When you think of Louisville, Kentucky, what comes to mind? The first two things that many people think of are
Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and bourbon whiskey. Derby City reminds Toronto Raptors forward Jordan
Nwora most of home.
As Nwora grew up there with his parents and three siblings, Buffalo, New York, is actually his true home. In case
you’re getting too technical, he has been living in Toronto ever since his trade to the Raptors this season. People from
Louisville, however, have a saying that goes something like this: no matter where you wind up in life, after spending
a significant amount of time there, it will always feel like home.
“I still visit Louisville whenever I can,” Nwora said in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints. “It will always have a
special place in my heart and serve as a second home to me.”
Nwora has more connections to Louisville than just his three years as a member of the Louisville Basketball
program. This place, this way of life, gave him the chance to go after his greatest ambition in life: playing in the NBA.
“Time presents opportunities, and growth requires time,” Nwora added. “My time in college was excellent. We were
such a close-knit family, the team, the supporters, and the environment. Even with all of the changes, Louisville is
still where I could have envisioned myself.
Of course, the former Louisville Cardinal is referring to all the changes that have taken place, and anyone who has
followed college basketball for the past ten years knows a thing or two about it. After high school, Nwora was rated as
a four-star talent and had a commitment to play for the Cards under legendary head coach Rick Pitino.
This was never the case.
Prior to Nwora’s freshman season in 2017–18, Pitino was fired by the university because of his alleged involvement
in a federal pay-for-play scandal involving Adidas. ClutchPoints was informed by Louisville Athletics and university
sources that the Board of Trustees of the school decided to part ways with Pitino in 2017, even before he had a
chance to offer his version of events. Nwora started his freshman season losing after Pitino was fired as head coach.
Unaware of what was ahead, his hopes of playing in the NBA gradually vanished under the ominous clouds that
shrouded Louisville Basketball.
Nwora persisted in honing his craft every day, taking advantage of the few opportunities he saw during his freshman
year, despite all the controversy surrounding Pitino and the program’s status. Nwora especially concentrated on
honing his outside shooting and natural scoring ability during the summer between his freshman and sophomore
seasons. These skills were unlocked when Chris Mack took over the Louisville Basketball program, assembling a staff
that included Luke Murray, Mike Pegues, and Dino Gaudio.
“Efforts put in pay off. When I reflect on everything that occurred, that has to be the most important lesson I learned,
Nwora stated. In my first year, I didn’t play much. After spending the entire summer in the gym, I made that jump in
my sophomore year and was able to make the largest jump of my basketball career entering my junior year. It was
also difficult to accomplish with new coaching staffs every year.
All of that hardship made me understand that, rather than depending on other people, I must be prepared to give up
everything in order to achieve my goals. Even if it sounds cliché, working hard pays rewarded.
Nwora became the face of the Louisville Basketball program in Mack’s first season as coach when he raised his
scoring average from 5.7 points to 17.0 points per game in his sophomore year. Nwora scored at least 20 points in six
of the team’s first eight games of the 2019–20 season, his junior year, including a 22-point, 12-rebound effort against
No. 4 Michigan. For the first time since 2013, the year they went on to win the NCAA Tournament, the Cards were
rated #1 in the nation.
