Liberty head men's basketball coach Dale Layer announced that Sommy Ogukwe has signed a national letter of intent for the 2010-11 academic year.

Ogukwe, a 6-7 forward from Abuja, Nigeria, led Bethel Christian Academy (Leitchfield, Ky.) to a 37-9 record this past season and averaged 14.2 points, 17.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.2 steals and 4.6 blocks per game, while shooting 63.2 percent from the field.

"Sommy is a perfect fit for Liberty," Layer stated. "He brings exceptional character, maturity, hard work, and a high skill level to our basketball program. He possesses excellent athletic ability, strength and toughness. I speak for our entire program when I say we are thrilled to add Sommy to our 2010 class, and we are excited about the opportunity for him to have an immediate impact on our program."

Ogukwe is one of four international players on Bethel's roster this season and its second Division I signee in the past three years. In that same time span, Ogukwe helped the Bethel Flames post a combined 102-26 record.

"Sommy chose Liberty because of the strong recruiting push from Assistant Coach Jason Eaker and Coach Dale Layer," Ogukwe's coach Jeff Massey said. "Sommy also fell in love with the Virginia campus and enjoyed the time he spent with the Flames players. I would like to thank all the schools that recruited Sommy this season and the coaching staff of Liberty for showing Sommy so much attention and love."

Ogukwe chose Liberty over Pepperdine.