Demonte Ojinnaka commits to Indiana State University - ALL-MET ELITE

Demonte Ojinnaka

commits

 to

 Indiana State University

 ALL-MET ELITE

 

BLAKE HS.

SILVER SPRING MD.

 ARTICLE COURTESY
OF
TRIBSTAR.COM
 

After a 28-point performance in a 78-73 victory at Butler County Community College, Demonte Ojinnaka was averaging a team-high 13.7 points for Cloud County Community College through 16 games. 

Ojinnaka, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound shooting guard who committed to play at Indiana State on Tuesday, suffered an ankle injury that sapped some of his explosiveness for the remainder of the season. 

“He had a great start to his sophomore year,” Cloud County coach Chad Eshbaugh said. “He turned his ankle and fought through it. Statistically, that might have hurt his numbers a little bit. He’s a guy that wants to win more than anything else. Took him a while, was still only about 90 percent when the season was over.” 

Ojinnaka still averaged team highs of 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds, shooting 34.5 percent from 3-point range. He had nine games with three or more made 3-pointers. 

“I think I can come in and help right away with my shooting ability. That’s something I’ll continue to work on,” Ojinnaka said.
The guard, whom Eshbaugh referred to as “very versatile,” has put on 20 pounds of muscle in his two years at the school that competes against some of the top NJCAA teams in the nation in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.

“He’s played the 1, the 2 or the 3. Big and strong enough to even play the 4. At 6-5, he’s a big physical, skilled guy. And a plus rebounder. That’s the thing a lot of people were intrigued by. He had interest from a lot of the Missouri Valley schools,” Eshbaugh said. 

Ojinnaka was a Washington Post All-Metro North performer at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Springs, Md. He said his game has matured over the last two years. 

“It definitely improved my IQ of the game. Learned a lot about the game. Learned a lot about life,” Ojinnaka said. “Just the level of competition and coaching staff really helped my development.”

Ojinnaka arrived in Concordia, Kan., after an excellent high school career in an area that produces a lot of talent. 

“He was kind of a hidden gem, didn’t get a lot of attention,” Eshbaugh said. “He lost his mother to breast cancer as a junior in high school, didn’t get to play a lot of AAU. He’s a guy that kind of fell through the cracks. I was fortunate enough to find him.”

Eshbaugh, who coached former Sycamore standout Jay Tunnell at Topeka East, said coach Greg Lansing is getting a quality player and a “great kid, a great person.”

“I know I’m dealing with some good guys, a good staff,” he continued. “Very, very happy for Demonte. To see him play in the Valley for Indiana State, I’ll be rooting for him big time.”
Ojinnaka will arrive in Terre Haute in June to attend summer school and get better acquainted with his new teammates. He said he’s on a mission to continue to elevate his game. 

“I definitely want to improve on knowing the game more. I want to be a smart basketball player, a better defender and a leader,” he said. “Just knowing that I have to come in and prove myself. I’ll be around a lot of talented guys. It’s not a lot of room for error. If you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do, a guy can play over you. Adversity’s going to hit and I have to be able to bounce back as quick as I can at that level.”