Aug. 31, 2005
NORMAL, Ill. -
Fresh off competing for the Nigerian National Team at the FIBA U21 World Championships in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, Chuckwudinma Odiakosa (CHUK-wuh-deen-muh oh-DEE-oh-kosa) will arrive on the Illinois State campus this weekend to continue his education and basketball career as a Redbird.
Odiakosa was finally awarded his visa from the Nigerian embassy on Wednesday, ending a recruiting battle for head coach Porter Moser and his staff that lasted over a year.
"This has been a 15-month process, but it was absolutely worth the effort because of the type of young man he is," Moser said. "Dinma is an extremely hard-working, dedicated player who has improved so much year after year. This summer he was exposed to a high level of competition and stepped up to that level."
Playing against the likes of Duke's J.J. Redick and Kentucky's Rajon Rondo at the world championships, Odiakosa was third on the Nigerian squad in scoring (7.8 ppg.), first in rebounding (6.2 rpg.), fourth in assists and second in steals. In the six games, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward, who goes by the name Dinma (DEEN-muh), shot 48.6 percent from the field, while logging 158 minutes.
The tournament marked the first time a Nigerian team ever qualified for the world championships; and with the help of Odiakosa, the squad finished a surprising ninth place out of 12 teams. Facing the world's best players under the age of 21, Odiakosa posted his best overall game against eventual gold medal winner, Lithuania, with 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting and eight rebounds. He also poured in 14 points and grabbed six boards against Puerto Rico.
In his hometown of Akwukwu-Igbo, Nigeria, Odiakosa attended high school at Delta State and he has been playing organized basketball for only four years. He has already qualified with the NCAA and will start classes at Illinois State on Tuesday because of the Labor Day holiday.
"Now that he has his visa and is heading to campus, we want to get him in class and caught up as quickly as possible," Moser said. "Fortunately, with our schedule this year, our student-athletes won't miss a single class this fall due to travel."
Odiakosa joins three other Redbirds with ties to the continent of Africa. Senior Nedu Onyeuku was born in Lagos, Nigeria, before moving to Omaha, Neb., and freshman Eric Vianney is a native of Cameroon, while junior college transfer Roberto Fortes prior to growing up in Fort Wayne, Ind., was born in Angola.
