Friday, October 9, 2026
Position
Forward
Height
7'1"
Weight
228 lbs
Hometown
Krasnodar, Russia
High School
NBA Global Academy (AUS)
Previous School
Jacksonville State, Charlotte, USC
Seasons at CU
JAX STATE CAREER
2024-25: Appeared in 36 games for the Gamecocks with one start…scored a season-high eight points against Toledo on Nov. 22…also blocked three shots against the Rockets…managed a season-high seven rebounds in a double overtime victory over FIU on March 1…opened up his first game as a Gamecock with five assists against LaGrange College…scored in four of Jax State’s five postseason matches, including all three of the Gamecocks’ CUSA Tournament contests.
PRIOR TO JAX STATE
2023-24 (Charlotte): In his first season with the Charlotte 49ers, Niagu made 12 appearances and totaled 21 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks in 86 minutes of court time...notched career-highs of seven points, five rebounds, and three assists in 17 minutes against UCF (11/20) in the Jacksonville Classic.
2022-23 (Southern Cal): In his lone season at USC, Niagu appeared in 15 games for the Trojans.
NBA Global Academy: Niagu attended the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, where he participated in the 2022 NBA Academy Games and helped lead the NBA Global Academy Team to a second-place finish. During the NBA Academy Games, he averaged 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 73.7 percent (14-19) from the free throw line over the course of six games.
International: Niagu has represented his home country of Russia on several occasions, including playing for the U20 Russian National Team at the U20 FIBA European Challengers held in Munich, Germany in July 2021. Niagu previously played for the U16 Russian National Team at the U16 European Championships held in Udine, Italy in July 2019, where he averaged 12.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists 1.4 blocks.
Personal: Niagu originally hails from Krasnodar, Russia, where he played for Lokomotiv Kuban from 2019-21, averaging 12.8 points during the 2021 season. His high school was the State Budgetary Educational Institution of the Krasnodar Territory Boarding School of Sports.
Source: Jacksonville State Athletics
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