Tennessee’s men’s basketball team has made a late addition to their 2019 class.
Olivier Robinson-Nkamhoua, an international power forward in the 2019 class, has committed to the Vols per his head coach in the United States, Dan Prete.
Robinson-Nkamhoua was born in Helsinki, Finland and didn’t move to the United States till the summer of 2017. Not long after that move, he ended up breaking his foot and had to sit out for a long time. Because of that, he was off the radar for quite some time and didn’t get to show off his skills in the States in front of scouts.
But now Robinson-Nkamhoua is healthy, and he turned heads over the past year.
Starting in the summer of 2018, Robinson-Nkamhoua began to make waves with his versatility and impressive offensive game, and scouts started to take notice along with coaches at high major programs looking for late additions to their 2019 recruiting class. He played for Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland, Maryland here in the US.
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward is rated as the No. 185 overall prospect and No. 33 power forward in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Robinson-Nkamhoua officially visited the Vols this past weekend, and he also took official visits to Pittsburgh and Illinois. Maryland, Minnesota and many other high major programs were involved in his recruitment as well.
When you watch his film of when he’s healthy, it’s easy to see why coaches like him.
Not only is the 6-foot-8 power forward agile and athletic, but he has an array of offensive tools. He can slash to the basket, use post moves, and drain shots from three. Despite not being the largest player in terms of weight, Robinson-Nkamhoua does a great job of rebounding and finding ways to get the basketball. He’s also a solid ball-handler and can bring the team up the court. He’s not going to be able to bang down low a ton with some bigger players in the SEC at first, but he doesn’t need to; that’s not his game. Robinson-Nkamhoua is a very intriguing prospect with a lot of upside.
Five-star guard Josiah Jordan-James, three-star forward and Bearden standout Drew Pember, and three-star forward Davonte Gaines from New York all signed with the Vols in the fall. Jordan-James and Gaines are now on campus, and Pember is expected to get on campus in June.
The Vols were able to add Robinson-Nkamhoua because of sophomore forward Derrick Walker’s decision to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Tennessee could also make more additions to their roster depending on the decisions of Grant Williams and Jordan Bone who are testing the NBA Draft waters.
