STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Smith’s sales pitch to Ebuka Okorie on everything Stanford had to offer him kept on coming: For about 10 minutes the coach shared all the great things he believed could happen if Okorie decided to come West and play basketball for the Cardinal.
Turns out Smith could have saved his words and energy during their sit-down that day. The under-the-radar point guard from New Hampshire had already made up his mind to move across the country instead of attending Harvard as he’d originally planned — and as his parents had hoped.
Okorie made the choice during his recruiting visit to The Farm.
“He actually gave me a little speech,” Okorie recalled. “He was talking to me for like 10 minutes and then at the end of his speech I told him I was committing and we still laugh and joke about it today because he was basically saying I should have just said it at first so he didn’t have to give me a whole speech.”
They enjoy reflecting on all of it now, nearly a year and a half later and with Okorie leading the way for Stanford (20-12). He scored 14 points in a 64-63 loss to Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Tuesday but still has a chance to finish as the ACC’s top scorer — beginning the week ahead of Duke's conference player of the year and rookie of the year Cameron Boozer — and already is the league's regular-season scoring champion. Okorie began the week ranked fifth in the nation averaging 23.1 points per game and second among freshmen.
The last Stanford player who led the conference in scoring was Landry Fields in 2009-10, at 22 points per game.
“I was just selling Stanford, why you should do it and he let me go on the whole deal and I was just talking about, ‘Hey, you’re a great fit, we want guys that are committed, guys with great attitudes, great work ethic and your profile,’ how academics is important,” Smith shared. “I went on and on and on and on. And then he’s like, ‘I’m coming.’ That’s when I said, ‘You let me rattle on, you were coming the whole time?’”
Initially, Okorie had decided on Harvard over Brown based on his Nigerian parents’ guidance that it would be a better choice academically. Then Okorie’s high school coach from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, Jason Smith, reached out to Stanford and some other programs inquiring about whether there might be an opportunity for him at a more prominent school in a bigger conference.
On Monday, the 6-foot-2 Okorie was named to the All-ACC first team and ACC All-Rookie team. He also averages 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals.
Okorie doesn’t even turn 19 until April — and the next pressing question will be whether he stays put at Stanford or declares for the NBA Draft. Okorie insists he isn’t thinking about all of that just yet.
Stanford has been a nice fit so far.
“It’s been great. From the beginning the coaches and all my teammates have welcomed me,” he said. “I’ve been working and I feel like I’ve earned my spot. Coming here I feel like I had the opportunity to do that. It’s been really fun.”
Smith has challenged Okorie to be more vocal, recently presenting him with a five-page “Cardinal Rules” tutorial — Smith wrote the “manifesto” as he calls it — about playing point guard at Stanford, using the names of past Cardinal stars at the position like Chris Hernandez and Brevin Knight as part of the lesson.
He didn’t give that to Okorie right way, rather waiting until the freshman found a rhythm with college basketball and life as a student-athlete.
That comfort level shows, whether in front of a big crowd or behind the scenes.
During a practice last week at Maples Pavilion, Okorie flipped an overhead pass to Donavin Young, who knocked down the 3-pointer as Okorie pumped his fist in delight on the opposite side of the arc.
Okorie then yelled “He can’t guard you!” after AJ Rohosy drove to his left for a layup and converted the three-point play.
“Good take!” Okorie let out when Jaylen Thompson made a three-point play of his own a couple of minutes later.
His spirit is infectious, and Okorie insists all the support from the players around him like senior guard Benny Gealer has been the reason he has adapted so quickly and had the kind of season he has had.
“That’s really high praise from a great player who has been great for our team, as important as any one of us,” Gealer said. “He’s just so talented as a young person. I feel like he’s probably giving me too much credit. I’m just there to support him and encourage him and keep him locked in because you don’t really see too many talents like him come by. I know coach wants him to maximize his potential and every one of us wants him to maximize his potential, too.”
Okorie is doing just that.
Smith loves watching the growth and maturity Okorie exhibits each day, initially figuring Okorie would play 20 to 25 minutes per game “and now he’s a two-way player and I can’t take him out of the game."
Everybody involved has celebrated Okorie, taking to heart Smith’s recent message of having joy for others.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Smith said. “He’s just so coachable, and where I’m at in my life and my coaching career it’s ‘enjoy the ride.’ … He’s just a good dude, so he’s easy to root for.”
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FILE - Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie (1) drives to the basket against Clemson during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
FILE - Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie (1) reacts after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
ROME, Ga. (AP) — Democrat Shawn Harris and Republican Clay Fuller advanced to an April 7 runoff for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former U.S. House seat in Georgia after no candidate won a majority in Tuesday’s special election.
President Donald Trump in February endorsed Fuller, a district attorney who prosecutes crimes in four counties, to succeed Greene.
