It was about a year and a half ago. Head Coach Gino Crump, a longtime friend of mine, invited me to a Desert Vista practice to see this team he believed was good enough to make a true run for a state title. Indeed, it was loaded by Arizona high school basketball standards. It featured a 6-foot-9 skilled big man, a 6-foot-5 freak of an athlete, a 6-foot-3 volume scoring and nationally ranked combo guard, an And 1 mixtape of a point guard and a lockdown senior guard. It definitely had all the tools to be a team to be reckoned with.
That team also possessed this 6-foot-7 wing/forward that usually sat in the corners on offense and waited for a chance to knock down a shot. He was….ok. There was definitely some room for growth and some potential. After all, you can’t teach or train 6’7” with coordination and the overall understanding of the game. There were just so many things missing. He was soft. His handle was below average. He could knock it down from the outside, but it was streaky. His motor wasn’t very impressive. At times, he was just kind of there. But every now and then he would have a game that would keep you thinking about him.
He traveled last spring and summer with the Powerhouse 16U Black team coached by two of his closest mentors, Michael Contreras and Pat Johnson. Johnson was an assistant coach at Desert Vista and knew the kid on and off the floor. They both knew what most of us did not, Osasere Ighodaro really wanted to be good. He really did take basketball serious and want to do something with the game.
If you ever have a face-to-face conversation with Osasere, or “Oso”, you will be able to pull a couple things out of it right away. He is extremely intelligent almost to the point that it can make you feel a little on the dumb side of the interaction. You can also tell he is extremely respectful and not as quiet as you thought he might be based on his demeanor. He is a strong-minded kid that knows what he wants out of most situations. A rare trait for a kid his age. A side note: he is only 16 years old and will not turn 17 until July. He is one of the youngest kids in his class.
Ighodaro came out of the summer of 2018 with several low and mid-major offers. Mostly for the same reason, the promise of the future and what he could be if he truly develops. It was a popular opinion that he was not done growing and then it was a lot of the “what if’s.” WHAT IF he gets a true handle? WHAT IF he finds some real athleticism and bounce? WHAT IF he develops some real aggression on the floor?
Osasere took them offers into his junior year of high school. Due to graduations and transfers, the team that we saw the year prior for the Desert Vista Thunder was completely turned around. They added a few pieces and had some promising and teal ended freshman, but it was clear they were nowhere near what they have been in years past. However, it was Ighodaro’s time to step up and put a team on his back. And he did just that. Leading them to a 17-10 record and into the 6A state playoffs despite the heavy lack of experience on the roster. His efforts during the season landed him a spot in the March Madfest Arizona All-Star game.
Heading into the spring Oso was moved to the top Powerhouse 17U Under Armour Association Rise team and named a starter early, on a roster full of Division I prospects. He has developed into the epitome of a point forward. He takes the court now at a legit 6-foot-9 with wingspan that almost makes his skill set seem unfair. That size and length makes him an elite level defender with the ability to guard all five positions on the floor at this level. He can switch on absolutely anybody. His athleticism has reached a new peak with him collecting his own personal poster collection. His court vision is outstanding and he is a great passer in both the half court and in transition. His handle is very solid and he seems to get more and more aggressive each time I see him.
It is all these factors, coupled with the fact he owns a 4.4 GPA and still has so much room for growth that led to those offers growing into the high level mid-majors and recently his first high-major offer from Rice and Stanford. He currently holds offers to Grand Canyon, Pepperdine, UC-Irvine, UC-Riverside, San Jose State, San Diego, UC-San Diego, Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, and Montana with a bundle on the way as he and his Powerhouse 17U UAA Rise team head into Kansas City for their first live period event of the spring. The phones from anyone involved in the kids recruitment have been blowing up for the last month. His head coach and Powerhouse Hoops program director, John Ortega, is ecstatic about Ighodaro and where this train may eventually stop. One thing is for sure, it is going to be one hell of a ride.
Caryl says
Fantastic Oso. Your Stanley fans enjoy watching you!
When & where may we watch you on tv?
Love & best wishes, Doug & Caryl (Eli’s grandparents)
Itua Ighodaro says
God is with you my dear nephew…