By: D. Scott Fritchen
To get comfortable and to get the good vibes flowing, Chimobi Ikegwuruka might head to a piano or strum a guitar, because the good vibes are central to finding happiness, which carries over into all areas of life. At least, that's what Chimobi — or "Mobi" for short — has discovered in his journey to athletics.
The native of Galway, Ireland, who once fancied himself as a soccer player, looks to make beautiful music as the 6-foot-6, 205-pound transfer from Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College prepares to make a home at Kansas State with visions of helping the Wildcats compete for a Big 12 Conference title.
"What I've learned most about myself is that doing things outside of basketball makes me a better player on the court," Ikegwuruka says. "Doing some art, listening to music, trying new things like playing a piano or the guitar — just trying a bunch of new stuff will make me happy off the court and it'll flow onto the court.
"Happiness is a wave. You can't be happy on the court and sad off the court. It doesn't add up. Being free and open-minded is definitely a big thing to me."
Since Ikegwuruka committed to K-State and head coach Jerome Tang last Thursday, the second-team NJCAA All-American guard has ridden a wave of adrenaline that the ultra-athletic competitor intends to bring with him when he arrives on campus in June. As a redshirt freshman, Ikegwuruka averaged 19.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in leading Ellsworth Community College to a 29-8 record and a fourth-place finish at the 2024 NJCAA Division II Championship. Ikegwuruka, who shot 59.4% (155-of-261) from the floor, averaged 2.2 blocks, 2.1 steals and 1.5 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. Ikegwuruka was also named a Fab 50 Freshman by JUCORecruiting.com.
It's his jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism that first captures the eye. A highlight reel shows powerful dunk after powerful dunk — one-handed and two-handed dunks, dunks off alley-oops, dunks off dribble drives, dunks while going to his left or to his right.
"First time I dunked I was 14 when I first started playing basketball," Ikegwuruka says. "I was through the roof. Sometimes, to me, dunking is issuing a statement, and I want to put a statement out there on who I am and what I can do.
"When I dunk the ball, I want to add a lot of passion."
Asked to describe his game, Ikegwuruka replies: "I feel like I'm pretty simple. I don't do anything really flashy. I don't have crazy handles or incredible 2-pointers. When I find the right spot and when I have a great group of guys around me, I always make the right read or decision. I'm a pretty simple player. I don't think I'm amazing at everything. I just have the opportunity to be great at everything and to do almost everything right."
When the ball is in his hands, it typically reaps positive results.
"My biggest strength? My athleticism," he says. "I feel like in a game, I usually get doubled a lot, so I usually try to make the right reads within seconds. When I'm pushing the ball up in transition, I always look for my shooters in the corners. If they're not in the corners, I'll go.
"If I see the rim and have a full head of steam that rim is coming down."
Ikegwuruka scored 20 or more points in 13 games, including a career-high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting at Western Iowa Tech on December 9, 2023. He had seven consecutive 20-point games to end the regular season and had 10 double-doubles. He had 21 points and 10 rebounds in leading Ellsworth to the NJCAA Division II Final Four for the first time since 1977.
"We were a really good team and have five or six guys about to play Division I ball, but I know some people will have their doubts being a juco kid," he says. "But I enjoy proving people wrong. I have a very high competitive spirit."
Ikegwuruka says that he heard from Tang for the first time when he was 17.
"I think Coach Tang has followed me ever since then, honestly," Ikegwuruka says. "This recruiting process, something told me this was an opportunity to take. Coach Tang had been keeping his eye on me. I was like, 'OK, he knows me better than most of the coaches who've recruited me.' His style of play makes a lot of sense. The staff, you don't meet a genuine staff now a days. I was surprised with how great of people these coaches were."
Ikegwuruka says that he received interest from between 10 and 15 mid-major and high-major colleges and visited St. Bonaventure, East Carolina and Oregon State.
"I arrived in Manhattan at 1:30 p.m. and Coach Tang and the whole staff came out clapping," he says. "It was great. I toured the campus and the facilities, and everything was A-plus. It was amazing. Everything was set perfectly.
"The tone of the city, everybody was smiling, and it was a very happy vibe in Manhattan. That's definitely what I was looking for all this time during all these visits. That means the world to me, for sure."
As for what most stood out about his conversation with Tang?
"What I remember most is his energy," Ikegwuruka says. "When I speak to coaches, I evaluate a lot. I see how they are and ask them questions. I want them to show me what I can do to be a better man in general. Of course, basketball is there, but I'm trying to learn from you. Looking at Coach Tang, the first time we interacted and then inside his office, he told me his story, and I was like, 'Wow.' It was just perfect. I'd never had a head coach talk like that and tell me about his past first. Everything aligned perfectly."
It didn't take long for Ikegwuruka to decide that K-State was the place for him.
He signed on with K-State at around 6 p.m. — roughly five hours after arriving on campus.
"It really hasn't hit me," he says. "I've just been in the gym non-stop since my visit. All I've been doing is working out. I think I'm ready to roll, for sure. There are so many emotions running through me right now. It's all very exciting."
He's happy. The good vibes are flowing.
He's ready to make beautiful music with the Wildcats.
