Prior to the start of Valparaiso’s basketball season, Crusaders head coach Bryce Drew approached Jubril Adekoya with a request.
Having been a starting forward as a freshman, Drew wanted to gauge the Tinley Park resident’s interest in coming off the bench as a sophomore.
Team-centric player that he is, Adekoya fulfilled his coach’s request without hesitation.
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In fact, Adekoya did so well as Valpo’s top substitute that he was chosen the Sixth Man of the Year in the Horizon League for the 2014-15 season. He is the third Crusader to garner that accolade.
“I’m grateful to win it,” Adekoya said. “We had a really talented team this year and Coach Drew asked me to come off the bench this year.
“He talked about the benefits of coming off the bench in terms of matchups and personnel. I just kept my head up and stuck with it and stayed positive.”
The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Adekoya appeared in 32 games this season for the Crusaders, who finished 28-6 overall and lost to Maryland 65-62 in their first game of the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio on March 20.
Adekoya played 19 minutes off the bench against the Terrapins, finishing with three points and three rebounds.
“I’m all about winning,” Adekoya said. “Coach Drew is a basketball guru, so we just bought into what he said.
“The preparation was still the same. I just had to be ready from the tipoff and be engaged in the game. My goal was to come in and help the team and have an impact on the game.”
Adekoya, who made four starts this season, played 19.8 minutes per game, while also averaging 4.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. The 2013 Andrew graduate also chipped in 21 assists, 17 steals and eight blocked shots.
“I excel on the defensive end of the court and on offense,” Adekoya said. “I think of myself as a player. I don’t have the best 3-point shot; I just go out there and make plays.
“On defense, it’s just a pride thing. Growing up in Chicago, it’s a pride thing not to get scored on.
“Teams scout so much and know what you want to do on offense that you have to stop people in order to win games.”
Adekoya, who is majoring in sports management with a minor in business, said all of the experiences from the 2014-15 season — including a 54-44 win over Green Bay to earn the Horizon League championship on Valpo’s home court — are something he will remember.
“This season was great,” Adekoya said. “There was a lot of student support and the whole community showed us love. It was unique and it was fun.
“We set a lot of goals as a team and we achieved just about every single one of them. We just stayed focused on our goals and kept working at them every day.
“Making the (NCAA) tournament was great because that was one goal we set. It was satisfying for a very brief time. We wanted to win games in the tournament. We didn’t do that, but we expect to do that next year. We expect to win some games.”
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Cornell (Iowa) College forward Grant Anderson (Homewood-Flossmoor) was named the Midwest Conference’s Performer of the Week in men’s basketball for the period ending Feb. 14.
The 6-foot-5 sophomore averaged 19 points and six rebounds in helping the Rams to a 62-60 win at Monmouth and a 75-60 triumph over visiting Carroll.
Against Monmouth, the Homewood resident tallied 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.
In the Carroll game, Anderson finished with a game-high 22 points as he drilled six 3-pointers.
For the season, Anderson averaged 9.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He also led the Rams with 32 3-pointers.
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Mike Walsh is a freelance reporter.