Abodunrin Gabe Olaseni Signs To Iowa

Abodunrin Gabe Olaseni (1991 born), a 6’10”, 225lb big man out of London has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Iowa it was announced this week.

Olaseni has spent the last season at Sunrise Christian Academy (Wichita, Kan.) where he averaged 10.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.2 blocks and 1.2 assists in 28 games his senior year. He shot a ridiculous 72% from the field.

Head Coach Fran McCaffery is excited to have Olaseni as a Hawkeye:

“We’re really excited to have Gabe become part of our program. He is a talented athlete, who’s 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wing span. He has great length, is able to run the floor and can block shots. Gabe’s someone who will really impact our style of play. As good as he is, he has tremendous upside. Gabe’s a young man with great character and we’re looking forward to having him in a Hawkeye uniform.”

Talking exclusively to Hoopsfix about why he chose Iowa, Abodunrin said:

“The main reason was because of the coaching staff and their style of play. Coach McCaffery plays an up tempo but structured offense which fits well with my skill set and their defensive schemes work well with my ability to block shots and rebound.  The guys already on the team, the incoming class of players, the improvement they showed last year, the fans and the location also played a role.”

He also commented on what he felt he could bring to the team:

I think straight away I will be able to help on defense with blocking shots, rebounding and changing shots. I will also give the team second chance opportunities, be able to be a scoring threat in the paint or on the perimeter and get out and run the floor.

He helped lead his team to the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) Division I national title. A NACA All-American, Olaseni was tabbed the Defensive MVP of the national tournament. He was also recognized on the Colby Orange and Black All-Tournament team.

Before heading stateside, Olaseni who hails from Walthamstow, East London, played his first two seasons of U18’s with Eastside Eagles London before spending his last season in the UK with Westminster Warriors and Uxbridge College Emperors.

Abodunrin also received interest from Auburn, Ole Miss, Xavier and Oklahoma.