Landry Nnoko’s teammates from his senior year at Montverde Academy could form a strong NCAA Tournament team.

They could probably win a few games in an NBA summer league run.

Joel Embiid (Kansas) was the third-overall pick by the 76ers in 2014. D’Angelo Russell (Ohio State) was drafted No. 2 overall by the Lakers earlier this year. The Thunder took Dakari Johnson (Kentucky) in the second-round. Michael Frazier (Florida) signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Lakers, but he was inked last week by the D-League.

Quite a few of those teammates are still in college, including Kasey Hill, who averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 assists for Florida last season. Patricio Garino (George Washington) was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team. There’s also Anthony Perez (Ole Miss), Michel Enanga (Coastal Carolina) and Roger Moute (California).

“I think we would have been alright. We would have been good…I think that team could have made some noise in the NCAA Tournament,” Nnoko said.

He moved to the school in Ocala, Fla. from Yaounde, Cameroon before his junior year. Before basketball, Nnoko was a soccer player.

“My neighbor just put up a basket on his driveway and every day I would go over there and shoot,” Nnoko said. “One day he wasn’t there and I was shooting, he caught me as was like, ‘What are you doing?’ I’m just like, ‘I’m getting some hoops up.'”

The neighbor took him to the nearby basketball club. The coaches were friendly and invited him to return, so Nnoko kept coming back. It soon “became a habit, became an everyday thing, just balling.”

A few months later, Nnoko moved to America with Moute and Enanga, both of whom are also from Cameroon.

“It was different. It was different culture. Different people. Different language. Just trying to adapt was a little tough,” Nnoko said, “But I learned pretty fast, because I had people around me, like Roger and Michel that I came over with, they’re both from Cameroon, so it was easy just to associate with them at first, but then as I learned the language, I was able to get out there and talk to more people, so it made it easy for me.”

The basketball was top-notch, especially the squad he was on during his final year at Montverde.

“It was a really talented team. A lot of times, you’d see guys not get a lot of touches, but you couldn’t tell that they were that good until they get to college and play for a different team,” Nnoko said.

With Embiid and Johnson also on the roster, Nnoko probably fit into that category.

The senior center has certainly had a productive career at Clemson. As a junior, he averaged 7.6 points per game. His rebounding numbers dipped from the 6.2 figure in 2013-14. For his career, he’s blocked 141 shots in 97 games.

Brad Brownell, along with Florida State, USF and George Washington, wanted Nnoko. His interest didn’t go unnoticed.

“The coaches did a really good job. Coach Brownell was in the gym — when he recruited me, I felt like he was in the gym pretty much every day,” Nnoko said. “I was really impressed with that and how good of a job he did. He just really connected with me and I thought he had my best interests.

“A lot of these coaches, the way they talk to you, you can just tell that they just want you because you’re going to help him. With coach Brownell, it was like he had my best interests.

“He wanted to help me first, then when I took my visit, I saw the people around me were  actually good people, and I liked the campus. Plus, it’s playing in the ACC, it’s the best league around the country. It was an easy choice.”

Associate head coach Mike Winiecki has played a significant role since Nnoko’s arrival.

“He’s a really good dude. He’s a good man, a good person. He’s pushing me everyday,” Nnoko said. “I would think, as a senior, he would stay back and just sometimes not point out some of my mistakes, but everyday at practice — I don’t make many, but as soon as I do, he’s on me…it’s been really good for me.”

Three years removed from his life at Montverde, Nnoko keeps in contact with several of his teammates, including Embiid and Hill. Moute and Enanga, are also counted as close friends.

“We all talk a lot. We don’t talk as much, but we talk every now and then,” Nnoko said. “We stay connected.”