Joy Ighovodja 6'4 G 2023 Nigeria a Shocker!

[1972Shocker]

I like it. I nice piece to the puzzle and one that was pretty much flying under the radar.

Welcome to the Heartland, Joy!

[forevershockerfan]

Welcome Joy I. Congratulations to the coaching staff. Shocks02 did it again here on SN.

[1972Shocker]

Let's hope Joy proves to be a straight shootin' son of a gun.

[ShoxRoxMySox]

Sooo, with my untrained scouting eye, I peg him somewhere between a 1* and stick's home run recruit. At least he's intriguing!

[SubGod22]

Sooo, with my untrained scouting eye, I peg him somewhere between a 1* and stick's home run recruit. At least he's intriguing!

I think with his role in Africa and being a part of the BAL, he's probably at least a 3*. If he were a HR recruit I'd think we'd have heard more about him or he'd have had more interest. Though foreign recruiting can be tougher to gauge.

[asiseeit]

2nd coming of Warren Armstrong/Jabali

[forevershockerfan]

Let's get Armstong/Jabali's and FVV'S jerseys hung up in the rafters NOW!!!

[1972Shocker]

I think with his role in Africa and being a part of the BAL, he's probably at least a 3*. If he were a HR recruit I'd think we'd have heard more about him or he'd have had more interest. Though foreign recruiting can be tougher to gauge.

The fact that he had signed with ORU might have impacted the level of interest in him over the past 6 months. It would be interesting to hear the story behind HCPM's recruitment of this young man to ORU. Hard to say how much he has improved since then but sounds like he is getting a pretty intense, focused regimen of training in Africa.

[WstateU]

Let's get Armstong/Jabali's and FVV'S jerseys hung up in the rafters NOW!!!

… along with Ross McBurney’s… our very First All-American.

[Stickboy46]

I think with his role in Africa and being a part of the BAL, he's probably at least a 3*. If he were a HR recruit I'd think we'd have heard more about him or he'd have had more interest. Though foreign recruiting can be tougher to gauge.

That's where I'm at. Worth a roster spot for sure since we could have him for "up to" 4 years. I'm not expecting immediate impact, but definitely opportunity to grow. It does make those last 4 roster spots more important though.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Although he was not as aggressively scouted as NBA Academy peers like Chinyelu and El Alfy, Ighovodja (18) is another player who has learned from an isolating experience in his career before.

He featured for Rwanda Energy Group (REG) at the BAL under Robert Pack in 2022, but while Chinyelu played an important role for Mozambique's Ferroviário da Beira and Okorafor for Espoir Fukash, Ighovodja only played bit parts.

Nevertheless, the 6'4" small forward/guard found a way to make the most of his first professional experience in basketball, which he earned via the BAL Elevate program which assigned one NBA Africa Academy prospect to each of the 12 teams.

Ighovodja told ESPN: "BAL was a great experience because I was around professionals. I learned a lot even though I wasn't given [much of a] chance to play, maybe because of trust or the way they looked at me as a young player.

"Being around those guys, they helped me grow. If I had any questions, their rooms were always open for me to ask questions and go through videos to learn more about the game.

"In practice, they always pushed me like: 'You can do this. Just see yourself in this position. Everything is all about your mind - how to play big. Don't think you are too small to do something. You can always do anything and fix your mistakes.' BAL helped me a lot and when I went back to the academy, I [had] grown in my mind."
EDITOR'S PICKS

Ighovodja was used to being overlooked, but Oral Roberts won him over by treating him as a special talent.

He added: "Training was hard for me because I was a lefty and it was like I was different from others. I didn't really have many offers to play basketball, but after the [NBA Academy Games] in Atlanta, I had a few schools [interested in me], but it was Oral Roberts pressuring me, telling me what they want, how they would love to work with me.

"They were the first school that organised my official visit. I didn't see myself going for any visits [in 2022], because I thought maybe I wasn't there yet, but they made it possible and I went there. I went to see how the program was. The school was lovely. My teammates were playing great basketball. I didn't want to waste time waiting for or choosing any other school."

https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/35678624/african-nba-academy-bal-stars-add-global-flair-us-college-landscape

[LetsGoShockers2021]

Usually when we sign a big strong athletic guy who is a project ; they end up as a bust for WSU. Can think of 3/4 past 10 yrs.

the fact he has only played basketball since the age of 14 is a major red flag for me. Players are so good in this conference ; you may not be ready til your final year if ever.

It’s not being negative it’s just truthful so I’ll go ahead and say it… Not happy about this signing.

[pogo]

Paul Pressey comes to mind.

That guy was a one man wrecking crew on defense. Loved his game hated his team.

[SubGod22]

the fact he has only played basketball since 2014 is a major red flag for me.

So someone starting at the age of 9 is too late? That would be what, 3rd or 4th grade? I have no idea why that would be a red flag for anyone.

[Shockm]

2nd coming of Warren Armstrong/Jabali

Interesting comparison. Warren was a great player and Joy can’t be considered interesting in that category yet. However the most captivating comparison involves Warren’s athleticism, physical traits, and flexibility to play multiple positions, possibly including PG, shooting guard, and the rebounding strengths to play the power forward position. It will be interesting to follow Joy’s progress to see where he ends up.