Latest Recruit Could Be Diamond in Rough : Loyola: Although Nigerian Ime Oduok appears to have the ability to play at the college level, he lacks experience.

Ime Oduok, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound Nigerian who has played only a few months of organized basketball in the United States, transferred to Loyola Marymount last week and will attend the school on scholarship.

Oduok (pronounced O-duke) played part of last season as a freshman walk-on for Pacific Christian College in Fullerton. He will become eligible at Loyola early next season after sitting out this season in accordance with NCAA rules pertaining to transfers. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Although Oduok lacks experience--he primarily played soccer growing up in Nigeria--Loyola coaches said they were impressed by his athleticism and work ethic.

“We were able to watch him play and evaluate him in July,” Coach John Olive said. “We felt that physically he has a big, strong body; he’s got very good timing and he’s an instinctive athlete.”

Loyola assistant Bruce Woods said Oduok showed up at school in June to ask about playing for the Lions. Oduok’s father, a lawyer, lives near Loyola.

“I didn’t know anything about him,” Woods said. “We talked a little bit, but I thought he was just another guy. Two weeks went by and I hadn’t thought about it.”

Woods’ interest picked up after Oduok began playing in summer pickup games with Loyola’s players at Gersten Pavilion.

“Our players started telling me, ‘Hey, you should take a look at this guy, he can really play,’ ” Woods said.

Loyola’s coaches scouted Oduok in July, during the NCAA evaluation period, before deciding to offer him the school’s last basketball scholarship.

“Of all the big kids we were actively recruiting, Ime was bigger and stronger than the kids we could probably get,” Woods said. “If he was a high school senior, every Division I school in the country would be recruiting him.”

Because of an NCAA rule that requires athletes to attend a college for a full academic year before transferring, Oduok had to attend Pacific Christian this fall. He pre-enrolled at Loyola last week and began practicing with the Lions on Dec. 17.

“He’s already had an impact in practice,” Woods said. “He’s blocking shots, rebounding, trying to dunk everything. Plus, he’s just a treat to be around. He’s such a personable kid.”

Oduok, who came to the United States in January, said the events the past several months have been a dream come true.

“It’s really exciting,” he said. “I still can’t believe the way it all happened.”

Oduok’s statistics at Pacific Christian could not be obtained, but he had 23 points and 22 rebounds in a game and helped the team, which competes in the National Christian College Athletic Assn., to a 24-18 record and a berth in the national tournament for Christian colleges.

Oduok will join three other recruits at Loyola next season. The high school seniors who signed letters of intent with the Lions in November are 6-10 center-forward Ken Hotopp of Sandwich High outside of Chicago; 6-5 shooting guard Michael O’Quinn, who recently transferred from Pius X High in Downey to Muir High in Pasadena, and 6-foot point guard Jim Harris of Ocean View High in Huntington Beach.