Aidan Igiehon Explained

Aidan Igiehon
Number:13
Position:Forward
Height Ft:6
Height In:10
Weight Lbs:245
League:Western Athletic Conference
Team:Abilene Christian Wildcats
Birth Date:2000 8, df=yes
Birth Place:Dublin, Ireland
Nationality:Irish
High School:
College:

Aidan Harris Igiehon (born 17 August 2000) is an Irish college basketball player for the Abilene Christian Wildcats of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). He previously played for the Grand Canyon Antelopes and the Louisville Cardinals. Igiehon attended Lawrence Woodmere Academy in New York, where he was a four-star recruit and won three state championships.

Early life

Igiehon was born in the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland and grew up in the nearby suburb of Clondalkin.[1] Until he was 12 years old, he played football as a midfielder.[2] At that age, he played basketball for the first time and stood 5feet.[3]

In 2012, Igiehon was introduced to basketball by Dublin Lions coach Mick White, who noticed Igiehon and his friend kicking around a football outside Moyle Park College. White, who was holding under-13 tryouts and needed extra players, invited Igiehon and was impressed by him.[1] Igiehon soon joined the Lions, with whom he learned how to play basketball and quickly improved his game. He also grew about one foot (0.3 m) by the following year.[4] In addition, Igiehon played basketball for Moyle Park College, leading his team to an All-Ireland final.[5] In the summer of 2014, he moved to the United States to enroll at Lawrence Woodmere Academy, a K–12 private school in Woodmere, New York, as an eighth-grader.[6] [7] [8] Igiehon's mother remained in Ireland, while he began living with his aunt and uncle in Brooklyn.[7] He became a starter on his school's varsity basketball team in eighth grade.[9]

High school career

Igiehon played high school basketball for Lawrence Woodmere Academy under head coach Jeff Weiss.[5] Both Weiss and Karim Shabazz, a school physical education teacher and former professional basketball player, helped him adjust to living in the United States.[7] Igiehon sometimes returned to Ireland to meet his mother and play for the Dublin Lions.[10] In his freshman season, he averaged 18 points and 14 rebounds per game, leading his team to a 20-win season.[11] Igiehon also played for the New York Lightning Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team.[12] In his sophomore season, he averaged 21.5 points and 15 rebounds per game, helping his team to Private Schools Athletic Association (PSAA) and New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Class B titles.[13] [14] Igiehon earned PSAA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Class B tournament MVP honors.[13] Following the season, he played for the New York Lightning on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit, averaging 6.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.[8] [15]

Igiehon missed most of December in his junior season with an ankle injury.[13] He averaged 21 points and 18 rebounds per game,[16] leading Lawrence Woodmere Academy to a 20–6 record, a New York State Federation Tournament appearance, and an NYSAIS Class B championship.[8] [17] After the season, Igiehon made his Under Armour Association debut with Team Rio, playing alongside five-star recruits Bryan Antoine and Scottie Lewis.[18] [19] He averaged 9.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.[20] On October 19, 2018, Igiehon committed to play college basketball for Louisville over Kentucky, Oregon, and St. John's. He was considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals,[21] [22] and ESPN ranked him as the 36th best player in the 2019 class.[20] On February 24, 2019, Igiehon led Lawrence Woodmere Academy to a second straight NYSAIS Class B title and third consecutive NYSAIS championship.[23] He also helped his team reach the Federation Tournament Class B semifinals.[24] After averaging 26 points and 18 rebounds per game and guiding his team to a 22–2 record,[25] Igiehon received USA Today All-USA New York first team recognition.[26]

College career

Igiehon did not see much playing time as a freshman at Louisville, partially due to an injured shoulder.[27] As a sophomore, he was limited to five games due to a groin injury and an illness. After the season, Igiehon transferred to Grand Canyon.[28]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Louisville| 13 || 0 || 4.7 || .625 || – || .375 || 1.3 || .0 || .0 || .2 || 1.0|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Louisville| 5 || 0 || 8.2 || .714 || – || .375 || 1.6 || .0 || .2 || .2 || 2.6|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 18 || 0 || 5.7 || .667 || – || .375 || 1.4 || .0 || .1 || .2 || 1.4

