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Sports

Uni Hoops Star Nwaba Signs With Hawaii Pacific

The Wildcats' senior and Western League Most Valuable Player makes his college choice.

, who led the boys' basketball team to its winningest season ever in the winter, has signed a letter of intent to play at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, University Coach announced Tuesday.

Nwaba, who was one of the most highly-recruited players in Los Angeles, will receive a full scholarship to the NCAA Division II school from the Pacific West Conference

No one was happier about Nwaba's signing than Ackerman, his head coach for all four of his standout seasons at University High. 

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"David was clearly the most visible student-athlete in our entire school and one of the most visible in the ," Ackerman said. "What David did for us was the same thing that Kobe [Bryant] does for the Lakers, LeBron [James] did for the Cavaliers, or Michael Jordan did for the Bulls--he is our marquee player and the ultimate security blanket for the other players' confidence. He was a stabilizing force on the court. I don't know how you replace someone like that so easily. He will certainly be missed."

As a 6-4 senior wing, Nwaba was named co-Most Valuable Player in the in 2010-11 after leading the Wildcats to a school-record 25 wins and a spot in the City Section Division II finals. He averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.2 steals and 2.9 blocks per game this past season. It ws more than just stats, however, that set Nwaba apart.

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"David was unique because I could play him at a variety of positions on the court," Ackerman said. "He was a real mismatch for all of our opponents. He was much quicker and more athletic then any high school center or forward, and taller, stronger and could jump much higher than any traditional guard or wing. By being as versatile as he was, I could play him everywhere on the court and gain a distinct advantage. Not to mention he was one of the most soft spoken players I've had the pleasure of coaching. His on-court demeanor was entirely different than his off-court persona."

In addition to being Western League player of the year, Nwaba was a three-time All-City selection and led the Wildcats to four consecutive appearances in the game, winning it his freshman year in 2008. He also led University to three consecutive appearances in the CIF state playoffs (2009-2011), all while averaging double figures in points and rebounds.

Hawaii Pacific went 12-16 overall and 7-9 in conference last season. The Sea Warriors are coached by Darren Vorderbruegge, also the school's athletic director. So now it's "Farewell Uni" and "Aloha HPU" for Nwaba. 

"I think David will ultimately be very successful at the next level," Ackerman said. "As a player who burst on the scene so late in his high school career, his 'ceiling' for improvement at the college level is so high. Once his fundamentals and skills catch up with his freakish athleticism you're going to have a very dangerous college wing player. All the local recruiting experts and I agree... Hawaii Pacific University got an absolute steal. All the other schools that initially recruited David and passed on him will be kicking themselves very soon."

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