Oluchi Okananwa: "They forged her signature", "Didn't see that coming": Fans in disbelief as Duke star enters transfer portal

"They forged her signature", "Didn't see that coming": Fans in disbelief as Duke star enters transfer portal

Syndication: Austin American-Statesman - Source: Imagn — Oluchi Okananwa played a key role off the bench. - Source: Imagn

Oluchi Okananwa didn't start a single game for the Duke Blue Devils in two years. Now she may be able to get her first start somewhere else, as Duke's sixth woman entered the transfer portal, as per On3 Sports. She was one of the most productive players on the team despite opening games on the bench.

Duke fans were seemingly in disbelief at the news.

"pls no they forged her signature 💔💔💔," a fan said.

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"Wooow! Didn’t see that coming." another fan wrote.

"What??? She is amazing!!! She should leap up near the top of the portal rankings!!!" a fan responded.

Okananwa was the Blue Devils' most productive player coming off the bench for the last couple of years. After earning the ACC Sixth Player of the Year award in 2023, the sophomore guard averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds during the season.

Fans of other schools are already trying to persuade Okananwa to join their favorite program.

"Notre dame is waiting...." a fan wrote.

"Her at Tennessee would be perfect omg…." another fan added.

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"NC State Lady Wolf pack rumored," another fan posted.

The transfer portal will close on Apr. 22. While players can not put their name in the portal after the window closes, they can sign up with any program outside of the transfer window.

How will Oluchi Okananwa transfer affect the Blue Devils?

Losing Oluchi Okananwa would be a blow for the Duke Blue Devils. Okananwa would be the third guard to leave Durham, along with Vanessa de Jesus and Louann Battiston. Starter Reigan Richardson will declare for the WNBA Draft.

Despite not being a starter, Okananwa was one of the most dangerous players on the Duke's roster last season. She was the third-highest scorer and only spent less than 15 minutes on the court twice last season.

Her experience also paid off in the NCAA Tournament, when Oluchi Okananwa was even better than in the regular season. She scored 16.3 points per game and hit 75% of her three-point attempts. The Boston, Massachusetts native also led all Duke scorers in the ACC Championship game victory over the NC State Wolfpack with 22 points. She still has two years left of college eligibility.

As for the returning talent, Ashlon Jackson will keep her starting spot, while Taina Mair and Jadyn Donovan figure to compete for the other starter spot, but neither has shown Okananwa's scoring proficiency. Incoming freshman Emilee Skinner and transfer Riley Nelson could also factor in.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Debasish