God'sgift Achiuwa - PF - Erie Community College - Nigeria, Africa - ST. JOHN'S

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/colleges/other-local-colleges/article406838.ece

Opportunity brought God's Gift Achiuwa from his home in Port Harcourt, River States, Nigeria, to Buffalo to play junior college basketball. And that's what will take him to New York City next year to continue his education and athletic career with St. John's.

Achiuwa made his announcement Thursday at the Flickinger Athletic Center, where he spent the last two years starring for the Erie Community College Kats.

The 6-foot-9 forward wanted to compete in the Big East on one of the biggest stages in college basketball.
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"He doesn't want to be a big fish in a small pond," Nwora said. "He wants to be a big fish with the other big fish and then dog it out to find a way to stand out."

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"He put in a lot of work in the offseason and got his body where it is now. He has a pro body," Nwora said. "I think he outworked everybody. That's one thing with him — he's going to be a workhorse. They're going to really value his work ethic. Win or lose, he's going to stand out.

"He wants to be the first on the court. He wants to be the fastest. As big as he is, he wins most of our sprints in practice. A guy his size, he can defend one through five. "

Even if you take GG's coach's praise with a grain of salt, GG sounds like he could really be a special player for us.  While physically, GG is bigger, the description of GG above reminds me of one of my favorite Redmen, Charles Minlend, the PF from Camaroon, who had a terrific work ethic, lead by example and carried a high 3.0 GPA in the Pharmacy school.    I think GG will be a solid influence for our freshman players both on and off the court.

Even if you take GG's coach's praise with a grain of salt, GG sounds like he could really be a special player for us.  While physically, GG is bigger, the description of GG above reminds me of one of my favorite Redmen, Charles Minlend, the PF from Camaroon, who had a terrific work ethic, lead by example and carried a high 3.0 GPA in the Pharmacy school.    I think GG will be a solid influence for our freshman players both on and off the court.

Included in the off the court - possible Spiritual Leader too?


*Fixed your quote KJD

Even if you take GG's coach's praise with a grain of salt, GG sounds like he could really be a special player for us.  While physically, GG is bigger, the description of GG above reminds me of one of my favorite Redmen, Charles Minlend, the PF from Camaroon, who had a terrific work ethic, lead by example and carried a high 3.0 GPA in the Pharmacy school.    I think GG will be a solid influence for our freshman players both on and off the court.

Included in the off the court - possible Spiritual Leader too?
[/quote]

Perhaps (he certainly has the name for the job), but I'd be happy if his influence just kept the other players out of trouble.

Welcome, God´s Gift.

Honestly we don't know exactly what to expect from this kid because he is still raw and hasn't played against top competition but he sounds like an awesome kid. He has the size and from what everyone says a great work ethic and personality so I would be surprised if he didn't make himself into a solid big man for us over the next two years. His size and rebounding are needed and if he can add to his game and become more of a scoring threat watch out.

God's Gift to appear on @ESPN 2's First Take on Monday at approx. 11:40 a.m.

Seems like St. John's is getting a lot of publicity because of this kid's interesting name. Hopefully they get just as much publicity with what he does on the court over the next 2 seasons.

Gods gift might be the missing piece, in my opinion for us to be good next year he has to contribute. 2013 final 4.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskymensbasketballblog/2014898926_gods_gift_achiu_5.html





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April 28, 2011 at 1:03 PM

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God's Gift Achiuwa on Washington: "They were very close"

Posted by Percy Allen


Had a chance to speak with God's Gift Achiuwa on a teleconference call and the Erie (NY) Community College basketball star explained why he chose St. John's over Washington and Cincinnati.

His decision was based primarily on familiarity. He's known St. John's coach Steve Lavin longer than any of the other coaches from the major schools recruiting him.

Achiuwa said he developed a relationship with UW assistant Raphael Chillious through ECC coach Alex Nwora. Chillious made at least two trips across the country to watch Achiuwa play and was able to get the two-time JUCO all-American to make an official visit to Washington.

The 6-foot-8 forward said he liked UW's campus and referred to coach Lorenzo Romar as "a great man," but the Huskies were unable to close the deal.

Achiuwa also noted he was impressed with St. John's because the Red Storm has two assistants (Mike Dunlap and Rico Hines) who coached in the NBA. Dunlap, a former assistant at Arizona and Oregon, is considered a recruiting wizard.

Here's most of the interview with Achiuwa.

(Why did you pick St. John's?) "I like the coaching staff. They're great people. They've got a great and experienced coaching staff. They have two guys that coached in the NBA that are part of the coaching staff. Also they bring in great kids. Very athletic kids. I like the way they play. They play a very high-tempo basketball, which is what we do here at Erie. That was what I was looking for. Besides that they play at Madison Square Garden, the biggest stage in the world. It's a great place to be. St. John's is a really great school. ... That's a very good fit for me and my family. Those are the main reasons."

(How did Steve Lavin build a good relationship with you?) "Steve Lavin started recruiting me right from the day he got his job. That was my first day at Erie. I've been talking to him for a long time. That really made me feel like he really wanted me."

(He has a lot of coaches with NBA experience. How important is that to you?) "That was very important to me because my dream is to play in the NBA. Having those guys around me is like a plus for me on getting to where I want to get to in this game of basketball."

(Which pro player do you resemble or who do you model your game after?) "For me I don't really model myself after guys in the NBA or anybody. I just try to do something new. I just try to play the way I can. I play hard. There's no person that I can point to or say this is the way I play my basketball. I can't model myself to anybody. All I can do is play hard and do what I have to do on the basketball court."

(Which schools were on your final list?) "Finally I decided to narrow it down to Cincinnati, Washington and St. John's. Those are the three schools I came and visited. Those are the three schools I narrowed it down to."

