Villanova Film Room: 7-Foot Center Nico Onyekwere

This is one in a series of stories reviewing film for each player on Villanova Men’s Basketball’s 2026-27 roster.

Note: this Villanova film review story first ran on April 29, 2025 after Nico Onyekwere committed to the Wildcats. Since he redshirted last season and hasn’t put out any additional film, this story has been updated for consistency as opposed to a new article.

A surprise commitment out of Long Island Lutheran during the 2025 recruiting cycle, redshirt freshman center Niko Onyekwere possesses outstanding natural ability but needs to put it all together. Originally hailing from Abuja, Nigeria, Onyekwere stands 7-foot-1, weighs 240 pounds and has a reported 7-foot-6 wingspan, earning a three-star rating despite his largely unheralded status as a recruit.

He initially signed with Florida State in November 2024, but earned a release from the Seminoles following longtime head coach Leonard Hamilton’s retirement.  The Seminoles were the only program to offer Onyekwere during his initial recruiting cycle. What does Onyekwere bring to the table? He took something of a backseat at Long Island Lutheran during his one season there, playing for a star-studded team ranked No. 2 in New York State.

Doing the Little Things

The Crusaders’ offense ran through a pair of four-star guards ranked among the top 40 recruits in their class, Kiyan Anthony and Kayden Mingo. Knowing how to play as a teammate rather than a one man show — he also spent time in Europe before coming to the United States — will help him adjust to the college game.

Watching the Crusaders play as a team you’ll see Onyekwere (who wears No. 21) doing the little things, setting screens or throwing down the occasional dunk. He moves and jumps well for his height, but setting up for rebounds can look awkward at times because of his high center of gravity. Another strength is his weight. He’s not as thin as many young big men are and, while he could certainly build more strength, time spent developing at Villanova will probably consist more of learning how to use his size through technique than it will bulking up.

With Luigi Suigo on the team, Onyekwere won’t have a starting role during the 2026-27 season… but after having last year to learn head coach Kevin Willard’s system, he should have a chance to carve out some playing time.