April 12, 2002

Kelenna Azubuike, a 6-6, 225-pound swingman from Tulsa, Okla., has signed a national letter of intent to play college basketball at the University of Kentucky next season, Coach Tubby Smith announced Friday.

Azubuike (pronounced AW-zoo-boo-ki) is a proven scorer, having led the state of Oklahoma in scoring the past three years. As a senior, he averaged 39.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in leading his team to the Class 4A state championship game, the third-largest classification in the state.

“We’re very happy and excited to have Kelenna be a part of our program and family,” Smith said. “He’s an exciting player who exemplifies the type of outstanding student-athlete we want in our program.”

Azubuike, who owns a 4.0 GPA, played in the Jordan Brand Capital Classic in Washington D.C. on Thursday, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine boards in 20 minutes of play. He’ll also participate in the Kentucky Derby Classic in Louisville on Saturday, April 13.

He averaged 23.5 points per game as a freshman, 28.5 as a sophomore in leading his team to the state title, and 38.7 per game as a junior. The All-State selection finished his career with 3,530 points, just 89 shy of the all-time state scoring mark. His career high was 65 points this past season and four times totaled between 50-60 points in his career.

The four-year starter was named the state’s Player of the Year as a junior and senior by both Tulsa World and the state’s coaches association. He is the only player to ever earn Oklahoma’s “Super 5” recognition three times, an honor bestowed upon the state’s top five players regardless of classification.

Azubuike played for Coach Joe Mercier. He becomes the fourth student-athlete to sign with UK this season, joining Antwain Barbour, a 6-5 swingman from Wabash Junior College, Bernard Cote, a 6-9 forward from Quebec, and Brandon Stockton, a 5-11 guard from Glasgow who all signed in November.