On this episode of Be Unexpected we interview former Papillion-Lavista standout, former University of Nebraska-Omaha team captain and Drake point guard Ayo Akinwole! Take a listen as we discuss many topics with Ayo such as his childhood, love for sports growing up, moving multiple times as a kid, growing his passion for basketball, living a “others first” mentality, his playing career at UNO & Drake, and what he is doing now!
Ayo was a Four-year letter winner for coach Dan Moore. Two-time All-Nebraska and three-time All-Metro selection. Honorary captain of the Omaha World-Herald's All-Nebraska team and the Lincoln Journal Star's Super State Team after averaging 17.2 points and 5.2 assists per game as a senior. Also named state player of the year by Nebraska High School Hoops .As a junior, averaged 14.6 points and 5.5 assists per game. All-state honorable mention pick as a sophomore after averaging 10.5 points and 4.0 assists per game. Ayo Shot a school-record 52 percent from 3-point range.
Ayo played at UNO from 2017-2021, where he was a two-year captain. Ayo was the glue to the team through the ups and downs. Ayo talks about the success he had at UNO while there were also many tough moments. Ayo finished out his playing career by transferring to Drake in 2021. Ayo talks about the decision to leave Omaha and find A new home in Des Moines.
While Jake was the Student Manager for the UNO Basketball team from 2016-2019, Ayo made a huge impact on his life when he was struggling mentally and physically. This is not only true for Jake, but many other people such as coaches, teammates, classmates, fans, and the whole Omaha community have been impacted by Ayo.
More information on Ayo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP5_W3fZV5I
https://www.instagram.com/ayo_akinwole/
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/drake/drake-bulldogs/2022/12/30/drake-assistant-ayo-akinwole-on-switch-from-basketball-player-to-coach/69683128007/
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