Above the rim with Emeka Opurum: 'It's my house'

AUBURN, Ala. – Like generations of student-athletes before him, one visit to the Plains was all Emeka Opurum needed to know Auburn was the place for him.

“As soon as I stepped inside Auburn, it felt so welcoming,” he said. “Everybody was loving and kind. It felt like home away from home.”  

Home for Opurum is Lagos, Nigeria, 6,000 miles from Auburn.

“It felt peaceful and it felt right,” he said. “I asked God to lead me in my decision, and he gave me a sign and it was Auburn.”

After earning conference defensive player of the year honors in his lone season at Butler Community College in Kansas, Opurum fielded offers from St. John’s, Iowa and Indiana, among others. 

When Auburn offered, the 7-foot, 205-pound center visited the Tigers first, attracted by the program’s track record of player development and graduation success.

“My first thing is academics before sports,” said Opurum, studying supply chain management in Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business. “That helped me in my decision to come to Auburn.”

Still new to basketball, last season represented Opurum’s first to play the game in an organized setting after another sport captivated his childhood in Africa.

“I love soccer,” he said. “My whole family plays soccer. I probably could still play but you don’t want to see a 7-footer playing soccer.” 

On the basketball court, Opurum takes rim protection seriously. 

“That’s my biggest strength,” said Opurum, who blocked 87 shots in 33 games last season. “I do not like it when I see people get layups. It hurts me to see people get layups. I know I can get anything around the rim. It’s my house.

“Anything inside the paint, around the paint, that’s my house. I can’t let you into my house without permission.”

In junior college, Opurum averaged 9.4 points per game while shooting 67 percent from the field.

“I know how to score, too,” he said. “It’s not just about defense.”

In fewer than two years, Opurum has gone from playing pickup basketball to junior college to the Southeastern Conference.

“A lot of things to learn,” he said. “You’ve got to be physical. You’ve got to know how to think fast, high IQ, play smart.

“I take it a step at a time. I’m not going to rush. That’s been my way since I started playing basketball. I take my time to learn but I’m also a perfectionist. I try to get everything right. Once I get it right, I’m locked in with it.”

One of 10 new Tigers, Opurum adjusts to his new teammates and a new campus. 

“Everybody’s learning together,” he said. “Everybody’s coming from different places. It’s a bond we can start together. Having a new coach, too, is something we can grow together as a whole team.

“I’m going to keep trying my hardest. I have a lot of work to do but one day I’ll get there.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer