Big man becomes Bryan Hodgson’s first signature recruit (Photo: League.him)
By KEVIN McNAMARA
Bryan Hodgson’s reputation as an elite recruiter preceded his move to Providence. Now that renown has reached a new peak.
Hodgson secured a commitment from his first member of the 2027 high school class Wednesday when Lewis Uvwo, a 6-11 center from Nigeria, picked PC over Baylor, Kentucky and California. Uvwo is the first top 10 prospect Providence has ever successfully recruited and is the highest rated center in the ’27 class. Uvwo is the 6th rated player in the class by ESPN and 7th via 247Sports.
Uvwo took an official visit to Providence last month after visiting Kentucky. Uvwo, who attends national powerhouse Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is only the third five-star recruit that Providence has landed in the last 20 years. He joins Ricky Ledo and Kris Dunn (from the Class of 2012) as the highest-ranked commits in Providence’s program history, or at least since recruits have been ranked since the 1980’s. ESPN ranked Ledo 21st and Dunn 23rd in their final prep rankings.
“I’m just happy I can make my parents proud because I know they’re proud of me right now,” Uvwo said in an emotional commitment announcement on CBSSports. “I’m just really excited. We’ve been talking about this for a long time now and to make my decision really means a lot to me.”
Uvwo now plays at Prolific Prep in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and exploded up the national rankings last summer after playing in the NBA Academy, and the ABCD Camp and on the EYBL circuit with the Nightrydas. He averaged 10.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and led the EYBL (Nike) with 5.1 blocks a game while shooting nearly 64% from the field.
Why did Uvwon pick Providence? The Friars were no doubt aggressive in offering a revenue share package/contract and he clearly enjoyed the vibe that is PC basketball.
“It all started when I went on the visit to the campus, you know Providence is a big-small place,” Uvwo said about his visit to Rhode Island. “When I say that, it’s like a small place in terms of, you can get to a lot of places really fast, and it’s a big place in terms of the fans. They showed me a lot of love when I went on my visit and I just knew right there, maybe next season if I am going to be in Providence they are going to show our team a lot of love and support and I want to be a part of that.”
Uvwo said he looks forward to fitting in with the Friars next season.
“On the basketball side they’re going to get a winner, for sure. I’m a hard worker. I’m going to do everything in my power to win. That’s what they’re going to get from me,” Uvwo said.
Hodgson and his staff have put the full court press on Uvwo throughout the fall and emerged as a leader once Uvwo, his parents and advisors came to campus.
Asked to give a message to the PC fans, Uvwo smiled and said “I’m coming home, Friartown.”
