An old Big East adversary will make his broadcasting debut in Syracuse later this month

By Declan Walsh | Connecticut Post (Bridgeport)

Syracuse, N.Y. — The college basketball season is officially underway, and it will include former UConn men’s basketball great Emeka Okafor for the first time in more than two decades.

According to an ESPN announcement Monday, Okafor is one of five new voices that will join the broadcast network as commentators for the 2025-26 college basketball season, teaming up with Connecticut resident and fellow UConn alum Rebecca Lobo.

Okafor’s broadcast debut will come at a familiar location for the two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, as he’ll provide color commentary for a Syracuse home game Nov. 18 against Monmouth at 9 p.m.

The 6-foot-10 center lost in his only game at the Carrier Dome at UConn, the Huskies’ only loss in their final 15 games as they surged to the 2004 national championship title, and will hope for better luck in the commentary booth, partnering with Syracuse-educated play-by-play voice Robert Lee on the ACC Network.

Okafor may not have professional experience as a broadcaster, but the national champion proved he can captivate a room with an appearance at a Big East freshman orientation event in New York in 2022.

As a panelist, Okafor “was nothing short of tremendous,” then Big East executive associate commissioner Stu Jackson noted, as he offered anecdotes from his playing days and long-term life advice for the conference’s newcomers.

Those playing days were quite impressive, with Okafor standing among some illustrious competitors as arguably the greatest center in Huskies history.

A prized recruit out of Houston, Texas, Okafor made an immediate impact with the Huskies, earning a spot on the 2002 Big East All-Freshman team before blossoming into one of the very best players in college basketball.

Okafor was recognized as a first-team All-American in 2004, famous for his two-way interior presence as he led UConn to the team’s second national title under Jim Calhoun in six seasons.

He was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick and initially lived up to these lofty expectations, winning Rookie of the Year in 2004 to begin a stretch of six-straight seasons with double-double averages, but Okafor’s NBA career effectively ended after a herniated disc in his C4 cervical spine led to him missing four seasons.