Nigerian basketball star dies in US

By Agency Reporter


Tobi Oyedeji, a Nigerian power forward slated to begin his collegiate career at Texas A&M next season, died in the US on Sunday due to injuries sustained in a car accident. Early reports suggest Oyedeji was driving a car involved in a two-vehicle accident in which one other person was killed.

Oyedeji played high school ball in Bellaire, Texas, and made the All-Greater Houston team last season as a senior. He was considered a top-100 recruit in his class. Rivals ranked him as the No. 18 power forward in the class of 2010.

“The world has lost a great kid today (Sunday),” said Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon in a statement on Oyedeji‘s tragic death.

“Tobi epitomised the term student-athlete. He was a very good student. He worked hard in the classrooms and on the basketball court and he was a terrific basketball player. This is difficult to understand and today is a very sad day. My heart aches for his mom and dad. Tobi was an only child and I would like everyone to pray for Tobi‘s parents.”

Another account of his death says Oyedeji dropped his last friend off after prom night, called his father Kunle Oyedeji and told him he was on his way home early Sunday morning. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound, 18-year-old power forward, who was destined to be an impact player for Texas A&M in the fall and committed to studying engineering, never made it to his house.

He was in a head-on collision shortly after the phone call home and died after attempts at life-saving surgery weren‘t successful Sunday afternoon.

Hal Pastner, who runs Houston Hoops, an AAU program Oyedeji played for, was crushed as well when he was told the news on Sunday afternoon. Turgeon said Oyedeji was the first player he recruited when he took the job three years ago. ”This has been a three-year relationship, we were really close,” Turgeon said.

“From the first day he came to our camp, I knew he was coming to Texas A&M. He was going to be an engineer. This was the perfect place for him.”

Turgeon last saw Oyedeji at a workout in April and said he told his assistant coaches that Oyedeji was going to help the Aggies quite a bit next season. Oyedeji had been on campus apparently five to seven times a season in the past three years.

“He was going to be a big part of our program,” Turgeon said. “More than just basketball, his personality, his character, he would have helped us in so many ways.”





Source: Punch