Christian Koloko
No. 35 – Arizona Wildcats | |
---|---|
Position | Center |
League | Pac-12 Conference |
Personal information | |
Born | Douala, Cameroon | 20 June 2000
Nationality | Cameroonian |
Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) |
Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | |
College | Arizona (2019–present) |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Christian Junior Koloko (born 20 June 2000) is a Cameroonian college basketball player for the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference. As a junior in 2022, he was named first-team All-Pac-12 and was voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
High school career[]
Koloko is a native of Douala, Cameroon and attended Collège Libermann in his hometown.[1] He grew up playing football and started playing basketball at age 12.[2] In 2017, Koloko moved to the United States to play basketball for Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, California as a junior, despite not speaking English at first.[3] For his senior season, he transferred to Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, where he was teammates with Cassius Stanley, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Scotty Pippen Jr.[4] Koloko helped his team claim its second straight Open Division state title.[2] A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Arizona over offers from California, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Harvard and Princeton.[5]
College career[]
As a freshman at Arizona, Koloko averaged 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.[6] In his sophomore season, he averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.[7] On 21 November 2021, Koloko posted a career-high 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in an 80–62 win over fourth-ranked Michigan at the Roman Main Event title game, earning tournament MVP honors.[8] As a junior, he was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Pac-12 Most Improved Player, and first-team All-Pac-12.[9]
Career statistics[]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College[]
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | Arizona | 28 | 0 | 8.3 | .483 | .000 | .350 | 2.4 | .2 | .3 | .9 | 2.3 |
2020–21 | Arizona | 26 | 19 | 17.3 | .520 | .000 | .625 | 4.8 | .3 | .5 | 1.3 | 5.3 |
Career | 54 | 19 | 12.7 | .506 | .000 | .553 | 3.6 | .2 | .4 | 1.1 | 3.7 |
References[]
- ^ Ngon, Yvan (7 March 2020). "Christian Koloko, révélation Camerounaise enviée en NBA". Cameroonvoice (in French). Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ a b Holmes, C. J. (13 December 2019). "Christian Koloko is 'still a baby in this game,' but Arizona is pleased with the freshman's steady progress". The Athletic. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Pascoe, Bruce (27 July 2018). "Seen and heard: Christian Koloko, still adapting to life in US, has Arizona on his radar". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Kelapire, Ryan (8 January 2020). "Arizona block machine Christian Koloko wants to show he's more than a project". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Pascoe, Bruce (23 September 2018). "From Cameroon to Cats: Arizona gets commitment from 6-foot-10 Christian Koloko". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Moreno, Matt (11 May 2020). "Offseason limitations could slow development for Arizona's Christian Koloko". GOAZCATS. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Hutchison, Troy (23 November 2021). "Arizona center Christian Koloko named Pac-12 Player of the Week". GOAZCATS. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Pedersen, Brian J. (21 November 2021). "Christian Koloko outplays Michigan's Hunter Dickinson as Arizona cruises past Wolverines". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "2021-22 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
External links[]
- 2000 births
- Living people
- Cameroonian men's basketball players
- Cameroonian expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Centers (basketball)
- Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players
- Sierra Canyon School alumni
- Birmingham High School alumni
- Sportspeople from Douala