(How close was Washington to being your choice?) "They were very close. I took just three visits and those three schools were very close. ... Finally I had to pick a school. I couldn't go to three schools and I decided to go to St. John's."

(If the Huskies had recruited you earlier would they have had a better chance?) "The weren't here from the beginning, but they came and they showed great interest. I decided to consider them and give them a visit. I liked what I saw. I liked the coach. He's a great man. ... They've been coming to my games. So they showed a lot of interest. I really considered them when I made my decision."

(Were you hesitant about going so far away from New York?) "No. That wasn't a reason at all. The reason I visited them was because I was interested in their program. Distance wasn't a problem for me."

St. John's coach Steve Lavin received a late Easter "Gift" yesterday.

As reported exclusively Wednesday night on nypost.com, God's Gift Achiuwa, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound JUCO All-American, has signed with the Red Storm, giving Lavin the power-post player he needs to complement one of the nation's top recruiting classes.

Now the Red Storm are seeking additional depth in the frontcourt. Lavin and his staff this weekend will play host to power forward Daouda Soumaoru, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward from Our Savior New American School.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/true_god_gift_drops_in_the_johnnies_6jhpzU6dRClyHVZnpoRbRM#ixzz1KxV6Oakf

St. John's picked up another significant commitment Thursday when Erie Community College sophomore God's Gift Achiuwa announced he would join the Red Storm next season.

The 6-9 forward/center opted for the Johnnies over Washington and Cincinnati.

Achiuwa, from Nigeria, averaged 22.3 points and 11.7 rebounds this past season for 28-4 ECC, located in Buffalo, and was named to the Junior College All-America team. That's up from 13.1 and 13.5 a year ago.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2011/04/28/2011-04-28_gods_gift_achiuwa_commits_to_st_johns_picks_steve_lavins_red_storm_over_washingt.html#ixzz1KxVCslJP

Good to have some beef. I think he will be a 15 minute guy. Huge jump from ny juco to big east...Garrett, Sampson,and Greene all faced better comp this past year...Pointer as well.  We actually have a very seasoned high school groupcoming in.

Good to have some beef. I think he will be a 15 minute guy. Huge jump from ny juco to big east...Garrett, Sampson,and Greene all faced better comp this past year...Pointer as well.  We actually have a very seasoned high school groupcoming in.

Yes, it is huge jump from D2 JUCO hoops to the Big East, but that doesn't mean he won't be able to hold his own.  It's also a big jump from small hoops ball to the NBA, but some guys have been able to make the leap.

You say those guys faced better comp than GG, huh?  I guess you're trying to make the point that he'll see less minutes than the kids you've mentioned due to his comp, right?  If, someone can play then they can play.

Yes, we will have a well-seasoned group of kids coming in.  You can add Harkless to that bunch, as well.

Good to have some beef. I think he will be a 15 minute guy. Huge jump from ny juco to big east...Garrett, Sampson,and Greene all faced better comp this past year...Pointer as well.  We actually have a very seasoned high school groupcoming in.

Harkless played in the same league as sampson so add him to the list. Can not wait for these kids to touch the court next year

I would be happy if he is able to play 15 strong minutes. Maybe more against the bigger teams.

Quote from: Marillac on April 29, 2011, 10:33:39 PM

Good to have some beef. I think he will be a 15 minute guy. Huge jump from ny juco to big east...Garrett, Sampson,and Greene all faced better comp this past year...Pointer as well.  We actually have a very seasoned high school groupcoming in.

Yes, it is huge jump from D2 JUCO hoops to the Big East, but that doesn't mean he won't be able to hold his own.  It's also a big jump from small hoops ball to the NBA, but some guys have been able to make the leap.

You say those guys faced better comp than GG, huh?  I guess you're trying to make the point that he'll see less minutes than the kids you've mentioned due to his comp, right?  If, someone can play then they can play. 

Yes, we will have a well-seasoned group of kids coming in.  You can add Harkless to that bunch, as well.

Youlove trying to put words in my mouth, Huh? GG will not get mins bc he is probably not on the same planet as the rest of the class in terms of skill. Bringing up thelevel of comp only addresses those that think he will be ready to play simply bc he was a juco. Erie is not chipola. The one advantage playing juco over an elite hs league gives him is that he was playing against men,albeit less skilled and talented but still men.

Youlove trying to put words in my mouth, Huh? GG will not get mins bc he is probably not on the same planet as the rest of the class in terms of skill. Bringing up thelevel of comp only addresses those that think he will be ready to play simply bc he was a juco. Erie is not chipola. The one advantage playing juco over an elite hs league gives him is that he was playing against men,albeit less skilled and talented but still men.

I don't like putting words in your mouth.  You do a good job of doing that yourself.  I just reiterate what you say.  Maybe, not verbatim but it comes out to the same thing.  Not to mention, you just proved my point.  You've practically said the same thing I asked what you said. 

God's Gift ranked 24th by JucoRecruiting.com out of top 100.

http://www.jucorecruiting.com/?page_id=434

Not sure if this ESPN interview with GG was posted yet, but regardless, here it is:

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/30444/video-a-conversation-with-gods-gift

Not sure if this ESPN interview with GG was posted yet, but regardless, here it is:

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/30444/video-a-conversation-with-gods-gift

I wonder if Dana still likes to throw some back. All the drinking hasn't taken a toll on her yet. She's holding up good for 40.  GG is now GJG - God and Johnnies Gift - I'm glad he's on board, if only to deliver 4 hard fouls a game and 4-5 rebs

Just to let you new guys know...all you have to do to post a video is post the actual link and the forum will embed it...

God's Gift To St. John's - ESPN Video - ESPN