TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Tobe Awaka barrels through opponents as if they're not there, using his massive frame and relentlessness to bull his way to rebounds at a higher rate than any player in the country.
The Arizona big man balances it with an intellectual side, a need to understand the world, basketball and his place in both.
Awaka's combination of brains and brawn reminds Arizona associate head coach Jack Murphy of the Hulk. Not the out-of-control
comic version. The one from “Avengers: Endgame,” where the smarts of Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo, blend with the power of the Hulk.
“When you look at one of the last Avengers movies, Hulk is still Hulk, but he’s got Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner), the smart Hulk with the glasses,” Murphy said. “He’s the scientist with the brawn. That’s what I think of with Tobe.”
The brawn is evident immediately.
A 6-foot-8 and a chiseled 250 pounds, Awaka looks like an NFL defensive end and plays like one, churning up opponents as soon as he enters the game.
The intelligence becomes apparent in the way he understands the game, the thoughtfulness of every word and in the way he leads his team.
Awaka's blend has been a huge boost for No. 2 Arizona in its run to a No. 1 seed in this week's Big 12 tournament and potentially a deep March Madness run.
A starter most of last season, Awaka agreed to come off the bench this season to provide the Wildcats with a spark. He's done just that, setting organ-jarring screens, a physical, dominating presence in the paint and rebound — lots of rebounds.
Although he plays only 21 minutes a game, Awaka leads Arizona with 9.5 rebounds per game. He averages 3.7 offensive rebounds per game while leading the nation in offensive rebounding percentage at 20.6%.
How good is Awaka at offensive rebounding? San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher joked — or maybe it wasn't a joke — that teams hope Arizona makes its free throws so Awaka doesn't bull his way to an offensive board.
“It's really about just chasing the ball,” Awaka said. “Obviously it gets tougher when guys know you’re going to rebound and they’re trying to block you out, so it's just being able to take that first hit and keeping trying to get the ball.”
Awaka's relentless nature is certainly a big part of it — as is his size — but there's also a cerebral side to his success.
When Awaka arrived at Tennessee as a freshman, he wasn't nearly as brawny, so he relied on footwork, leverage and judging shot trajectory to snare rebounds.
A student of the game, Awaka kept working on his technique even as he got bigger, using opponents' body weight against them by backing off at the right time or swimming over them like a defensive end. He's also mastered the art of foot dominance, getting his feet in the right place to gain leverage, making it even easier once his starts throwing his massive frame around.
“I wish I or anyone on our staff could claim to be the coach of the best rebounder in the country, but that’s all him,” Murphy said.
Awaka's pursuit of physical dominance pushed him to become a bigger, stronger version of himself.
The junior is one of the hardest-working players on the team, often knocking teammates out of the way even in practice. He's even more of a menace in the weight room and even pushes himself before games, working up a massive sweat long before opening tip.
Awaka's hunt for knowledge was instilled by his parents.
Sunny and Henrietta Awaka emigrated to the United States from Nigeria before Tobe was born and made academics a high priority for their four children.
Tobe, the oldest, turned his early academics into a lifelong pursuit, becoming a voracious reader, consuming everything from theology and psychology to business and finance.
“I didn't really like to read, but my mom forced me and my siblings to read — summer reading lists and stuff like that — and she would quiz on the books and what we learned,” Awaka said. “Eventually, I started to like it and started diving into topics that I really enjoyed.”
Brains and brawn. Arizona's new-version Hulk could be the key to a deep March run.
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