10/3/2019 | Men’s Basketball
PORTALES, N.M. – Former Eastern New Mexico men’s basketball player Chukuka Emili recently inked a professional contract with RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf in Germany.
Emili becomes the ninth Greyhound in the last four years to ink a professional contract upon completion of their Eastern New Mexico playing career. The New City, New York native played just a single season at Eastern New Mexico after transferring from Houston Baptist, but finished his career with the third most blocks in program history with 60 in just one season of play.
Emili was named Third Team All-Lone Star Conference at season’s end and was also appointed to the LSC’s Defensive All-LSC team after averaging 7.9 rebounds and 11.3 points per contest. The Hounds finished the 2018-19 season with an overall record of 13-14 and the program’s first winning record in LSC play at 10-8 since the 2005-06 season.
“This really is just a dream come true,” Emili said. ” I started playing basketball really late so I always felt like I was really behind everybody else and to be able to sign a professional contract now is just such a great feeling. I think I might be the only person from my hometown to ever sign a professional contract and for me that just shows that I have come such a long way.”
The 6’8 forward flourished in Segler’s high-pressure defensive system, and finished 2018-19 with the third most rebounds in a single season in Eastern New Mexico basketball history with 214 for the year. The 60 blocks Emili accumulated is a program record for a single season as well.
“Chu trusted coach Shaw and I from the beginning of our recruitment process and I think he could hear the sincerity in how much we believed in him,” coach Segler said. “He was unselfish during his time here at Eastern and sacrificed some of his personal glory for the good of our program and his teammates. This contract is the perfect celebration of Chu’s huge heart and huge work ethic.”
