U Sports

All-Canadian Eddie Ekiyor leaves Carleton Ravens for pro ranks

All Canadian Eddie Ekiyor Leaves Carleton Ravens For Pro Ranks

The Eddie Ekiyor era at Carleton is officially over.

Ekiyor a two-time U Sports champion and first-team All-Canadian has decided to forgo his senior year(s) with the 14-time national champions to purse a professional contract.

The 6’9″ forward leaves the Ravens program with his legacy fully intact as one of the most dominant big man to ever play for the national Canadian university powerhouse.

Newly minted Carleton Ravens Men’s basketball head coach Taffe Charles confirmed the report via e-mail with the following statement:

“It is my understanding that Eddie wanted to go pro and is in the midst of doing that.”

In three seasons under legendary Canadian basketball head coach Dave Smart — Ekiyor continued to work and refine his game — ending his collegiate career as the Most Valuable Player during the 2019 Final 8 championship tournament.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The Ottawa native holds career averages of 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds despite only playing 23 minutes per game. Ekiyor was incredibly efficient in the paint connecting on 60.8% of his shots (313/515). The two-time All-Canadian shot 68% from the charity stripe knocking down 174/256 attempts.

Ekiyor’s minutes were always curtailed given the fact that the Ravens often blew out the competition, leaving the coaching staff to rest their star player. Ekiyor leaves the Ravens program with a record of 119 wins versus only 7 losses.

All Canadian Eddie Ekiyor versus Alabama Crimson Tide – Photo: Edilson J. Silva

Big games against top NCAA teams

With no minutes restriction and stiff competition Ekiyor often dominated NCAA teams who came-up to Ottawa to play in the Ravens Nest. He racked 26 points in 26 minutes on 13-of-15 shooting against the Cincinatti Bearcats in 2018 — and also beasted the Alabama Crimson Tide with 16 points and 11 rebounds and put-up a monster 35 point, 10 rebound double-double against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on 12-of-18 shooting including a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul-line.

NBA Dreams + Aspirations

Ekiyor, a two-sport stud, also ran the 200 (24.13 secs), 400 meters (52.95) for Mother Teresa and took home the high-jump gold medal at the 2012 OFSAA high school championships with a personal best 1.90 meter jump before shifting gears to basketball. A four-star recruit he left Ottawa in 2014, enrolled at New Hampton Prep and originally committed to play for the Xavier Musketeers of the Big East — but opted to stay home in Ottawa and committed to Carleton after being conditionally discharged of a hit and run accident involving a police officer.

Despite the set-back Ekiyor always had NBA potential and with nothing left to prove at the collegiate level the move makes sense as he continues to develop his shooting touch, ball handling and dribbling skills.

FIBA Experience

Ekiyor is no stranger to international basketball and represented Canada at the 2013 U16 FIBA Americas and 2014 U17 FIBA World Championships — where he led Team Canada in rebounding (8.6 and 7 per game) on both occasions and finished second in scoring behind current Denver Nuggets’ star Jamal Murray in the latter tournament with 10.6 points per game.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

BUZZING

NCAA

Discover the rich legacy of Canadian talent in NCAA basketball, from pioneering players to modern statistical efforts, shaping the sport for over a century.

NCAA

Pacific basketball welcomes the seventh Canadian coach in NCAA Division I history: Dave Smart aims to revive the Tigers.

U Sports

The Ottawa Gee-Gees dominated the Capital Hoops Classic, securing victory over the Carleton Ravens and advancing in their pursuit of the first U SPORTS...

U Sports

In a thrilling match at Monpetit Hall, the top-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees men's basketball team rallied from 19 points down to beat rival Carleton 79-78.

NBA

From Eh to the NBA: Leonard Miller, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Charles Bediako, and Nick Ongenda. Discover the top promising Canadian basketball prospects who went all...

NCAA

Basketball fever is hitting Canada hard with NCAA college games on the rise. The latest double-header match-up sees Alabama, Purdue, TCU, and Clemson compete...

NCAA

A total of 26 Canadians from 21 schools have qualified for the 2023 NCAA March Madness tournament.

U Sports

The Ottawa Gee-Gees picked-up one of their biggest wins over their rivals Carleton Ravens to take home the 2023 OUA Championship and the Wilson...

Copyright © 2008-2024 BasketballBuzz Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Exit mobile version