Texas Tech basketball: Players we are happy to see leave the Big 12
Kansas: Udoka Azubuike
We round out this list with Kansas center Udoka Azubuike. However, he makes the cut not because he was a great player but only because Red Raider fans are thrilled we never have to hear broadcasters gush over him again.
In a way, it was understandable to see why announcers were obsessed with the 7-foot, 270-pounder. Players of his size are rare and they are fascinating, especially when they can move as he does.
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He was also an old-school center who reminded many of the middle-age age or older talking heads of the way big men played back in their day. But his size was all he had. He wasn’t a good basketball player. He was just simply big.
The next time Udoka Azubuike does something on the basketball court other than blocking a shot, dunking a ball, or making a free-throw, it will be cause for celebration. In an age where 7-footers are now playing with grace, style, and skill, why was he continually celebrated despite having no appreciable basketball skills other than being the biggest kid on the block?
His career averages of 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game are respectable but not warranting of the hype they generated. What’s more, in four career meetings with the Red Raiders, he averaged just 9.2 points per game with two contests that saw him fail to score over six.
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It isn’t that we are glad to see Udoka Azubuike leave the Big 12 because he dominated the Red Raiders. Rather, it will simply be nice not to hear about him anymore given how much notoriety he garnered despite doing less with more physical gifts than any player to come through the conference in quite some time.