DURHAM, N.C. — In basketball, you can never underrate the importance of the sixth man – the one who comes in off the pine and provides an instant spark that can totally change the flow of a game.

In the NBA, you can’t talk about sixth men without mentioning guys like Bill Walton, Kevin McHale and John Havlicek, all of whom spent part of their careers in that role for the Boston Celtics.

Former Peabody High hoops standout Oluchi Okananwa, a freshman on the Duke University women’s basketball team, is also proving that you don’t have to be a starter to be a real game-changer.

Okananwa has played in all 30 of the Blue Devils’ games this season, all of them off the bench. Averaging 21.2 minutes per game, Okananwa leads Duke in rebounds per game (6.1), is second in steals (42) and third in scoring (9.6 ppg). She’s  hit double figures and grabbed at at least six rebounds in 14 games.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Tuesday, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced that Okananwa has been selected as the 2024 ACC Sixth Player of the Year. She also earned a spot on the All-ACC Freshman Team. 

“When I found out, I was lost for words as I never in my dreams expected anything like that,” Okananwa said. “Coming in off the bench, the one thing I pride myself on is that the moment I step foot in the game, I am bringing scoring, rebounding, everything I have, and driven to be the sparkplug off the bench to give us the extra push we need to succeed.”

Before there was Duke, there was Peabody where Okananwa provided a similar spark. She averaged 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 steals per game off the bench freshman year while helping lead the Tanners to a 19-1 record and the 2019 Northeastern Conference North Championship. The Tanners had one their best tournament runs in program history, coming one game short of playing for a Division I North title and a trip to the state semis. Okananwa earned NEC North Player of the Year honors.

Stan McKeen, who coached Okananwa at Peabody, described her as “an incredible talent and a game-changer at both ends of the court.”

“She had a knack for the basketball and could jump, anticipate, shoot and rebound – and was just a phenomenal player. That was very evident in the one year that she played at Peabody,” McKeen said. “Her athleticism and instincts were far ahead of any girl that has come through Peabody High School. She certainly was one of the very best to come out of Peabody.”

Okananwa transferred and played two years at New Hampton School in New Hampshire where she also served as a two-time President of her class. She led the Huskies in points, steals and rebounds in 2019-2020 and was named to the All-NEPSAC (New England Prep School Athletic Council) All-Star team after leading the team to the 2019-20 Lake Region Championship and the Class AA semifinals.

After graduating from Worcester in 2024, Okananwa received offers from not only some of the top basketball programs in the nation, but some of the most elite institutions, including Harvard, Columbia, Colgate, William & Mary, Holy Cross, Michigan, Villanova, Notre Dame, Loyola, UMass Amherst, Michigan, and Michigan State.

Okananwa wasted no time in establishing her presence as a go-to player at Duke, recording a double-double in Duke’s season-opening win against Richmond with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists.

In December Okanana was tabbed as one of the nation’s top freshmen, checking in at No. 11 on the ESPN Top-25 freshmen impact list.

Thursday, Okananwa made her tournament debut in Duke’s opening game of the ally ACC Tournament in Greensboro, S.C. 

Once again, Okananwa stole the spotlight, so much so that she was interviewed by the ESPN game crew on national TV after the game. All she did was put up a game-high 15 points with four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 24 minutes in the No. 7 Blue Devils’ 70-58 win over No. 10 Georgia Tech. She nearly single-handedly sealed the win in the fourth quarter when she scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the final 10 minutes.

“My motor just kicked in,” she said. “I just never stop playing until the clock is 0:00.”

Okananawa’s back at it again Friday at 5 p.m. when Duke faces No. 2 N.C. State in the quarterfinals. 

“We played them twice and split, and know they are a competitive team as are all teams in March because if you lose, you go,” Okananwa said after the GT game. “It will be fun.”

McKeen is fully confident there’s much more to come from Okananwa.

“I believe this is only the beginning for her. My prediction is that in her senior year, she will be player of the year in the NCAA,” he said.