Exclusive: Inside AK Okereke's Standout Performance In Vanderbilt's Ole Miss Win – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—At risk of being the subject of harsh criticism and completing the worst individual 15 seconds of the season by a Vanderbilt player, AK Okereke sprinted back on the defensive end and squared up to Ole Miss guard AJ Storr as Storr looked to tie the game. 
A few seconds prior, Okereke had just taken a step towards icing a Vanderbilt win as he drilled the first of his two free throws and had experienced the agony that came with missing the second of which–which left the door open for Ole Miss to tie it on its last possession. 
What Okereke did on the defensive end as Storr dribbled towards him and subsequently moved side-to-side trying to create space would either absolve him of the missed free throw–which he says he knew wasn’t going in when he shot it–or amplify it. In order for the former to come to fruition, Okereke would have to forget about the potential consequence of his blunder on the line. 
“It was just a mindset shift to getting a stop,” Okereke told Vandy on SI. “Obviously we were up three so no 3s was really the only thing going through my mind was just to protect the 3-point line.” 
As Storr’s shot took a bounce off the rim and hit the hands of Ole Miss forward Malik Dia, Okereke had done his job. All he needed now was Dia’s storybook ending to come up short for his to come to fruition. 
Luckily for Okereke, it did. 
As Ole Miss’ group of rotational players varied in their reactions to agony, Okereke showed his teeth with a composed smile as he walked to the handshake line and slid between Tyler Nickel and Chandler Bing. Although he never acted like it, Okereke was the hero of the day. 
Storr and Dia’s late-clock misses granted those around the Vanderbilt forward to be the story of the night, in a good way. Okereke went for a season-high 17 points, got to the line 13 times, made 11 of those free throws, grabbed five rebounds and stepped up with physicality when Vanderbilt needed a Robin to Tyler Tanner. 
“I felt the difference in the game was No. 10 getting to the free throw line for Vanderbilt,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said postgame in one of a few sentences with that sentiment. “No. 10 was kind of the separator.” 
Perhaps Beard’s cognizance towards Okereke and his performance comes with a flashback to former Vanderbilt forward and fellow Cornell transfer Chris Manon having his breakout performance against Beard’s team this time a year ago. Manon and Okereke aren’t all that similar outside of the pipeline that they account for, but they were the differences in their respective home matchups with Ole Miss. 
Manon’s performance had something to do with him finding his respective role within Vanderbilt’s offense while Okereke’s had more to do with him stepping up in the absence of two of Vanderbilt’s primary scoring options. Whatever the case, Okereke knows the weight of a voice like Beard and his words. 
“It’s pretty cool,” Okereke said. “That type of stuff is why I came to a high-major school like Vanderbilt, not only to play against great players but to coach against legendary coaches. Like Calapari, Beard, Golden. It’s been cool to be a part of the quote, unquote big leagues.” 
Okereke admits that Saturday was one of his best games since arriving at this level, although he says he was still thinking about his missed free throw when the final buzzer sounded. The numbers would indicate that Okereke’s Saturday performance was nearly assuredly his best–short of Okereke’s 17-point showing against South Carolina–although he says he was more focused on making sure his defensive responsibilities were fulfilled than scoring. 
That’s who Okereke is. The spotlight hasn’t attracted him much thus far, but Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington has said since the beginning that the Cornell transfer is a piece of this thing’s engine. Now that the spotlight is on Okereke, he doesn’t seem to be acting as if he’s the talk of the town. Okereke is more likely to write a newsletter for he and his brother’s finance company from the comfort of his apartment. 
Okereke’s humility shouldn’t dismiss what he just did, though. This is one that he’ll remember for a long time, and he should.
"Obviously I love to win," Okereke said, "It was good to get it."
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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