Detroit — It did not take long for coach Jason Smith to quickly realize Ebuka Okorie stood out from other prospects he had coached throughout his career. His realization occurred during Okorie’s first workout at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
At the time, Okorie was a senior who had just transferred from Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. Okorie was dribbling up the court when Killyan Toure stole the ball from his possession and converted the steal into an easy transition basket.
Immediately, Okorie turned to Smith and the rest of the coaching staff and exclaimed he had never had anyone take the ball away from him as easily as Toure, who now has established himself as one of the nation’s best on-ball defenders at Iowa State. However, rather than feeling embarrassed, Okorie’s demeanor after the turnover captivated Smith.
“Most kids would have been like, ‘Oh snap, this is competition for me.’ Ebuka looked at it like an opportunity for continued growth,” Smith told The Detroit News. “He had this look on his face like, ‘I get to play against this guy every day; this can’t help but improve my development and preparation for the next level.'”
Nearly two years after witnessing Okorie make an unusual turnover, Smith sat alongside Okorie’s family inside Barclays Center during the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night. They watched as the Detroit Pistons traded up to select Okorie with the No. 17 pick. He became the 26th player to reach the NBA under Smith’s stewardship, joining the likes of Matas Buzelis and Donovan Mitchell.
“It was a very proud moment, so happy for Ebuka and his family. It’s just the culmination of the hard work over the years,” Smith said. “When he graduated from high school, he wasn’t considered a top-100 prospect by the experts. He has continued to stay focused on the goal at hand. I am not just happy for his family, but I am also happy for the Pistons organization.”
Okorie’s nonchalant reaction was a testament to his low turnover rate as a guard. Ball security was one of the primary attributes Okorie’s previous coaches instilled in him at a young age. However, the turnover became an additional motivation for Okorie to continue working on his game.
During his senior year, Okorie was not a highly sought-after prospect. Aspiring to play at the collegiate level, he recognized he had a long way to go before attracting more college coaches’ attention during the recruiting process. After leading Brewster Academy in scoring, averaging 14.0 points per game on 54.5% shooting from the field, Okorie finished his prep career ranked No. 119 among his high school peers in the class of 2025.
For Okorie, however, the journey that led him to become the New Hampshire Boys Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior wasn’t about proving anyone wrong. It was about demonstrating that he had all the necessary qualities and the will to overcome the obstacles that could have prevented him from achieving his goals.
“It’s about controlling what I can control,” Okorie said. “I cannot control rankings. I cannot control how much recruitment I am getting. But what I can control is how much I am in the gym, trying to get better as a player. It’s the main thing I’ve focused on, and it has gotten me this far, and that is what I am going to keep focusing on.”
The attitude he displayed during his only season under Smith remained consistent with the way he had initially caught his coach’s attention. When the two parties first met, Okorie was a seventh-grader, barely 5 feet tall, who expressed his desire to play for Smith once he reached the high school level.
Smith maintained contact with Okorie and his family over the following five years, during which he witnessed Okorie’s transition into one of the most respected combo guards in high school basketball, especially after he grew to 6-foot-1. Okorie’s strong work ethic, discipline and focus made him a standout prospect, consistently capturing Smith’s attention and distinguishing him from other players.
Observing Okorie’s hard work over the years — both from afar and in person — is the main reason Smith was not surprised once he established himself as one of college basketball’s most explosive guards during his only season at Stanford.
“There’s absolutely zero entitlement because he’s always been told that he’s too small or that he couldn’t do this or couldn’t do that,” Smith said. “Ebuka doesn’t get caught up in social media or highlights. He legitimately has a goal — to be better today than he was the day before.”
Okorie led the ACC in scoring as a freshman, averaging 23.2 points per game on 46.5% shooting from the field. He ranked third among all freshmen in scoring, trailing only AJ Dybantsa (25.5 PPG) and former Detroit Cass Tech standout Darius Acuff Jr. (23.5 PPG). In addition, Okorie also totaled 719 points last season, the second-most in Stanford’s history for a freshman and the third-most overall in a single season.
Smith continued, “I knew he would be a tremendous player at Stanford, but I did not know it would happen that quickly. He always played with a tremendous motor and great energy. … His speed and his quickness are arguably some of the best that we’ve ever had.”
Similar to Okorie, Smith will embark on a new career journey this fall as he takes on the role of head coach at Masters Academy International in Stow, Massachusetts. During the school’s inaugural season, he will coach Tayden Langdon, the son of Pistons president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon.
While Smith aims to develop the next generation of players, he also will closely monitor Okorie’s rookie season in Detroit.
The significant progress and development he has made over the years are part of why Smith refuses to limit Okorie’s NBA potential. However, one thing is for certain — Smith understands Okorie will continue to work hard and develop in a way that makes him an ideal fit for the Pistons.
“For a 19-year-old, his work ethic and his desire to improve every single day are what’s going to help him reach his full potential,” Smith said. “He is always striving to learn. Putting him in an organization that was the best in the Eastern Conference this year, he is excited to learn. I’m excited for his future.”
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: New Piston Ebuka Okorie kept focus on improvement, not rankings, in high school
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
