How 2025 Guard Uchenna Amene is Preparing for the Next Level
- Brennan Sims
- Feb 1
- 4 min read
"I feel like defense gets me going," Uchenna Amene proudly boasted when I asked him how he developed the ability to take charges consistently. In a world where playing defense doesn't make you go viral on TikTok and Instagram, Amene understands that little things like that will get you on the floor at the next level. Taking charges requires seeing things before they happen, and Amene has mastered that skill.
Playing hardnosed defense got Amene on the court early in his career, and he hasn't abandoned that mindset even though he's an otherworldly offensive player, too. Amene uses his natural gifts to hound players all over the floor. At 6'1 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan, he constantly rips players and turns defense to offense in the blink of an eye. He takes pride in guarding the other team's best player, like an early 2000s NBA superstar.
On the offensive side of the ball, Amene is toying with defenders at DME Academy. Over the last three games, he's averaging 31.6 PPG, 6 APG, 5 RPG, and shooting a sizzling 60%(!) from 3-point range. His midrange is cash, but his range extends defenses. During this three-game stretch, he had a 7/7 3-point performance. This isn't just a hot streak; he shoots 50% on 71 attempts for the season. He is making defenses pay whether he's open or if they're draped all over him.
Though he's a flamethrower who can easily get to the rim, Amene loves getting his teammates involved.
I asked Amene if he preferred to drill a 30-foot three or find an open teammate, and he said, "I'd rather throw a lob. You can come down and shoot that shot any time, but the lob is rare and gets everybody going." A 30 PPG scorer who's a willing passer is what the guards in the league do today. Amene competes on the glass like peak Russell Westbrook. When your PG is fighting on the glass amongst the trees, it shows he's willing to win at any cost.
Coming from an ultra-athletic family gave Amene the blueprint for what it takes to make it to the next level, but he's had stellar coaches along the way to help him through his process.
Before going the post-grad route at DME, Amene played under Tory Jackson at Detroit Catholic Central. Jackson is a one-of-one coach and an All-Time Saginaw area hooper. Before heading to Notre Dame, Jackson graduated from Buena Vista as the Saginaw area All-Time leading scorer. He led the Knights to two state championships. His journey didn't stop there.
Jackson was a 4-year guard at Notre Dame University, racking up All-Big East honors and assist records. The star guard brought his fiery intensity and attention to detail to high school basketball on the coaching side. Jackson succeeded at Grand Blanc High School and continues to build up DCC. Amene says Jackson forced him to be a leader and taught him how to read the floor as a point guard and defender. Those lessons have stuck with him to this day. Jackson isn't the only great Saginaw hooper-turned-coach to aid Amene along the way.
Anthony Roberson is part of the DME Player Development and Coaching staff. He was a dominant high school player in Saginaw and went on to set nets on fire at Florida University under Billy Donovan. Roberson shot 40% from 3 on seven attempts in his college career, and he's still a sharpshooter, according to Amene. Roberson and Amene are frequently together in the gym. Roberson and the other DME coaches, like Hocine Gaham, Alex Humphreys, and Jarvis Gunter, help Amene with attention to detail and what it takes to get to the next level.
Amene is built for the next level, and college coaches are taking notice. He's been on two unofficial visits to Eastern Michigan University and Old Dominion University. Both coaching staffs encouraged Amene to keep playing his game and have heavy interest in the class of 2025 combo guard. These visits won't compel Amene to become complacent. They do the exact opposite. He feels close to the next step and wants to work harder. The hard work comes naturally with his upbringing.
It's debatable if Uchenna is the best athlete in his household. He's up there, but the competition is strong. His father was a D1 soccer player at Detroit Mercy. Hard work and dedication are all he and his wife know, and they instilled that mentality in their children.
Uchenna's older sister, Chika, is a track monster. She dominated several events in high school and brought that same energy to the University of Michigan. Her younger brother Dubem joined her on the Ann Arbor campus. The Amene siblings won races on the same day, a rare feat in NCAA history.
Dubem went on to represent Nigeria in the 2024 Olympics and hung up his cleats after accomplishing one of his dreams. Dubem played basketball growing up and used to beat up Uchenna on the hardwood. That strengthened the youngest Amene member as he watched his older siblings succeed at the D1 level.
Uchenna Amene didn't have the typical youngest sibling experience. Nothing was handed to him. It was motivational to see his siblings wake up at 5 AM and grind for their goals daily. "I saw real hard work firsthand. How can I skip corners?" said Uchenna. He saw the precedent his sibling set and plans to follow suit. Uchenna is ready to show what he has on the college level and is on his way.