Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: He nui te whakauru a Okafor i mua i tana kura tuarua, a, he maha nga tau i runga i nga rarangi whakauru. I takaro ia i te poitūkohu kura tuarua i Chicago, Illinois mo Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, i reira i whiwhi ai ia i nga tohu kaitakaro kura tuarua o te tau mai i a McDonald's, "USA Today" me "Parade". I te 2012 FIBA Under-17 Ipu o te Ao, i whiwhi ia i te Tournament MVP mo te kapa USA i toa i te mētara koura. I te tau 2013, i arahina e Okafor a Whitney Young ki te 2013 Chicago Public High School League (CPL) whakataetae taone nui. He All-American ia i te tau 2013 i a ia e tamariki ana. I te raumati e whai ake nei, ko ia te kōwhiringa o te kapa whakataetae katoa i te
2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, mo te kapa koura-tohu USA. Whai muri i tana tau matua, i whakawhiwhia ia ki te rongonui o Amerika katoa, a, i whakaingoatia ia hei kaitakaro a motu mo te tau e "Parade", "USA Today" me McDonald's me etahi atu kaitakaro. I hainatia e ia ki a Duke hei putea me Tyus Jones, me te mohio whanui hei kaitakaro mo te tau mo te tau.