The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
Long Beach Poly senior Jonas Oware recently committed to Yale, taking one of Southern California’s best big men off the board. A 6-foot-9 center, Oware has developed from a lanky young post player with promise into a dominant center who helped lead the Jackrabbits to an undefeated Moore League title last year with his scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking ability.
“I’m super excited,” said Oware. “It was a really tough decision to make, because I felt like I had multiple really good options where I would fit in, but at the end of the day I felt like Yale was definitely going to be the best place where I can exceed both academically and athletically.”
Oware is a student-athlete in Poly’s esteemed PACE magnet, and had scholarship offers from many Ivy Leagues due to his 4.0+ GPA in addition to his skills on the court. Oware’s final three schools he was choosing between were Yale, Harvard, and UC Irvine. He said he would have been happy at any of the three but a recruiting visit to Yale swung him towards New Haven.
“I just felt a connection with the players and the coaches, I felt really comfortable with them,” he said. “Across the whole recruiting practice they’ve been the coaching staff that’s been the most tapped in with me. Coach Kingsley flew all the way out here to watch our practice and watch film with me–I just felt the connection there with the program.”
The Jackrabbits have been known for a century as the Home of Scholars and Champions, and their athletes have been proving that lately. State champion track stars Leila Holland and Jillene Wetteland signed with Harvard last year and in the last two years multiple Poly athletes have signed with Dartmouth and Georgetown in softball and volleyball.
Oware said that while it’s a balance to handle a high academic workload as well as the rigors of sports, it’s a balance he’s learned to handle.
“My mom has always said I have to do well in school to play basketball, if I get one C or anything she’s going to shut it down,” he laughed. “I just stay on top of things. If I get an assignment I start on it early and make sure I’m good on that side so I can put my work in on the basketball court.”
Oware said that Ivys like Yale and Harvard were as excited by his transcripts as by his play. “They liked what they saw on my transcripts and they liked what I could do on the court, so it overall seems like a great fit,” he said.
The Jackrabbits are coming off an undefeated Moore League title and a Division 1 playoff berth, but somehow still have high expectations despite graduating all-time city scoring leader Jovani Ruff, who’s now at Cal. That’s due in part to Oware’s late-blooming dominance as well as athletic point guard Nana Ofoegbu and the ascendance of Jonas’ little brother Jakobi Oware, a fast-rising sophomore with several Division 1 scholarship offers as well.
“It’s the first time we’re playing together since middle school, it’s going to be great,” said Jonas Oware. “I’m really excited for it. We’re trying to win a CIF championship this year to bring that home to the city. We’ve got a lot of seniors and great leadership and chemistry–I love what we’ve got this year.”
