Afrobasket 2013 – D’Tigers Breakdown (Forwards)

Stan Okoye – 6’6 – Small Forward – Age: 21

Born and raised in Raleigh North Carolina, Stan Okoye came through the ranks of Knightdale High School where he stills holds the record for total points and rebounds amassed in the Schools’ history. Okoye went on to have himself a standout Collegiate career at the Virginia Military Institute, leaving  as one of only five players in the programs’ history to surpass the 2,000 point career scoring mark, and he is also only the second in the program history to collect over 900 career-rebounds. Okoye finished his final season at VMI averaging 21.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game earning himself the Big South Conference player of the year award. His first contact with the Nigerian program came when he was included in the second phase of D’Tigers training camp in Los Angles, since then, Okoye has been a mainstay with the team throughout the training program, his averages of 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, was a key factor in D’Tigers third place finish in the Stankovic Cup. In regards to his game, Okoye’s versatility and athleticism offers the Nigerian team a lot of depth in the forward position, his 7’2 wingspan gives him an advantage on the defensive end, and on the offensive end, his ability to get into the lane and finish around the perimeter mostly with short jumpers is one of his strongest attribute. Still fresh on the International scene, Okoye has the potential to be a key figure on the Nigerian team for many years to come, he recently signed his first professional contract for Greek side Ikaros BC.

Jamal Olasewere – 6’7 – Small Forward Age: 21

Similar to Stan Okoye, 6’7 small-forward Jamal Olasewere is fresh out of a four year Collegiate career at Long Island University. Born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Olasewere attended Springbrook High School before committing to play for LIU back in 2009. His career at LIU has been very impressive to say the least setting the school’s point’s record in his final season with 1871 points along as being ranked fourth in the programs history with 963 rebounds. Olasewere capped a remarkable four years at LIU by leading the program to its third consecutive NEC championship and earning a trip to the NCCA Tournament. In regards to his game, Olasewere is as versatile as they come, he runs the floor very well in transition combining his strength and athleticism which enables him to attack the rim with tenacity, as a result, he went to the free throw line an NCAA-best 268 times as a senior and totalled a school record 860 for his career. On the defensive end, Olaswere uses his quick feet and physicality to his advantage, he is willing to get physical on defence which has sometimes gotten him into foul trouble, however Olasewere plays the passing lane very well and causes a lot of disruption on that side of the court. Olasewere is one player that has the ability to go very far in his career, and the International exposure should give him the foundation he needs to continue in this development. Olasewere finished his season as a two-time First Team All-Northeast Conference player and concluded his stellar career by being named NEC Player of the Year in 2012-13

Al-Farouq Aminu – 6’9 – Small Forward - Age: 22

Despite some initial reports questioning his future commitment to the Nigerian basketball program, NBA rising star Al Farouq Aminu quelled all speculations by suiting up for the Nigerian national team just in time for the Afrobasket. The youngest member from the 2012 Olympic squad has come a long way in a year since the London Olympic Games. Born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, the former Wake Forest standout and eight overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft had a breakout performance with the New Orleans Hornets last season, Aminu started 71 of 76 games last season and finished with career highs of 7.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He showed fans why he was highly sought after coming out of Wake Forrest in a very young Hornets team that was going through a transitional period in their franchise. Aminu was one of the few that stood out most especially on the defensive end, he finished the season top five in blocks, steals and rebounds for the Hornets team, and was at his best in a one on one or rotational situation, he held opponents to an effective field-goal percentage of 50.5 percent last season. Blessed with outstanding athletic ability, Aminu does very well  transition and is very big on the boards. For the Nigerian team, Look for Al Farouq to express himself more especially on offensive end, he has the capability to produce on that end of the court especially as a playmaker, and the experience he has gained in the last year should prove beneficial to the team.

Andy Ogide – 6’9 – Forward –  Age: 25

Little known Andy Ogide was a surprise inclusion to the Nigerian squad during the summer period, however for those avid followers of College basketball, Andy Ogide’s name might ring a bell from his time at Colorado State University in the Mountain West Conference. Ogide who was born in Tallahassee Florida was a standout High School player out of Paulding County High School in Dallas, Georgia where he averaged 18 points and 9 rebounds per game earning All-State honours. Highly recruited coming out of High School, Ogide chose to play his College ball at Colorado State where he shone in his Senior year helping CSU to its first winning season in seven years on the back of 17.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. It should also be noted that on finishing his Collegiate career, Ogide was invited to the Nigerian National team training camp in July 2011 for the Olympics. Often used as an undersized centre in College, Ogide possesses  an array of post moves and uses his quick feet to get the better of his defender, he is extremely athletic and has been working on expand his game during his last two years playing in Europe. Ogide spent the last two seasons in Spain playing for Gipuzkoa, Breogan and recently Oursense where he averaged 10.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He joined the Nigerian team early on his summer at the Sankovic cup where he averaged 9.7 points and a team high 8 rebounds per game.