Becoming unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year – with Tosan Evbuomwan – Ep. 111

For Episode 111 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Princeton Tiger and unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, Tosan Evbuomwan.

The 21 year old out of Newcastle is fresh off a breakout season with Princeton, and is coming to London next week for the London Basketball Classic to play in front of a home crowd with his college team.

The former GB U18 and Hoopsfix All-Star Classic alumnus ended regular season play last season as the Ivy League leader in assists per game (5.0), and assist/turnover ratio (2.2). He ranked second in the conference in field goal percentage (53.2%), fourth in points (15.4), fifth in steals (1.4), and seventh in rebounds (6.4).

In this 50 minute episode we discuss his career so far, playing in the London Basketball Classic next week, and his hopes for the future.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
03:28 Interview start
03:35 Returning to England and playing on home soil
04:22 Looking ahead to the London Basketball Classic opener against Army
05:03 How important NCAA showcases in the UK are for young British players
06:02 Whether Tosan is going to be showing his teammates around
06:52 How he first got into basketball
08:03 What made him give up football and pursue basketball
09:03 How he ended up getting involved with the Newcastle Eagles
09:44 When the growth spurt happened
10:21 When he started taking the game seriously
12:44 Whether has has goals of being a pro and when that became the driver
13:30 Who the guys he was looking at as the best in his age group in the UK
14:22 Feeling out of his depth at first England U15s camp
15:33 His experiences in the EABL
17:28 How NBL Division 1 helped his development
18:15 How his two summers with the GB U18s in Division A was
19:16 Comparing Division A European teams to GB
21:07 Frustrations around British basketball
24:48 The recruiting process and how he ended up at Princeton
27:24 Blowing it in front of Princeton coaching staff on their visit to the UK
29:14 What his visit to Princeton was like and being a student-athlete on campus
30:50 Dealing with the academy load
32:10 His Major, and interest in finance along with work placement
33:52 Transition from the UK to the US and difference on the floor
35:33 Welcome to America moments
36:44 His Sophomore year being cancelled due to COVID
40:00 The step up from his Freshman year to his Junior year
41:27 His expectations going into the 2021-22 season
43:32 What his expectations are for this season
45:00 The best British player he’s ever played against
46:03 Favourite coach he’s played for
46:29 Favourite basketball memory so far
46:46 Most challenging basketball moment
47:20 Advice for a young aspiring British player
48:06 Where he wants to be five years from now

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