Basketball star Sadiku Ayo signs National Letter of Intent with Iona College
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (BVM) High school basketball player Sadiku Ayo signed his National Letter of Intent to play for the Iona Gaels during the upcoming 2022-23 season. Currently a senior at Our Saviour Lutheran School in the Bronx, N.Y., Ayo has had an impressive athletic career to date, averaging 13 points, six rebounds and three steals during last year鈥檚 COVID-19 shortened season at OSL. He also led the New York AAU Lightning to the quarterfinals at this past July鈥檚 EYBL Peach Jam in North Augusta, South Carolina and earned All-Breakout honors for his effort.
It鈥檚 an unexpected path for Sadiku Ayo, who began playing sports as a soccer player. A native of Ghana, West Africa, Ayo thought he would make soccer his game of choice, but then switched to basketball when he was 13. The youngest of a large family with four siblings, Ayo decided to pursue a professional basketball career, to help his family and especially his mother, who struggled to make ends meet. He didn鈥檛 share his plan with her at first, but when he resolved to move to America to make his dream a reality, he was forced to tell her.
鈥淪he didn’t know she was the reason why I was doing what I was doing,” Ayo recalled. So, when I went to the airport and I was about to travel to the United States, and… I told her the reason why…she was in shock.鈥�
Ayo鈥檚 mother hadn鈥檛 realized what her son planned to do, but she didn鈥檛 say no or stand in his way.
Ayo enrolled as a freshman at Our Saviour Lutheran in New York City, and had a rough start adjusting to a new country, as well as learning how to compete on the basketball court. However, he soon found a mentor in coach Peter Wehye, who quickly became his advisor as well as his coach.
鈥淚’ve known him so long. And for him to be able to recognize what’s wrong…He…calls and just talks about things… I’ll tell him there’s this, there鈥檚 that, so he’s able to help me through. So, most of the time I can sit down with him, and figure it out sometimes because I was not able to figure it out myself鈥� Ayo said.
Peter Wehye believes that Sadiku Ayo is one of the most dedicated, hardest-working athletes he鈥檚 ever seen. Good at both offense and defense, able to step in and fill any position where he鈥檚 needed, Wehye feels that if he could use one word to describe Ayo, it would be 鈥渄iscipline.”
“He’s by far the most disciplined player I’ve ever coached. He works hard. He does nothing half way. We’ve put a lot on his shoulders ever since he was a freshman… he’s had every role imaginable. And he takes nothing like the level of discipline, and his motive is something that’s unmatched in my opinion.鈥�
Wehye joked that his team often relies on Ayo too much during games, but the coach is impressed by Ayo鈥檚 willingness to take on any role he鈥檚 asked to handle. That level of commitment is what separates the stars from the average players, in his view. 鈥淲hen you have guys that are playing like that, which you can ask anything of, you can push them to that limit, they become second to none.鈥�
Ayo and Wehye looked at different colleges, but decided on Iona, even though other schools were higher ranked, mainly because of coach Rick Pitino鈥檚 reputation and outstanding development program. Playing at Iona for Pitino was, they both felt, the best place for Ayo to continue his journey toward pro basketball.
Wehye said he became emotional at Ayo鈥檚 signing because, 鈥淚 realized I might not ever get another Sadiku…a guy like that, that’s about leadership on and off the floor, who understands what you’re trying to do… leadership strong in all of these things, that doesn’t come by often… So, Sadiku is very, very special to me.鈥�
Sadiku Ayo鈥檚 ultimate goal is to play in the NBA. His strong work ethic and discipline have taken him to Iona College and he鈥檚 confident they鈥檒l continue to pay off. Ayo鈥檚 main motivation is what an NBA career would mean for his family, most of all his mother.
鈥淚f I worked so hard, and got to the league? Imagine how she’s going to feel, and how things are going to change for her and the whole family, because she and my family are the reason why I work hard every single day.鈥�
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