It's all about opportunity for Jordan Nwora, who blossomed into one of the marquee players in a conference full of collegiate superstars.

A 20-minute increase in minutes per game from freshman to sophomore season helped propel his numbers 12 points and five rebounds a game to more than 17 and nearly eight per contest, helping the Louisville wing and Buffalo native earn ACC Most Improved Player of the Year.

"It's definitely special, especially in the ACC, probably one of if not the best conferences in college basketball,” Nwora said. “Just having to bring my A game every day just as I had to do back at Park (School). A lot of teams focused in on me and just really having to concentrate and try my best to do my job and help my team win every game."

Nwora said he pulls from his time at the Park School and growing up in Buffalo to help raise his game, all while understanding as he ascends on the national college basketball scene, he has a chance to change the reputation of hoops in the 716.

"I definitely feel like I have some responsibility for that,” he said. “There's a lot of great talent in Buffalo. A lot of kids right now that are going to go on to play Division I basketball and have successful careers.

"There's a lot of kids that are still playing and really doing a good job and really just paving the way for the rest of the kids."

There's no better way to pave the way for the future than reaching the highest level of the NBA. At 6-foot-8 with a long range shooting, Nwora's exactly what the pro game's looking for, even if he's not ready to fully look at the pro game just quite yet.

"Obviously, it's in the back of my mind,” he said. “Everybody wants to play in the NBA. If you play basketball it's everybody's dream. But right now I'm not thinking about it too much. I'm just thinking about getting into the tournament and making a deep run. That's really my goal for right now."

His future may be bright, but he's not buying into what could be.

"I've had some success, but I feel like people still don't think I'm as good as I think I am,” he said. “So at the end of the day I'm going to keep working hard and staying in the gym and keep proving people wrong. That's all I can do, really, is just keeping hard and when you work hard, the best things will come."