Personal life

Both of Igiehon's parents are originally from Lagos, Nigeria.[1] In 2000, his mother Nibokun Omoruyi moved to Ireland, where she raised Igiehon and his older brother Brandon.[2] [29] In 2016, Brandon began playing NCAA Division III soccer for the State University of New York at Potsdam.[29]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Duggan . Keith . Aidan Harris Igiehon - the Dubliner on the cusp of making it to the NBA . . 12 June 2019 . 3 November 2018.
  2. Web site: Cavalli . Francesco . Clondalkin - Dublin 22 . EuroHopes . 12 June 2019 . 16 April 2018.
  3. Web site: Dunne . Seán . Meet the 6ft 10in teenager from Dublin trying to reach the NBA . . 13 June 2019 . 15 August 2017.
  4. Web site: Leonard . Stephen . Igiehon applauds Lions for helping propel him towards NBA dream . . 14 June 2019 . 23 August 2018.
  5. Web site: Igiehon pursuing the American hoops dream . Dublin Gazette . 14 June 2019 . 18 February 2016.
  6. Web site: Bellissimo . Tony . Potential is great for LWA . Long Island Herald . 9 July 2019 . 3 February 2015.
  7. Web site: Kramer . Ari . Interest growing in Lawrence Woodmere Academy’s Aidan Igiehon . . 9 July 2019 . 13 December 2016.
  8. Web site: Cordova . David . Aidan Igiehon: A Native of Ireland Trailblazes His Way To Louisville . Dave's Joint . 10 July 2019 . 6 March 2019.
  9. Web site: Weingrad . David . LWA seeks third state title . Long Island Herald . 10 July 2019 . 29 January 2019.
  10. Web site: Wilson . James . Meet the 6 ft 10-tall Dubliner on his way to the NBA . IrishCentral . 10 July 2019 . 16 August 2017.
  11. Web site: Bellissimo . Tony . LWA stocked with young talent . Long Island Herald . 10 July 2019 . 31 January 2017.
  12. Web site: Basketball Spotlight MDC 8th Grade Top Post Players . Basketball Spotlight News . 10 July 2019 . 28 May 2015.
  13. Web site: Bellissimo . Tony . LWA Tigers gaining traction . Long Island Herald . 10 July 2019 . 31 January 2018.
  14. Web site: Herzog . Bob . O'Brien . Owen . Top 25 boys basketball players for 2017-18 . . 10 July 2019 . 10 December 2017.
  15. Web site: New York Lightning (NY) - 2017 NIKE EYBL - Roster - #22 - Aidan Igiehon - F . D1Circuit . 10 July 2019.
  16. Web site: O'Brien . Owen . 25 boys basketball players to watch in 2018-19 . . 10 July 2019 . 12 December 2018.
  17. Web site: Herzog . Bob . Igiehon, Buskey, St. Furcy lifted Lawrence Woodmere . . 10 July 2019 . 5 April 2018.
  18. Web site: Meyer . Jerry . UAA: Aidan Igiehon & others shine on night one . . 10 July 2019 . 21 April 2018.
  19. Web site: Lawless . Pat . Four schools are after Aidan Igiehon the hardest - He talks the latest with his recruitment . Prep Circuit . 10 July 2019 . 23 April 2018.
  20. Web site: Borzello . Jeff . Recruit Aidan Igiehon, No. 36 in ESPN 100, commits to Louisville . . 10 July 2019 . 19 October 2018.
  21. Web site: Daniels . Evan . Four-star center Aidan Igiehon commits to Louisville . . 10 July 2019 . 19 October 2018.
  22. Web site: Bossi . Eric . Louisville adds another in four-star big man Aidan Igiehon . . 10 July 2019 . 19 October 2018.
  23. Web site: Kersich . Peter . Lawrence Woodmere wins third straight NYSAIS title . . 10 July 2019 . 24 February 2019.
  24. Web site: O'Brien . Owen . Lawrence Woodmere falls to Cardinal O'Hara in state Federation Class B . . 10 July 2019 . 23 March 2019.
  25. Web site: O'Brien . Owen . Newsday's All-Long Island boys basketball team . . 10 July 2019 . 11 April 2019.
  26. Web site: 2018-19 ALL-USA New York Boys Basketball Team . USA Today High School Sports . 10 July 2019 . 16 April 2019.
  27. News: Demling . Jody . Louisville ends two-game skid, takes down Syracuse . March 17, 2020 . 247Sports . February 19, 2020.
  28. Web site: Russell . Shannon . Former Louisville basketball player Aidan Igiehon transferring to Grand Canyon . . 3 April 2021 . 2 April 2021.
  29. Web site: Brandon Igiehon . SUNY Potsdam Athletics . 13 June 2019.