It had been since the times of Scott Ulaneo and Mattia Da Campo in Seattle that the NCAA hadn’t had a team with two Italian players on the roster. After Achille Lonati, the GM of St. Bonaventure, Adrian Wojnarowski, recruited Andrew Osasuyi, one of the best surprises from the Italian Under-20 European Championship-winning team.
Born in 2005 of Nigerian origins and raised between Lombardy and Piedmont, Osasuyi is the latest Italian player to decide to cross the ocean and leave College Basket Borgomanero to build his chances of playing in the NBA by competing in the NCAA.
Starting from Borgomanero, one of Italy’s best youth sectors, how did you find your experience there?
Those were years in which I had a lot of fun and learned a lot, not only in sports but above all on a human level. I really felt at home; Borgomanero is a great place to improve. The College supports your chosen path and helps you. I always said I wanted to go to America, and they helped me do it.
The college’s general manager is Federico Ferrari, father of your national team teammate Francesco, and you played with René D’Amelio, who is also ready to go to the NCAA. Tell us about your relationship with them.
They are wonderful people inside and out, and both helped me a lot this year. I was closer to René because we spent the whole season together. It was brief, but it will always remain in my heart, and I wish him all the best.
Andrew Osasuyi and Francesco Ferrari
How did your interest in college basketball start?
It was a late discovery. I’ve been following it for 3-4 years but never watched many games.
Which teams contacted you, and how hard was it to choose?
I was contacted by several teams, but I prefer not to name them because there were no official offers. I started receiving offers from mid-January and kept getting them until June. St. Bonaventure showed the most interest; they were very present, came to watch me live, and that counted a lot. They were determined and told me I would get playing time, although ultimately it depends on me.
Did you speak with Achille Lonati, your future teammate?
It was a personal decision; I spoke very little with him, but he pushed a bit, and we are both happy to play together next season.
You committed late in the summer, one of the last Division I commitments, why so late?
I decided late. I had given my verbal commitment to St. Bonaventure before the European Championship; they gave me some time to think, and I confirmed right after. I was convinced about going to the NCAA but had other offers and wanted to choose carefully. I was surprised by the amount of money in college basketball, but in the end, it wasn’t the economic aspect that made me choose.
Have you met Adrian Wojnarowski? What is he like?
First of all, he is very humble. We are talking about someone with vast experience and great fame, so I expected him to be more reserved, but he is super available and open, and he immediately made me feel at home.
Your choice was basically blind; you have never been to St. Bonaventure, right?
I’ve never been there, never made an official visit. They came to the national finals, and the assistant coach followed the European Championship. I’ve seen pictures of the town; it seems a bit remote, but there are things to do, and the campus looks great, lots of green and nature, which can help. I’m still in Borgomanero right now and will leave in a couple of weeks.
What impression do you have of the team?
I have some idea: there’s a big man, Frank Mitchell (a transfer from Minnesota), who is physically opposite to me, big and maybe a bit slower, and I think we can coexist well.
And the other big man is Joe Grahovac, a practically unique character in college basketball.
Yes, he intrigues me; I know he comes from almost nowhere, he is a hard worker, and this inspires me to do even better.
How can going to America help you become a better player?
I think I am nowhere near the technical and physical abilities I want to reach. I hope to completely change as a player next year; I want to become physically better, which is also why I’m going to America because I am a bit behind my peers.
In what sense do you feel behind?
Because I only seriously started weight training here at Borgomanero; I didn’t do it in previous years, and I know I can become stronger physically. This would also help me gain confidence and play more one-on-one. For example, at the Europeans against Lithuanians and Serbians, I struggled.
Let’s talk about the Europeans, which ended with an unexpected gold. When did you realize you could go all the way?
Our main goal was to get past the round of 16 since that hadn’t happened in 12 years. When we achieved that, we told ourselves we could push and go all the way. Our coach always told us to give our best and have no regrets, and we followed that.
The game against Israel was a turning point, tell us about how you came back from 18 points down to the semifinals.
In these cases, there’s not much to do. You have to lower your back and start defending, press all over the court, steal as many balls as possible, be aggressive, but not dirty.
Compared to the Europeans, what level do you expect in the NCAA?
I expect a much, much higher level, but I think the Europeans helped me grow a lot as a player; I learned a lot both from opponents and the coach.
This European Championship also sparked controversy because a team made up half of black players was targeted by racist idiocy on social media. How did you handle these insults?
I look at social media, but comments by others don’t affect me much. I wasn’t as upset as maybe my teammates were—well maybe; I don’t know how much it really bothered them. In the end, the only thing to do was to prove that we earned it.
Were you surprised by this hatred against 19-20-year-olds playing for Italy?
Maybe I expected it, but not completely. I’ve always been on the other side, meaning it hadn’t happened to me but to others, and when it happened to them, I thought those were wrong thoughts and never asked myself how I would react. But now that it happened to me, I didn’t take it too badly.
Looking ahead, when your NCAA career is done, what would make you happy?
I will be happy if I stay in America to play in the NBA. I want to give my all in the NBA.
