Meet the Matadors: George Nwogu & Marcel Stevens

The CSUN Men's Basketball team is sporting a new look this season with 10 student-athletes joining the team and looking to make an impact in 2020-21. With the start of the season rapidly approaching, GoMatadors.com had an opportunity to speak with the new faces on the team to talk goals for the season, high school, basketball memories and interests.

#22 - George Nwogu, Forward, Sophomore

George Nwogu is one of the most athletic additions to the Matador team this season. A native of Baton Rouge, Nwogu played post-graduate basketball last year at Lafitte Prep Academy in Louisiana. He previously spent a year at the University of Louisiana-Monroe but did not compete on the basketball team.
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The 6-8 forward was a three-sport athlete at Scotlandville Magnet High School in Baton Rouge. In addition to basketball, Nowgu was a wide receiver in football and a high jumper in track & field for the Hornets. Nwogu graduated from Scotlandville in 2018.

An incoming sophomore this season, Nwogu has three years of eligibility left at CSUN.

GoMatadors.com: How has training camp been going for you?

George Nwogu: It's been a great experience. I love to get better every day and it's an even better feeling knowing that my teammates are also getting individually better. We are growing as a team and improving every practice.

GM: What made CSUN the right choice for you?

GN: The coaching staff here is great! All of these coaches have a lot of experience in Division I and the professional world, so I can learn a lot from them, on and off the court. The best thing about them is that they are all approachable and they will push you to be the best version of yourself as possible.

GM: What are your goals for the season?

GN: This is my first year playing Division I basketball. I can't really say I have a goal because my goal is the team's goal, and that's winning the Big West and getting to the NCAA Tournament. If I just get one percent better every day and play my game, all of the individual things will take care of themselves.

GM: What is your major?

GN: Mass Communication.

GM: In high school, you were a three-sport athlete. How did you balance basketball, football and track & field?

GN: It wasn't really hard because I love sports so I never really looked at balancing the three as hard work. I'm an athlete and I loved that stuff.

GM: What are your best memories of high school sports?

GN: My teammates. I played with some talented guys who have great personalities and I wouldn't take that back for the world.

GM: As a native of Baton Rouge, La., what are the differences from life in Louisiana compared to California?

GN: Being from Louisiana, living in California now has been a big culture shock for me. From the way people talk down here to the music, it's completely different! It's been a little hard for me to adjust because I've lived in Baton Rouge my whole life. But California is nice. The scenery here is great.

GM: Last year, you had the opportunity to play post-graduate basketball at Lafitte Prep Academy, how was that experience like?

GN: It was very fun. I had great teammates and a great coach. It really helped me mature as a player and as a person.

GM: What is your favorite sport besides basketball?

GN: Football.

GM: Who is your favorite athlete?

GN: LeBron James. No one is better.

GM: What is a show you watched during quarantine?

GN: Power.

GM: What's your favorite sports movie?

GN: Coach Carter.

GM: Which musical artist do you like to listen to before a game?

GN: YB.

#12 - Marcel Stevens, Guard, Freshman

Adding more depth in the backcourt, freshman guard Marcel Stevens joins the Matadors as a Beverly Hills High School graduate.
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A 6-2 guard, Stevens spent his final two years of high school with the Normans from 2017-19. His senior season would be a memorable one, capped off with an All-CIF Southern Section Second Team and Ocean League Most Outstanding Player of the Year award. Stevens also helped guide the Normans to the Ocean League championship in his senior campaign. He previously attended Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance Calif.

Last year, Stevens played a year of post-graduate basketball at Impact Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, Nev. but missed most of the season due to injury.

GoMatadors.com: What has your experience been like at CSUN thus far?

MS: My experience at CSUN has been amazing so far. I love the guys on the team, the coaching staff and the atmosphere in practice. Everyone works really hard and just wants to make each other better every day.

GM: What made CSUN the right choice for you?

MS: My journey here was definitely up and down coming out of high school. I had one Division II offer that I didn't take. I went to prep school at Impact Academy in Vegas and I suffered an injury causing me to miss the majority of the season, which was cut short anyway due to COVID so I couldn't play in in front of coaches or anyone. I just had to hope the film I had from the seven games I played was good enough to land me on a team. CSUN gave me a great opportunity and I couldn't pass up on it.

GM: What is your goal for the season?

MS: My goal this season is to just work as hard as possible and be a great teammate – be who I know I am. I want to prove why I should be here and do whatever the coaches ask of me.

GM: What's your favorite high school memories?

MS: My favorite memories would have to be beating our rival school, Santa Monica, in both meetings in my senior year. The games are always sold out so the atmosphere is crazy at both gyms because our schools hate each other. We really hate losing to them. All of our fans would travel to their gym and their fans would travel to ours – this was definitely my favorite memory.

GM: With Beverly Hills High School, it seemed like you did a little bit of everything. How would you describe your game back in high school?

MS: I would describe myself as a scoring point guard that ran his team. I looked to get all of my teammates involved especially when we played better teams later in the season. I would just do whatever it took to win whether it was steals, rebounding, scoring, or passing. I just hated losing more than I liked winning so I just played hard every game resulting in doing a little bit of everything.

GM: What's your favorite sport other than basketball?

MS: My favorite sport other than basketball would have to be probably football.

GM: What's something about yourself that most people don't know about?

MS: Most people don't know that I used to be pretty good at tennis. I remember going to a camp when I was younger and getting moved up like three age groups because I was beating all of the kids my age. I used to like to train for tennis over the summer and throughout the school year until like fifth or sixth grade when I really fell in love with basketball.

GM: Who is your favorite athlete?

MS: My favorite athlete would have to be Kobe Bryant. I just love everything about how he played and how he carried himself as a person on and off the court.

GM: Do you have a favorite actor or actress?

MS: My favorite actor would have to be either Chadwick Boseman or Denzel Washington. As for an actress, Jennifer Lawrence.

GM: Do you have a favorite T.V. show you're watching right now?

MS: My mom and I are watching the Queen's Gambit and rewatching the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on HBO Max.

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Meet the Matadors: George Nwogu & Marcel Stevens

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