Nnanna Njoku possibly moving from Villanova to Delaware had been a rumor if not a Blue Hens fans’ wish the last couple years.
Now it’s a reality.
Njoku, who never entered the transfer portal until after the 2024-25 season, has decided to come to Delaware, he revealed on his Instagram page.
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He wasn’t the only object of UD affections in the transfer portal as the Blue Hens seek to undergo the annual roster rebuild that is now a mid-major necessity. But Njoku’s addition represents a major potential boost.
The former Sanford School standout is a Newark resident, making it even more of a homecoming. The imposing 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward will hope his fortunes improve after frequently being plagued by injury and illness during his four years at Villanova.
That severely limited his playing time, including knee surgery that ended his last two seasons in January. Njoku played 180 minutes over 34 games, getting 58 rebounds, 21 points and eight blocked shots in four Villanova seasons. That included the last two minutes of Villanova’s 80-60 win over Delaware in the 2022 NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh, when Njoku was a freshman.
At Sanford, Njoku became just the third boys player to be first-team All-State at least three times as a senior in 2021, following Brandywine’s Dexter Boney (1986-88) and ex-Sanford teammate and former Blue Hen Jyare Davis, the only four-time pick (2016-19).
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He’d averaged 20.8 points and 8.9 rebounds as a senior while sparking Sanford to a 16-2 record and its 10th state title. He was voted state Player of the Year.
Several players from Delaware’s 2024-25 team that made a Cinderella run to the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament title game have departed, most notably CAA Rookie of the Year Isaiah Pasha to Virginia Tech and second-team All-CAA pick John Camden to California.
Delaware has also added Justyn Fernandez, a 6-5 guard from Richmond, Virginia, who played in 2022-23 at George Mason, missed 2023-24 with injury and then appeared in 24 games with four starts last year at Providence, He averaged 3.6 points per game while shooting 38.5 percent on 3-pointers
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Others who could also potentially land at Delaware are 6-4 guards Christian Bliss and Jameel Brown.
Bliss did not appear in a game the last two years at Virginia, with a foot injury sidelining him last season after he red-shirted his first year. Bliss is from Queens in New York City but graduated from the George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and was also heavily recruited out of high school by Villanova. He was Non-Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Player of the Year after averaging 20 points, five rebounds and five assists his final year.
Brown played at Temple last year after two seasons at Penn State, averaging 2.7 points in 49 career games. He is from Philadelphia and graduated from Westtown School near West Chester.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Former Sanford star Nnanna Njoku moving from Villanova to Delaware
