Butler basketball freshman was 'putting on a show' before he got to campus, shows glimpse of what's next
- Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor impressed throughout his time with Canada basketball at the FIBA U19 World Cup.
- One highlight stood out, but he proved he was among the best Canadian players in his age group.
- But he also showed a glimpse of what he could bring to Big East play while at Butler.
INDIANAPOLIS — The play brought Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor's Canada Basketball teammates to their feet, hands on their heads in amazement at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup against Germany.
Forward Onyx Nnani missed a 3-pointer from the left baseline and a crowd of players formed under the basket in anticipation of the rebound. From the far-right wing, Oliogu-Elabor flies into the paint, elevates over a German defender and palms the ball with his right hand, double clutches the ball and slams home the putback dunk with force over two defenders.
The 6-foot-6 Oliogu-Elabor shined, scoring a team-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including 1 for 2 on 3s and adding 4 for 4 from the free throw line. He averaged 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the seven-game tournament.
"I didn't really expect myself to do that, but the adrenaline and all of that played into that," Oliogu-Elabor said of the highlight-reel dunk. "People have seen me dunk all the time, but in the moment, no one really expected it. I was the most calm person about it, but everyone was screaming and yelling."
High-level athleticism has always been a part of Oliogu-Elabor's game. He has a physical frame and shouldn't need much time to adjust to the speed and physicality of the Big East. In Oliogu-Elabor, Gonzaga transfer Michael Ajayi and freshman Jackson Keith, the Bulldogs have a trio of physical perimeter players who can play multiple positions.
Oliogu-Elabor shot well from the free throw line going 28 for 33 (84.8%), but he struggled from deep, shooting just 13.3% from 3 on 15 attempts. He will be surrounded by capable shooters, allowing him to play to his strengths, attacking in transition and getting into the paint.
"I wanted to show my playmaking ability, to show that I'm not just a downhill player who likes to get to the rim," Oliogu-Elabor said. "Being able to facilitate and show my shooting ability as well."
Most explosive athletes aren't plus playmakers, but Oliogu-Elabor's passing is an underrated skill. He had at least one assist in all seven games and multiple assists in five of seven. Canada went 2-1 in the group phase and defeated Mali in the round of 16 before falling to USA basketball 108-102 in the quarterfinals. Canada placed fifth, and the U.S. won gold with a 109-76 win over Germany.
Team USA won its seven games by an average margin of 34.5 points. Playing the U.S. to a two-possession game shows how far Canadian basketball has come. With fellow countrymen like Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning MVP and Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard going toe-to-toe with him in the NBA Finals, Oliogu-Elabor said Canadian basketball is up and coming.
"This is my first time playing on a world stage and playing against players who are (playing) overseas and on draft boards and those types of things," Oliogu-Elabor said. "So being able to represent my country in that way and putting on a show over there was really important."