UConn-Avon Bond – Okwandu reflects on two NCAA hoop titles
- Today Magazine Online
- 14 hours ago
- 6 min read
• 15 Years Ago, Charles Okwandu Helped UConn Win National Title
By Bruce William Deckert
Editor-in-Chief
Today Magazine Online
• This feature is an updated and enhanced version of an article that first appeared in the April 2024 edition of our monthly Today Magazine, in conjunction with our award-winning coverage of the 25th anniversary of the UConn men's first NCAA basketball championship — here in 2026, UConn marks the 15th anniversary of the men's 2011 title
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When the UConn men won the NCAA basketball championship in 2011, Charles Okwandu was a key piece of the national-title puzzle. A senior 7-foot center, Okwandu played in all 41 games that season and started 19.
For four seasons — from 2020-21 through 2023-24 — Okwandu was the junior-varsity boys basketball coach and assistant varsity coach at Avon High School, in the heart of Connecticut's Farmington Valley. He worked full-time at Avon High for five years as a para-educator, from January 2020 to December 2024.
He says that winning the national championship in 2011 “was one of those moments that you see happen in movies and never really imagine it happening to you.”
That 2011 title was the third NCAA championship for the UConn men's basketball program under legendary coach Jim Calhoun. Overall, the UConn men have won six NCAA titles — coach Kevin Ollie led the Huskies to the 2014 national championship, and current coach Dan Hurley claimed back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, the UConn women have won an NCAA-record 12 titles under equally legendary coach Geno Auriemma. With their victory in the 2025 national-title game, the women Huskies surpassed the UCLA men for the most NCAA championships in college basketball history.
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Both UConn programs won national championships in 2004 and 2014. UConn is the only Division 1 school to witness its men's and women's basketball teams win national titles in the same year.
Even more amazing: Half of the UConn women's 12 NCAA titles have been achieved via an undefeated season. Those six perfect championship seasons occurred as follows:
• 1995 — 35-0
• 2002 — 39-0
• 2009 — 39-0
• 2010 — 39-0
• 2014 — 40-0
• 2016 — 38-0
The gender-inclusive math is simple: The UConn men's and women's basketball programs have won a combined 18 national championships. UConn has the most successful dual programs in NCAA basketball history — making the small Connecticut town of Storrs, UConn's home, the undisputed epicenter of the college basketball universe.
Clearly, Charles Okwandu is part of an incredible basketball legacy.
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The six NCAA men's titles recorded by the Huskies place the program in rarefied air. UConn is tied for the third-most men's championships in NCAA history. Among more than 350 schools competing in Division 1 men’s basketball, only 15 have won multiple national championships — here’s the list:
• 11 — UCLA
• 8 — Kentucky
• 6 — UConn – North Carolina
• 5 — Duke – Indiana
• 4 — Kansas
• 3 — Florida – Villanova
• 2 — Cincinnati – Louisville – Michigan State – NC State – Oklahoma State – San Francisco
After the UConn men won the national title in April 2011, Okwandu and his teammates met president Barack Obama at the White House in mid-May.
"To be an immigrant from Nigeria and meet the first black American president was indescribable," Okwandu says. "The whole moment, all the work that we as a team put into making that moment a reality, was just overwhelming."
He previously coached at another Farmington Valley school — Granby Memorial High School — and also at Two Rivers Magnet Middle School in East Hartford.
Charles Okwandu
In an exclusive interview with Today Magazine, Okwandu reflects on UConn's first NCAA title in 1999, the 2011 national championship, the best players in UConn history and more:
• Where were you and how old were you when the UConn men's basketball team won the program's first national title in the spring of 1999?
I was 13 years old when the UConn men’s basketball team won the program’s first national title. I was living in Lagos, Nigeria with my three younger brothers and my parents in a two-bedroom apartment.
• What were your impressions of the championship game and the UConn victory?
I was unaware of it in Lagos, so it did not make a large impression on me until I made it to UConn and was able to be a part of the legacy. At that point in time I was actually into playing soccer.
• Before you decided to attend UConn, what other Division 1 schools recruited you — and when you chose UConn, how much did UConn's national-title success factor into your decision?
The other Division 1 schools that recruited me were Indiana, Villanova, La Salle, Seton Hall, West Virginia and Georgia Tech. UConn’s national-title success did factor some into my decision to play for UConn. Their reputation for developing great players was well-known, and I especially was impressed with how they were able to develop great players who specifically come from Africa, like Souleymane Wane — who was on the 1999 title team.
• What connection do you see between the UConn men's first national title in 1999 and the title-winning team you were part of in 2011?
I think it is easier to point out the differences between the two teams. Many people bring up the fact that the 1999 team was ranked No. 2 and we were the underdogs unranked at the beginning of the season.
Both teams had amazing drive and heart. The ’99 team is known for Richard Hamilton and ours of course is synonymous with Kemba Walker. Our team went through a ton of obstacles and many counted us out, but we learned from the past champions, and with coach Jim Calhoun leading the charge we kept our determination and heart in the game every game.
• When you consider all the standout players in the history of the UConn men, who are the top 3-5 who stand out in your mind?
The top five who stand out to me are Ray Allen, Emeka Okafor, Kevin Freeman, Richard Hamilton and Kemba Walker. All of these great players not only contributed and changed the game of basketball, but also contributed to their communities. They are people who I look up to — not just as basketball champions but also as people.
• If your 2011 UConn team hadn't won the national title, would you have considered your season a failure and/or would you have a lower opinion of your teammates and coaches?
If we didn’t win the national title I would not have seen it as a failure because no one expected us to go as far as we did. Would it have hurt a bit, absolutely — but we all knew we had to not just be good but great to win. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into that win, and honestly I couldn’t see it going any other way with the amazing teammates and coaching staff we had. We all knew the task at hand and we all were ready to prove people wrong.
• What were your initial emotions in the moments after your 2011 team won the national championship — and at what juncture after that victory did the program's first title in '99 come to mind?
I was extremely excited. Coming from Lagos, Nigeria, I knew I wanted to graduate college with my degree, but winning the national title with my team helped me make a name for myself and make my birth country proud.
All I ever wanted was to make my family and Nigeria proud. This solidified it. The ’99 victory started the reputation of UConn being the basketball capital of the world. To be a part of that legacy and to have my name on a list with so many greats is beyond any dreams I had.
• How has your national title-experience helped you as a coach?
Being around a great coach like Jim Calhoun and seeing how he planned and strategized for each game has impacted my coaching style. I use him as a model for how I want to prepare for a practice or a game. He treated each practice as importantly as he did every game. I try to do the same and push my students to do their best every practice, every game, every time. +
• Today Magazine has contacted Charles Okwandu for a career update but hasn't yet received a reply
• Sources — ESPN website • NBC Connecticut website • NCAA website • other online outlets and resources
Today Magazine editor-in-chief Bruce Deckert is a multi-award-winning journalist who believes all people merit awards when we leverage our various God-given gifts for good
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