Coming off a stellar 2024-25 campaign, OU men’s basketball center Allen Mukeba entered the transfer portal to capitalize on his fantastic season in the NIL market.
Mukeba, a 6’6″ center from Charleroi, Belgium, earned second-team all-conference honors from the Horizon League after posting averages of 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 56.9% field goal shooting. With such a successful year under his belt, it was no wonder that big-time schools like Arizona State came calling.
Allen is one of a flood of college athletes benefiting from a special waiver approved by the NCAA in December. This waiver allowed for an extra year of eligibility for athletes who competed for one or more years at a non-NCAA school, such as a junior college. For Mukeba, because he spent one season at Colby Community College in Kansas, he was granted one more year to play.
It was just one more unexpected move for Allen in a string of unexpected moves on his basketball journey. But his story isn’t one that’s particularly unique; stories like his are becoming the norm. Mukeba was originally forced to leave his home country of Belgium when COVID-19 hit, as it shut down all basketball activity in the country.
“It was a tough decision to leave my own country to pursue a dream on my own. Basketball was dead in Belgium because of COVID back then,” Allen said.
The next step would be moving to California to attend Golden State Prep School.
After his short stint at Colby Community College, Mukeba took his talents to the Division I level, committing to play at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for the Roos. His two years there ended when he decided to enter the transfer portal and attend Oakland.
We all got to see how dominant Allen was all year. Nobody could guard him one-on-one in the paint–sometimes, even two-on-one wasn’t enough to contain the bruiser inside. His great footwork, touch and incredible strength were just too much for the Horizon League to handle.
And now it’s time for him to cash in for that extra year. Talking to Allen about the whole process, he was very honest and open with his thought process for taking advantage of his extra year.
“I just feel like players are getting paid even more than when they are going to go pro, so what is really the difference between being a pro and going to college and getting paid?” he said.
His top three schools that were giving him attention were Arizona State University (ASU), the University of Southern California, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The deciding factor for ASU?
“I chose ASU because of Coach Bobby Hurley, a true legend. He likes me for who I am as a player. He checked all my boxes,” Allen told me. “I also chose ASU because I wanted to be back on the west side of the country.”
It’s also an opportunity to play at an elite level and showcase his talent against the top talent of the Big 12. It’s an opportunity that isn’t lost on Mukeba.
“I’m so excited to play in the second-best conference in the US, the Big 12. I look forward to going at big shots in the league and showing what I’m able to do on that bigger stage.”
Of course, tough feelings come with leaving a school and all the people you got close to.
“I will miss my teammates so much; we had such great chemistry on and off the court. It’s one of the first times I’ve had where the whole team got along like that,” Allen said.
But it’s just another step in the journey, something that Allen understands and embraces.
“I’m appreciative of everything Oakland did for me and all that the Lord Jesus Christ provides for me. It wasn’t always easy, but I am in the story of making it! Watch!”