The No. 1 shot blocker in the NCAA plays at FIU

Senior Osasumwen Osaghae leads the country in blocked shots. It is quite the accomplishment for a kid who did not even like basketball growing up.

“I was very much against basketball,” Osaghae says, overlooking the palm leaves and blue waves that decorate the court of the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. His arena may look like paradise, but the Miami native’s journey here was anything but comfortable.

By the time Osaghae turned 16 years old, he had never touched a basketball. He preferred soccer. However, his growing six-foot frame was naturally built for hoops. His parents pushed him into playing for Miami Southridge High.

Osaghae was on the team for about two years and began to appreciate the game. After graduating, he wanted to play college ball, but a major obstacle stood in his way. Osaghae was obese, weighing nearly 300 lbs.

“I had a coach tell me I was pretty much never going to play Division I basketball. When he told me that, it made me really upset. It made me want to chase my goal even more,” Osaghae said.

So Osaghae stopped munching chips and candy. For five months, he ate mostly natural meats and vegetables. He lost 60 lbs before enrolling at FIU to study business management.

As a freshman, Osaghae successfully walked on to the university’s team and appeared in four games. He played more in his sophomore season, but averaged less than four points per game.

Heading into his junior season, Osaghae wanted a scholarship—like every walk-on player does—but sensed that new head coach Jeremy Ballard and his staff were purposely avoiding the subject. Osaghae left a meeting in the summer of 2018 in despair, thinking about transferring and leaving his home city to pursue a better situation, crying while running to his car.