Fuller has called Trump’s endorsement “rocket fuel” for his candidacy, but it did not boost him to a majority of the vote in a 14-candidate field that included nine Republicans, three Democrats, a Libertarian and an independent. All the candidates ran together regardless of party, with the top two moving on to the runoff.
Harris, a cattle farmer and retired brigadier general, is likely to face an uphill battle to win a majority in the heavily Republican district. Nevertheless, Democrats are likely to boast of his first-round showing as a further success in a period when they have focused on strong performances in special elections. Harris has promised moderation and a focus on the district’s problems, contrasting himself with Greene’s bomb-throwing style.
The winner will serve out the remaining months of Greene’s term. A Republican win in northwest Georgia’s 14th Congressional district would bolster the party’s majority in the House. The district stretches from suburban Atlanta to the Tennessee state line.
Fuller was a White House fellow in the first Trump administration and is a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard. He finished fourth in the 2020 Republican primary that Greene won before becoming a district attorney. Fuller had set an outright win as his goal for Tuesday’s vote.
This round of voting is only the first step in an elections marathon in the Georgia district. Republicans and Democrats seeking a full two-year term are set for a May 19 party primary, and possibly a June 16 party runoff, before advancing to the general election in November.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
ROME, Ga. (AP) — Months after Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress after a falling-out with President Donald Trump, voters in her Georgia district voted for her successor in a special election Tuesday.
With top candidates including Republicans Clay Fuller and Colton Moore and Democrat Shawn Harris, this round of voting that ended Tuesday could be only the first step in an elections marathon in northwest Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.
Fuller, a district attorney endorsed by Trump, is hoping to avoid an April 7 runoff, which would be necessary if no candidate wins a majority of votes in the district that stretches across 10 counties from suburban Atlanta to the Tennessee state line.
“We need to win this thing on March 10 and send an America First warrior to fight for President Trump,” Fuller told a crowd in Rome, Georgia, on Feb. 19 before a speech by Trump.
But with 12 Republicans, three Democrats, a Libertarian and an independent running in the all-party special election, that may be difficult, even after five Republicans withdrew.
The winner will serve out the remaining months of Greene’s term. But if they want to remain in Congress beyond next January, they will have to run again. Republicans and Democrats seeking a full two-year term are set for a May 19 party primary, and possibly a June 16 party runoff, before advancing to the general election in November.
Last week, 10 Republicans and Harris qualified to run in November's election for a full two-year term. That includes Fuller, as well as Moore, a former state senator and favorite of far-right activists who drew attention for a vociferous attack on Trump’s prosecution in Georgia for alleged election interference.
Harris, a cattle farmer and retired general, promises moderation and a focus on the district’s problems. However, a Democrat is unlikely to prevail in the 14th District, which is rated as the most Republican-leaning district in Georgia by the Cook Political Report.
For some, support for Trump hasn't wavered. Presley Stover of Dallas, Georgia, voted for Fuller. She said she doesn't agree with the president on everything, but supports him on the whole.
“I think as of right now, he’s doing a great job," she said. “He’s definitely helping us a lot more than Biden did. I mean, as of now, they’re not the best, but you’re not gonna change anything overnight.”
Some Republicans, though, were unaffected by Trump's nod.
“God, no. That's not going to sway me one way or the other,” said Brendon O’Laughlin of Dallas, noting he voted for Brian Stover, a Republican from his area. O’Laughlin said he was looking for a change in style from Greene.
Those who backed Democrats said they were repelled by Trump and eager to reduce his power.
“There just needs to be checks and balances and I don't think we have many of those right now," said Matthew Wisniewski, a Dallas resident who voted for Harris.
But voters on a whole in the district embraced Greene’s hard-right campaign in 2020, when she parachuted into the district after aborting a campaign in a more closely contested district closer to Atlanta.
Greene was one of the most well-known members of Congress until she left in January. She remained loyal to Trump after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, promoting Trump’s falsehoods about a stolen election. When Trump ran again in 2024, she toured the country with him and spoke at his rallies while wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat.
But Greene began clashing with Trump last year after he and other Republicans pushed back against her running for U.S. Senate or governor. Greene criticized Trump’s foreign policy and his reluctance to release documents involving the Jeffrey Epstein case. The president eventually had enough, saying he would support a primary challenge against her. Greene announced a week later that she would resign.
Returning another Republican to Congress would bolster the party's narrow majority in the House. Republicans currently control 218 House seats to Democrats’ 214.
Associated Press journalist Emilie Megnien contributed to this report.
Democrat Shawn Harris, center, speaks during an Atlanta Press Club forum for candidates in Georgia's 14th Congressional District, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, at Georgia Public Broadcasting, in Atlanta. (J. Glenn Photography/Press Club via AP)
FILE - Republican Colton Moore, who resigned from the state Senate to run for Congress, poses for a photo outside the Georgia Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
