GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Florida center Rueben Chinyelu is as much a force in the classroom as he is in the paint 鈥� a double major and a walking double-double.
The 6-foot-10 junior from Nigeria is the second in to be named scholar-athlete of the year and defensive player of the year in the same season, joining former Florida standout Patric Young from 2014.
Chinyelu is majoring in biology and sociology, with hopes of becoming a dentist. Yes, the guy most likely to knock out an opponent鈥檚 teeth in the upcoming also wants to be able to fix them.
鈥淚 just try to make sure that I鈥檓 all business,鈥� said Chinyelu, who boasts a 3.48 GPA.
He鈥檚 no joke in the lane, either. He can often be found giving opponents the business end of an elbow while dominating down low.
Chinyelu ranks third nationally in rebounding, averaging 11.5 boards a game, and is on pace to become the first Florida player in 50 years to average a double-double over the course of a season. He鈥檚 averaging 11.2 points.
He鈥檚 arguably the most important player in as national champion, which begins Friday night in nearby Tampa. Sure, fellow big men Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon have better scoring numbers. And point guards and Xaivian Lee make everything run smoothly.
But Chinyelu鈥檚 physicality sets the tone.
鈥淗e鈥檚 one of the most valuable guys out there, the way he makes teams pay on both sides of the floor even if it is just the way he wears teams down,鈥� coach Todd Golden said. 鈥淭hat shows up. 鈥� We feel like we鈥檙e playing downhill on some teams because they鈥檙e wanting a break.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely been a huge value for us all year and something we don鈥檛 take for granted.鈥�
The Gators are 18-0 this season when Chinyelu records a double-double, reaching double figures in scoring and rebounding.
He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection by The Associated Press and has a chance to be the national defensive player of the year.
There are countless clips of Chinyelu scoring in the post, battling for rebounds, blocking shots and infuriating opponents, but is the one of him against Alabama in early February.
He walled off forward Aiden Sherrell near the basket, prompting a pass back outside, and then picked up speedster Labaron Philon during a ball screen. He shut down every move Philon tried, forcing a pass to fellow guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. He rotated onto Wrightsell amid another screen and covered him so tightly that he forced a shot-clock violation.
It was feasibly the most impressive played this season and quite possibly the best individual effort turned in by anyone 鈥� let alone a 260-pound center 鈥� in years.
鈥淗e鈥檚 turned himself into one of the best centers in America,鈥� Golden said. 鈥淭he guy grabs every rebound. I don鈥檛 know what to tell you. The maturation and growth that he鈥檚 had, just really elevating his game over the course of his time here, has been incredible.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 a tireless worker.鈥�
Not just on the court and in the classroom, either. Chinyelu, who grew up idolizing Hall of Famer and fellow Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon, created a program last offseason to deliver basketball shoes to kids back home. He gets most of them donated from teammates.
It鈥檚 just the latest step in a journey filled with unexpected turns: his father dying when Chinyelu was 6 years old; landing at the NBA Academy after a stranger suggested he should be playing basketball because of his height; and transferring to Florida after one year at Washington State.
He made a huge leap in his second season in Gainesville, bulking up, honing post moves and improving stamina.
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 just going out there and playing, enjoying the game,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hatever comes with it, comes with it.鈥�
It could be another national title 鈥� and eventually a doctorate in dentistry. That would be the ultimate double-double for the player who is one away from breaking the school mark set in 1976.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty standard thing for Rue now,鈥� Condon said. 鈥淚 look up in the first half and he鈥檚 almost got a double-double every game. It鈥檚 a standard that he set for himself now.鈥�
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