Andrean senior Ebuka Okoye beams with pride.
About his journey in football, a sport he knew essentially nothing about when he began playing as a freshman.
About being the son of Nigerian immigrants.
About what lies ahead of him, including engineering at Purdue.
Okoye, who also wrestles, runs track and has a job at Little Caesars, chuckled when asked about any other interests he might have in the little time left for them.
“At this point in my life, I like doing what I do,” he said. “I’m happy about it — school, sports and my job.”
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Okoye has 20 tackles as a starting linebacker for the 59ers (3-4, 3-1), who will try to stay in contention for a share of the Northwest Crossroads Conference title when they play first-place Hanover Central (7-0, 5-0) on Friday.
Having such a prominent role would have been difficult for Okoye to envision when he started high school. He knew football existed, but he said he had “no idea” about any of the details.
“Freshman year, it was my first year being introduced to football,” he said. “I had no interest in sports whatsoever before high school. But one of my best friends, Luke Nieman, asked me to join the sport, and I did. I was really happy I did.”
It was like a whole new world for Okoye.
“Before high school, I was a computer kid or a gaming kid,” he said. “I was indoors all day on my device. That was my first experience with real football, athletics. Just being outside and with everyone, everything was new and different.
“When I looked at the seniors, it was like, ‘Whoa, those guys look old. They look skilled. They look mature.’ I looked up to them a lot. I really wanted to be like them.”
Okoye has become that kind of player.
“I actually really like it,” he said of his first experience as a starter. “It’s kind of counterintuitive. Since I’ve been starting, I’m not as nervous for games. That just relates to me being more confident because I was given that starting position.
“I’m really proud of myself for getting that position. I really enjoy it a lot. I remember really looking up to all of the seniors and juniors in those starting positions back when I was younger. Now I’m up there, and I really like that.”
Okoye decided to go all-in on sports.
“Because everything was new to me, I was just going to try everything and see what I liked,” he said. “Thankfully, those three sports were the ones I enjoyed the most, so I just stuck with them.”
Nieman, a cornerback, is one of the four seniors on Andrean’s roster, all starters, who attended St. Mary School in Crown Point. Okoye is part of that group.
“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Nieman said. “I didn’t really know a whole lot of people coming in as a freshman, and me and Ebuka were in elementary and middle school together. We did all of that together. So I talked to him about joining the team, and he did, and we continued to get closer.
“He’s definitely one of the hardest workers on the team. We always try to compete with each other when we can. He just tries to go nuts out there.”
Andrean coach Chris Skinner described Okoye and Nieman as “true program kids,” saying they “bought in from day one? and “worked tirelessly in the weight room and on the football field to develop into contributors.” Both have “come a long way,” especially Okoye, Skinner said.
“It’s so hard to see what he was like as a freshman,” Skinner said. “To put it kindly, even the lack of coordination to where he is now. He’s developed a lot in terms of strength and speed and power. But even the coordination to be a football player, he’s come such a long way. His experiences in track and wrestling have certainly helped with that as well.
“But if you would’ve taken a video of him — and we do — if you took a video of him as a freshman and took a video of him as a senior, you’d be like, ‘There is no way that’s the same person.’ That’s a credit to him and his work ethic and his dedication to the craft.”
Okoye has gained close to 30 pounds over the course of his career. That initial season was a particular challenge as he became familiar with the basics.
“The whole season, I just loved it,” Okoye said. “It was so great. Obviously, there were ups and downs, but that’s with every season.
“My freshman year, I really didn’t know what football was about. So after I went through that learning process, my sophomore year is when I really decided to work. I hit the weight room. Before my freshman year, I couldn’t even bench 135 (pounds). Now I’ve made accomplishments and goals, and I’m up to 235, which I’m very proud of as well.”
The 59ers won the Class 2A state championship in 2021, Okoye’s sophomore season. He said it was still tough for him to “understand and execute, unfortunately,” as well as the coaches wanted. But they continued to believe in him, and he noticed significant improvement toward the end of the season.
“I started to get better because I was working,” Okoye said. “I really felt like I was part of the team. I was there during the scout team segments. I always wanted to make the team better, and that’s exactly what I did.
“Once we won state that year, I was so happy and excited. It was the best. I felt proud of myself because I really did help make the varsity team better.”
Last season, when Andrean was the state runner-up in 2A, Okoye earned time on special teams. He played some snaps toward the end of games.
In his first three seasons, Okoye played cornerback. It wasn’t until this season that he switched to linebacker.
“I’ve actually really enjoyed it,” he said. “I’m happy they made that change. My skill level, I can admit, I wasn’t the very best cornerback. They decided to move me to linebacker, and it’s worked for me. I like getting downhill and making those tackles.”
Skinner has liked the results too.
“He’s obviously not very tall, and he was super skinny as a freshman, so we played him on the defensive side of the ball at cornerback and some safety,” Skinner said. “This year and over the last three years, he’s worked hard in the weight room and added more muscle and gotten bigger and stronger.
“We decided this year to move him to an outside linebacker/strong safety hybrid position. Then recently due to some injuries, he’s played inside linebacker more. He’s actually been pretty versatile over his time here.”
Okoye’s older sister Tochi, also a senior, is a student athletic trainer for the 59ers, spending the week and game days with the team. His younger sister Nnenna, a sophomore, is a cheerleader.
“It’s a family affair,” Skinner said.
Okoye’s parents moved to the United States from Nigeria.
“They took all of their traditions with them,” he said. “I was raised in a Nigerian household, and I really love it. But I was raised in a Nigerian household with a primarily white school at St. Mary’s Crown Point. I had two different cultures, and they worked well together. I believe I turned out pretty well.”
Okoye, whose full first name Chukwuebuka means “God is great,” still has extended family — including uncles, aunts and cousins — who live in Nigeria. He said he visited the country in December 2019 when he was in eighth grade.
“The Andrean environment, it’s all I’ve ever known, and I love it,” Okoye said. “I’m glad for all of the opportunities I have here. That’s one thing I appreciate the most. I’m Nigerian, so I’ve gone to Nigeria before. I’ve seen what it’s like. It’s just not as rich of a country as America.
“Being at Andrean, it’s a privilege for me. I’m really happy about that and proud that I get that opportunity to be here.”
