision and scoring from all over the floor. With added mass, he is able to use his body against undersized guards on the opposition or take them off the dribble with a long first step. His range as a three point shooter makes him more of a threat and forces defenders to step out.

With many NCAA programs showing interest and two offers on the table at one point from Montana and Seattle, he opted to stay home and build upon UBC’s success in the CIS under Coach Kevin Hanson.

The T-Birds have fell short of the ultimate goal being a CIS Championship, but being able to add to the strength of the program with commitments from players like Ugoalah will keep them in contention.

Since his first evaluation as a youngster at the very first NPH Showcase in BC, he has been a fierce competitor and defender, with the added physical tools and skill developed over the years, he has a chance to be an All-Conference type of player during his years at UBC.