NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans men's basketball team added the talents of 6-foot-9, 213-pound forward Makur Puou for the 2016-17 season as the NJCAA honorable-mention All-American from Rumbek, South Sudan, signed a National Letter of Intent with the Privateers on Wednesday during the NCAA Spring Signing Period.
Puou, who prepped at Mooseheart High in North Aurora, Illinois, before starring for two seasons at Vincennes University in Indiana, brings impressive credentials to the UNO program after tallying 452 points (6.6 ppg), 441 rebounds (6.4 rpg) and 101 blocked shots (1.5 bpg) to go with 40 assists and 19 steals while shooting .459 from the field (176-of-383) and .702 from the free throw line (99-of-141) during his junior college career.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Makur to the University of New Orleans," UNO head coach
Mark Slessinger said. "He is an incredible student-athlete who has made an incredible path towards success on and off the court. Makur has been a part of championship teams in high school at Mooseheart, at one of the most storied junior college programs in the country at Vincennes University and in AAU Basketball with Indiana Elite."
During his time at Vincennes, Puou helped head coach Todd Franklin's squad post a 59-10 overall record and a 37-4 mark in District XVI action with two trips to the NJCAA Division I National Championship. Vincennes went 33-2 with a perfect 21-0 district mark in 2014-15 while posting a 26-8 record, a 16-4 district mark and a District XVI title last season.
As a freshman at Vincennes, Puou saw action in all 35 games with 22 starts, averaging 4.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per contest. He was even better as a sophomore when he started all 34 games, connected on 47.4 percent of his shots from the field (120-of-253) and 71.7 percent from the free throw line (71-of-99) while averaging 9.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per outing.
After playing volleyball in his native South Sudan, Puou moved to the United States prior to his sophomore year of high school and played two seasons at Mooseheart High for coach Ron Ahrens. He helped lead the Red Ramblers to a combined 48-11 record with a 17-3 mark in Northeastern Athletic Conference action, including a 27-5 mark as a senior when MHS claimed the conference title with a 9-2 mark and won the state championship. Puou claimed first-team all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and all-area recognition by the
Kane County Chronicle both prep seasons.
The top vote-getter for the IHSA Class 1A team as a senior after averaging 21.2 points and 13.8 rebounds per contest, Puou also received second-team all-state honors from
The News-Gazette, claimed special recognition on the
Chicago Tribune all-state team and was tabbed the NAC MVP in 2014. He was also named Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week on March 18, 2014, after combining for 33 points and 30 rebounds in the final two games of the state playoffs.
As a junior, Puou  garnering honorable-mention distinction on
The News-Gazette all-state team on the heels of a 19.0-point, 10.8 rebound campaign while posting 106 blocked shots. In addition to his play at the prep level, Puou was also a member of Indiana Select at the AAU level.
Puou is the second player to sign with the Privateers for the 2016-17 campaign and joins forward A.J. Cheeseman from Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Collins Hill High School, who inked his NLI with UNO during the NCAA's Early Signing Period back in November.
"Makur will make an immediate impact with our program," Slessinger added. "He plays the game with a very high motor and competes at a high level. He will give us another threat at the forward position to go along with a very talented group of returners and an incoming freshman we have high expectations for in A.J. Cheeseman."
Puou comes to New Orleans with two seasons of eligibility remaining and will join a team expected to return 11-of-13 letterman from last year's team, which posted a 10-20 overall record, a 6-12 mark in Southland Conference action and advanced to the SLC Tournament for a second-consecutive season.
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