Clifford Omoruyi

Clifford Iyobosa Omoruyi (born 11 October 2001) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for PAOK Thessaloniki of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroCup. He played college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Alabama Crimson Tide.

Early life and high school career Omoruyi grew up in Benin City, Nigeria and played soccer. Standing , he received attention from basketball scouts who stated he could earn a scholarship overseas. At the age of 14, Omoruyi moved to the United States to attend Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, New Jersey. Muhammad Oliver, a friend of Omoruyi's brother Aldred, and his wife offered to serve as his host family. Omoruyi also began playing basketball shortly after his arrival, initially against Oliver's son and then in AAU events. As a freshman at Queen of Peace, he nearly averaged a double-double in four games before breaking his leg. Omoruyi returned in time for the state tournament and posted 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a game. Due to Queen of Peace shutting down, Omoruyi was forced to transfer to Roselle Catholic High School, and initially struggled with his grades. He transferred to Immaculate Conception High School for the second semester of his sophomore season to focus on academics, playing 10 games.

Omoruyi transferred back to Roselle Catholic High School going into his junior season, stating he did not wish to run from challenges. As a senior, Omoruyi averaged 14.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.4 blocks per game, helping Roselle Catholic post a 22–7 record and win the NJSIAA's Non-Public B North title. Omoruyi was named the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year, First Team All-State by NJHoops.com and Second Team All-State by The Star-Ledger. On the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit, he averaged 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game for the New York Lightning. He was considered to be a four-star prospect ranked 42nd in his class by Rivals. On 29 March 2020, Omoruyi committed to playing college basketball for Rutgers over offers from Arizona State and Auburn. He became the highest-rated recruit to select the Scarlet Knights since Kadeem Jack in 2010.

College career Omoruyi suffered a knee sprain six games into his freshman season, forcing him to miss three weeks. In his sophomore season debut, he scored 16 points and had nine rebounds against Lehigh, and subsequently enjoyed a breakout season. Omoruyi was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media as a sophomore. He averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Omoruyi averaged 13.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game as a junior and was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten. He declared for the 2023 NBA draft before opting to return to Rutgers.

On December 16, 2023, Omoruyi scored a career-high 25 points to go with 11 rebounds in a 83-61 win over LUI. As a senior, he averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, earning Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors. Following the season, Omoruyi transferred from Rutgers to Alabama. A four-star transfer, he was ranked the No. 3 center and No. 13 overall player in the transfer portal according to 247Sports and chose the Crimson Tide over North Carolina, Kansas State and Georgetown. Omoruyi averaged 7.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 73 percent from the field, helping Alabama reach the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Omoruyi was a perfect 15-15 from the field over a stretch that lasted from the 9 minute mark of the first half of the SEC tournament semifinal to the 3:51 mark of the first half of the 2nd Round of the NCAA tournament. This streak including 8 dunks against Robert Morris in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2025 NBA draft, Omoruyi joined the Toronto Raptors on an Exhibit 10 contract after playing with the team in the NBA Summer League.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2025) On 4 September 2025, Omoruyi signed his first professional contract, a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his brief stint with the Israeli club, he made five appearances, including three in the EuroLeague and two in the Israeli domestic league.

Galatasaray (2025–2026) On 12 December 2025, Omoruyi moved to Turkey and signed a one-year contract with Galatasaray. He appeared in six games across the Basketbol Süper Ligi and Basketball Champions League.

Following a coaching change at Galatasaray, his role with the team was affected and, on 30 January 2026, the club announced that his contract had been terminated by mutual agreement.

PAOK Thessaloniki (2026–present) On 30 January 2026, Omoruyi signed with PAOK Thessaloniki for the remainder of the 2025–26 season, with an option for an additional year.

He gradually established himself in PAOK's frontcourt rotation and contributed during the club's run to the 2025–26 FIBA Europe Cup Final. In eight games in the competition, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 60% from two-point range. He recorded 10 points and 8 rebounds in the second leg of PAOK's semifinal series against UCAM Murcia, helping the team advance to the final.

Across all competitions with PAOK during the 2025–26 season, Omoruyi made 22 appearances and averaged 7.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, shooting 65.6% from two-point range and 75.6% from the free-throw line.

National team career Omoruyi was invited to the training camp of the Nigeria men's national basketball team in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Career statistics

College