Iroegbu earns Olympic roster spot for Nigeria
Former Coug to make debut at Games; Abogidi misses cut but impresses coach
Washington State alumnus Ike Iroegbu has represented Nigeria at international basketball competitions for about five years now, but never on a stage like this.
On Tuesday, the former Coug mainstay at guard was selected as one of 15 players to make Nigeria’s Olympic roster. His debut in the Games could come July 25 in Tokyo against Australia.
WSU sophomore post Efe Abogidi, a rising star in the Pac-12, missed the cut after taking part throughout the past month in the team’s camp in San Francisco.
Iroegbu was an energetic point guard for Ernie Kent’s WSU between 2013-17, starting 94 games and logging career per-game averages of 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and three assists.
After departing Pullman, he helped lead Nigeria to a runner-up finish at the 2017 AfroBasket tournament, turning in 14.8 points, five assists and five boards per contest. Iroegbu was named one of the tourney’s top five players.
The 6-foot-2 Sacramento, Calif., native — who prepped at national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia — posted averages of 8.2 points, 2.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds in five games during the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Iroegbu currently plays for Elan Chalon, a top-division pro team in France. He previously suited up for a couple of professional organizations in Germany and one in Lithuania.
Starting his career out as a developmental project for the Los Angeles Clippers after going undrafted, Iroegbu averaged 10.3 points per game across two seasons in the NBA’s G League.
Another former WSU standout, center Aron Baynes (2005-09), made Australia’s Olympic roster for the third consecutive Games. The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro featured four ex-Cougs — Baynes, Klay Thompson (United States), Brock Motum (Australia) and Josh Akognon (Nigeria).
Although Abogidi likely will have to wait until his college career finishes to make his Olympic debut, the bouncy 6-10 big man’s performances in camp garnered praise from Nigeria coach Mike Brown, a Golden State assistant.
“I have high expectations for him,” Brown said in June. “I’m not sure if he’s going to make the 2021 Tokyo Olympics team, but he has a chance to be a big part of this program for many years to come going forward and I just see him only getting better because he plays so hard, and he has all the necessary tools to be a modern-day NBA five at the highest level. Washington State, you guys are lucky he’s in Cougar land and right now we’re lucky he’s in our camp.”
Clark may be contacted at cclark@lmtribune.com, on Twitter @ClarkTrib or by phone at (208) 627-3209.
