FORMER NORTHEAST MEN'S BASKETBALL STANDOUT CHIMA MONEKE BECOMES A KING

SACREMENTO, Calif. – A former student-athlete standout at Northeast Community College has the opportunity to showcase his talents at the highest level in his sport. Chima Moneke has signed a contract with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Sacramento Kings. According to nba.com, Monte McNair, general manager of the Kings, officially announced the signing of Moneke last week.

Moneke, 26, is a 6-6, 223-pound forward who earned All-Big West Conference honorable mention in 2017-18 when he played at the University of California-Davis. He went undrafted out of UC-Davis in 2018 after averaging 18.3 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range. He has played professionally internationally in France and Spain, mostly recently with Baxie Manresa. He was named the MVP of the Basketball Champions League during the 2021-22 season.

"From getting cut in 2nd division France 3 games into my rookie season while making 2200 euros a month… to signing an NBA contract 4 years later… crazy," Moneke said on his Twitter account.

Before transferring to UC-Davis, Moneke, Canberra, Australia, played for Northeast Community College in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, where, in the latter, the Hawks finished 25-7 and were nationally ranked.

Moneke averaged 17 points and 12.1 rebounds per game for Northeast in his final year. He was named to the Omaha World Herald's All-Nebraska Junior College Team and the Iowa Community College Athletic Association's s Second Team. He was also named to the spring 2015 NJCAA Region XI Academic All-Region Second Team which recognized student-athletes who have earned a 3.0-3.49 grade point average (GPA). He was also named to the NJCAA All-Region Academic All-Region First Team in spring 2014 which recognized students with a 3.5 and above GPA.

Moneke said prior to leaving Northeast for UC-Davis that he appreciated the opportunity to attend Northeast and play for the Hawks.

"I've matured a lot and my game has expanded so much. It's time to make the move to expand my game even more. I am thankful for the two years I've put in here and I can't wait to develop into a much better player at Davis."

Dan Anderson, Northeast men's basketball coach remembers Moneke as a tough competitor.

"Chima was a hard worker. He put his time in on the court and in the weight room. Because of his work-ethic it has greatly benefited him," Anderson said. "He had a 'never give up attitude' and he was fun to have in practice because he brought energy to the floor."

The Basketball Champions League shared Moneke's story on its Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/BasketballCL/status/1510942629814575110