Paul Biancardi
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Paul Biancardi
Basketball Recruiting
- National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
- 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
- Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State
Multiple Authors
Elite senior Lewis Uvwo, the No. 1 center in the class of 2027, announced his commitment to Providence on Wednesday, becoming the Friars’ highest-ranked recruit in at least 20 years.
Uvwo chose the Friars over a final group that also included Baylor, Kentucky and California. He took visits to all four finalists, running a seemingly wide-open recruitment, but Providence remained in the mix before emerging as the winner in the final days.
A 6-foot-11 center, Uvwo is the best shot blocker in the country and one of the elite rim protectors to come out of high school basketball in recent memory. In 22 games last spring and summer on the Nike EYBL circuit with the Nightrydas, he averaged a circuit-leading 5.1 blocks — a number he surpassed at the Peach Jam in July, when he blocked 6.0 shots a game during a seven-game stretch, including a 10-block performance against Team Herro and a nine-block showing against Drive Nation.
He also contributed 10.4 points and 8.9 rebounds last spring and summer, shooting nearly 64% from the field. Among players who suited up for at least 10 games on the EYBL circuit, his rebounding numbers ranked fifth and his shooting numbers were fourth.
Uvwo, who didn’t play basketball until he was 15 years old, earned the first-ever 17U EYBL Defensive Player of the Year award.
He boasts a wingspan close to 7-foot-7 with a standing reach of 9-foot-3, and he brings infectious energy to the court. In the paint, he’s a powerful, crafty finisher with excellent footwork. He can pass out of the post, set solid screens, and present a big target on rolls and slips. His main strengths are rebounding, blocking shots and scoring in the paint — but he has also shown glimpses of his outside shooting ability, which could develop into another weapon in his offensive arsenal over time.
A Nigeria native who attends Prolific Prep (California), Uvwo becomes Providence’s first five-star pledge since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007. The program’s previous highest-ranked commitments came in 2012, when top-25 recruits Ricky Ledo and Kris Dunn both picked the Friars.
Uvwo is also Bryan Hodgson’s first commitment in the 2027 class. Providence did land top-40 recruit Javon Bardwell in August, but he reclassified from 2027 to 2026 and will suit up for the Friars this season.
