South Carolina received some good news on Friday with freshman forward Okku Federiko arriving on campus and officially joining the men’s basketball team.

Full press release from USC Athletics

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Freshman forward Okku Federiko has arrived on campus and has officially joined the Gamecock men’s basketball team. A 6-10 forward, Federiko hails from Helsinki, Finland and was teammates with current Carolina guard Morris Ugusuk at DRIVE Basketball Academy.

Federiko was the top collegiate prospect in Finland for the 2024 class. He played for the Finland National Team in the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship, averaging 11.1 points,  7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 blocks in seven games played. He had a double-double in the group phase against Albania with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Federiko was 4-of-4 from downtown and also dished out four assists in the game.

In 11 games for DRIVE Academy in 2023-24, Federiko led the team in points (19.6), rebounds (11.7), steals (2.7) and blocks (2.0) per game. He shot 49.1 percent from the floor and had double figures in 10 of the 11 games, scoring 20 or more points six times. Federiko had a season-high 36 points vs. BC London United, going 10-of-14 (71.4%) from the floor and 5-of-6 (83.3%) from behind the arc. He added 13 rebounds and three blocks. Federiko had double-digit rebounds in 10 of those 11 games played for DRIVE Academy in 2023-24 with nine double-doubles.

The Gamecocks remain home and face another top-15 opponent in No. 14/14 Mississippi State (15-4, 3-3 SEC) tomorrow. Tip is set for 1 p.m. (ET) with arena doors opening at noon.

South Carolina Athletics has partnered with the Gamecock CommUnity Shop for its annual non-perishable food drive. All fans are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to the game and bins will be available at all entrances for drop off.