http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042811aac.htmlApril 28, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's head men's basketball coach Steve Lavin announced that coveted Nigerian big man God's Gift Achiuwa (Port Harcourt, River States, Nigeria/Sure Foundation/Erie C.C. (N.Y.) became the Red Storm's second signee of the spring period on Thursday. Achiuwa, a 2011 junior college first team All-American, joins what is now a nine-man group of heralded student-athletes that have signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) to join St. John's for the 2011-12 season - a class currently rated No. 2 in the nation by both ESPN and Rivals.com.
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God's Gift Achiuwa • F • 6-9 • 240 • Jr.-J.C. • Port Harcourt, River States, Nigeria (Sure Foundation/Erie C.C. (N.Y.)
Thursday, April 28, 2011 - 2:05 p.m.
"Gift is a talented frontline player who possesses tremendous size, strength, speed and skill. He is an ideal fit for our baseline-to-baseline attacking style of play," said Lavin. "The maturity Gift gained from two years of junior college basketball with a combined 55-6 record will make him a nice complement to what will be the youngest team in the country next season. He is fundamentally sound, and comes from a program with a tradition of winning, where a strong work ethic, playing hard and discipline is demanded on a daily basis."
Achiuwa, a 2011 first team NJCAA All-America selection, is a bruising post presence who led Erie Community College to a 28-4 record in 2010-11 and a fourth place finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Tournament. The NJCAA Region III Player of the Year and Region III Tournament Most Valuable Player ranked ninth in the NJCAA in scoring at 22.3 points per game, 10th in rebounding with 11.7 boards and 17th in blocks with 2.2 rejections per contest. As a sophomore, he shot 56.0 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from 3-point range, scored 32 or more points in four outings and netted 39 points against Monroe C.C. on Feb. 8, 2011. As a freshman in 2009-10, he helped lead Erie to a 27-2 record and averaged 13.1 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game en route to earning 2010 NJCAA third team All-American and Region III Co-Player of the Year honors.
God's Gift (20) is the third of six children born to Eunice and Donatus Achiuwa of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He has one older brother, Promise, and two younger brothers, God's Will and Precious. He also has one older sister, Grace, and one younger sister, Peace.
"I am excited to come to St. John's and New York City. I really like the coaching staff and the way St. John's plays. They are a running team and that's what I like, fast paced basketball," said Achiuwa. "I also like the winning tradition of the new coaching staff. They came into the St. John's program and turned things around in less than a year. I think that's a good indication that the program is on its way back. I like the city and have been to New York a number of times, it is a great place to play and live. Madison Square Garden is the biggest stage in the world and it is a great opportunity to have The Garden as my home court."
"When I first saw Gift, I could tell he had the potential but he was raw," said Alex Nwora, Achiuwa's coach at Erie. "His work ethic, both in the weight room and during practice, and playing a lot the past two years, have allowed him to develop to become one of the nation's best players at any level. St. John's has been recruiting Gift since Coach Lavin started there. They knew of his abilities from 'Basketball without Borders'. St. John's has a very good coaching staff, including three staff members who have coached in the NBA and that's where he wants to end up."