All throughout the offseason, Washington State forward ND Okafor spent more time with basketball than he ever had – drills on the court, working with coaches or even going to the student rec center for pickup games. This offseason was different from others. To hear it from ND, he is feeling more ready for a season than he ever has, but this drive came partly from having the sport he loved taken away from him. 

Just three minutes into the ninth game of his sophomore season against Butler, former California Golden Bear ND Okafor went down with an injury. A partially-torn MCL sidelined him for the next six-to-eight months. Prior to this injury, Okafor had never been injured, and the setback put him in a mental state he had never been in before. 

"I felt like I had all this hype going into my sophomore year," Okafor said. "Then it got torn down. It was like someone just ripped into my confidence or just someone taking something away from me." 

The injury took an opportunity away from Okafor – an opportunity he had worked toward all summer. His second year at Cal, Okafor said he found his footing, after his freshman year was a culture shock for the Ireland native.  

"My first year was definitely a learning experience for me," Okafor said. "I was getting used to the college basketball environment, keeping up with school, and how serious stuff was on the court was definitely a learning experience for me." 

As Okafor started physical therapy, the physical recovery was hard, but the mental hurdle proved to be more straining than anything on his body. 

"My mom had never seen me in that light. Nobody had seen me in that light before," Okafor said. "I had to mentally get over that barrier when I started playing in order to play freely without worrying about getting hurt." 

During his recovery, Okafor entered the transfer portal. A couple of years removed from his initial recruiting, Okafor was once again thrust into the relentless recruiting pool. 

Growing up in Ireland, Okafor played more soccer than basketball. It was only when he was about 12, after his friends convinced him to give basketball a try, and he has loved it since. Okafor had no intensions of playing basketball in the States, but after he played for Ireland's U16 national team, college scouts started to contact Okafor. 

"After the tournament was done, my phone was blowing up. I knew nothing about basketball, I did not even know what colleges were offering me," Okafor said. "Arizona was offering me, back then I was like, 'I don't even know what the hell Arizona is.'" 

With another opportunity to choose a new school, Okafor felt that same pressure he did a few years ago. 

"When I entered the portal, it was hectic. I did not like it at all," Okafor said. "It was just the same phone call over and over again." 

Amid all the outside noise from the portal was David Riley and Washington State – a breath of fresh air in the relentless texts and phone calls promising opportunities and success. 

"We got some dinner. I talked to Riley and the assistant coaches, and I liked what they were telling me," Okafor said. "It had a home type of energy. I liked that energy and they kept on recruiting me. All the other schools weren't trying to get to know me. WSU was trying to get to know me and my story." 

While Okafor had mostly rehabbed by the time he got to Wazzu, due to his absence from the court, the same doubts kept ringing throughout his head. 

"When you sit out for so long you start questioning yourself like, 'Damn am I going to be the same? Did I lose anything,'" Okafor said. 

All the outside noise came to a halt moments before tipoff of the Cougars' first game against Idaho last November. 

"That first game I came in with my head down, and I'm just going to go out there and do what I can do," Okafor said. 

In his first game as a Cougar, Okafor recorded 12 points, six rebounds, and one block in 18 minutes of action. Throughout the season, Okafor continued his role as the first big man off the bench, and averaged the third-most blocks per game in the WCC. 

By the offseason, only five student-athletes remained with the WSU program, including Okafor. Last offseason, he was among 11 new faces, but now he is one of the leaders for the program, and he hasn't been more ready to prove it. 

"I feel like I haven't been this ready for a season in my entire career," Okafor said. "I'm really excited to take it on headfirst. I have a great support system, a great staff, great teammates. I feel like I have all the tools. I just need to attack this."