WINDSOR, Ont. - With the eighth overall pick in the 2018 National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) draft, the Sudbury Five selected former Durham Lord, Funsho Dimeji.
The 2018-19 season will mark the inaugural year for the Five as the newest addition to the NBL.
Dimeji started his OCAA career in 2012 as a member of the Humber Hawks, transferring to the Loyalist Lancers for two seasons before joining the Durham Lords for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns.
In his two seasons at Durham he was named the men's basketball MVP and was a two-time Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) first team all-star.
This past season Dimeji surpassed 1,000 points in his OCAA career. After scoring 50 points during the 2012-13 season at Humber and 630 at Loyalist from 2014-2016, Dimeji amassed 623 while with Durham from 2016-2018.
Totaling 1,303 points across five years in the OCAA has put him just outside the top 10 of OCAA all-time scoring.
"What caught my eye was his size and ability to play and guard many positions," said Logan Stutz, head coach and general manager of the Five.
Dimeji said that through the coaching staff at Durham College he was able to improve his defensive play and that was something that helped separate him from other athletes at the NBL combine and draft.
"I learned how to be a better defensive player at Durham and that really helped me," he said. "When your shot is not falling or you are not getting the ball the only thing you can control is your defence."
This journey towards a professional playing career has had several supporters for Dimeji, but none greater than his girlfriend, Kiesha Aruthurworrey a current member of the women's basketball team at Durham College. He believes he wouldn't be in the position he is in without her and her family's support.
Dimeji also gave a special acknowledgement to his former assistant coach at Durham, Deluxshan Pathmanathan, who has kept him motivated and has kept in constant contact after graduation to ensure he was on working hard towards his goals.
"To be honest I was shocked, there was so much talent [at the combine] and I was so happy when I was drafted that words could not describe it," said Dimeji.
The NBL season will kick off in November, although the first league game for Sudbury has not been announced officially.
"I am really looking forward to getting him to Sudbury," said Stutz. "Funsho was a top notch Canadian at the draft and we are excited to give him the chance to play pro ball close to home."
Source: Durham Lords
Photo Credit: Al Fournier