Villanova Center Nico Onyekwere A Block Machine | Meet the Wildcats

This is one in a series of stories previewing each member of the 2026-27 Villanova Men’s Basketball roster.

Nico Onyekwere redshirted during the 2025-26 season with Villanova and, after entering the transfer portal at season’s end, decided to return to the Main Line. Standing 7-foot-1 and tipping the scale at 240 pounds, Onyekwere hails from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.

He plays center and draws inspiration for his game from Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, who was born in neighboring Cameroon. A three-star recruit out of Long Island Lutheran, Onyekwere initially committed to Florida State before a coaching change led him to reopen his recruiting. 7-foot-3 Luigi Suigo is expected to lead the way for Villanova at center this season, but Onyekwere should see a handful of minutes as a backup when head coach Kevin Willard still wants to play big.

Through three preseason games, Onyekwere amassed two points on 1-of-5 shooting, adding five blocks and seven rebounds in 27 minutes played. Even with the redshirt year under his belt, his game needs developing, but experienced big men around him like Kwame Evans Jr. should help Onyekwere in his first full season of playing time.

Per Villanova’s roster page, Willard described Onyekwere as “a space-eater, an old-school style center with the kind of tools needed to compete inside in the Big East. He has range to 17 feet, can shoot the hook shot with both hands and does a good job on screen and rolls. We’re eager to get to work to help Nico transition to the speed of the college game and continue to develop his skills.”

Onyekwere’s height and wingspan make him an intriguing defender, and his preseason performance indicates blocks will come in bunches when he’s on the court.