{"id":858872,"date":"2026-08-17T21:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T21:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/858872\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T21:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T21:14:10","slug":"can-a-blossoming-juco-find-a-giant-gem-in-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/858872\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a blossoming JUCO find a giant gem in Germany?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I always find it interesting to look at international bigs<\/a>, and there is a particularly unconventional one arriving in the US very soon who I will be tracking.<\/p>\n

Rotimi Ogunniyi, a 7-foot-3 center from Germany, will soon be joining Weatherford College in Texas. He was born<\/a> on August 17, 2005, meaning that he turned 21 today, and most recently played for Baskets Bonn in his home country.<\/p>\n

Weatherford is an NJCAA school, but it looks like their program is on the brink of blossoming. The Coyotes hired a new head coach with international experience in April after a larger athletics-related reshuffle, inked a partnership with Nike, and look set to operate with a much bigger men\u2019s basketball budget.<\/p>\n

The other catch is that Ogunniyi\u2019s budding career has primarily been in 3×3 basketball, where he has been a standout for his age group, playing at the 2025 U23 World Cup and the 2026 U21 Nations League with Germany, as well as various high-level events with Bonn.<\/p>\n

This means that he will effectively need to adapt to an entirely different version of the sport in 5×5 – plus the American playstyle and whatever lifestyle changes come with his stateside adventure.<\/p>\n

Still, there is good reason to be intrigued. I\u2019m not arguing that Ogunniyi is a future NBA player or anything like that, but he could develop into a valuable D-I transfer down the line if everything goes well and perhaps eventually pivot into a 5×5 career in Europe.<\/p>\n

If Ogunniyi does not work out, then I still think it was probably worth the attempt to find a little-known gem with a lot of potential, even if he\u2019s of the boom-or-bust sort. I believe two big parts of basketball are finding outliers and winning on even the smallest possible margins, so Ogunniyi fits that bill for me.<\/p>\n

In order to evaluate the German prospect, I watched four of his games with Baskets Bonn in May 2026 (vs. Fuengirola, Hangzhou, Liman, Toronto) and one game from May 2025 (vs. Hangzhou).<\/p>\n

Ogunniyi is strictly a play finisher right now, even in 3×3. He adds value as a roller, where he has a fairly big catch radius, and sometimes as an offensive rebounder.<\/p>\n

In terms of rolling, I\u2019m curious to see whether Ogunniyi\u2019s 3×3 experience helps him become a dangerous (D)HO weapon in 5×5 play. Currently, he basically only screens and hands the ball off whenever he isn\u2019t scoring at the basket, plus 3×3 is fully half-court, so I feel like some principles should carry over – even though the spacing will be far different.<\/p>\n

On the glass, Ogunniyi is not currently an impactful rebounder because he still gets knocked off his spots too easily despite always having the height advantage.<\/p>\n

That said, I can commend him for his effort on the boards. At the very least, Ogunniyi has a baseline of activity as a rebounder, and he can use his size+length to tip balls to himself. But he should be far more impactful and will need to get coached up on the glass.<\/p>\n

Ogunniyi is not a 3P shooter and might never be. He took a few threes in the games that I watched and missed all of them. Most notably, the German big\u2019s form did not look smooth at all, and some of his misses were way off.<\/p>\n

Ogunniyi moves fluidly enough, but his strength and conditioning look like they really need to improve. 3×3 is really fast-paced, but he often ends up looking very tired.<\/p>\n

Thinking about the next level, I\u2019m most concerned about how Ogunniyi gets held off his spots and does not protect the rim that much. He has a tough time leveraging his size.<\/p>\n

Ogunniyi is also still too jumpy and undisciplined, as he leaves his feet too often and needs to improve his pick-and-roll positioning. He also struggles in space against players with a lower center of gravity because he cannot get low to the ground and then spring back up quickly.<\/p>\n

However, there is definitely enough to be interested in. Ogunniyi moves his feet better than most 7+ footers, and he\u2019s not rail thin either. He\u2019s shown some glimpses of being impactful in drop coverage, though 5×5 needs and reads are different from 3×3.<\/p>\n

Some brief background notes include that Ogunniyi started<\/a> playing basketball when he was 14, which would have been right around COVID. He\u2019s played<\/a> 3×3 since at least July 2021, wants to participate in the 2028 Olympics, and his role model is Kristaps Porzingis.<\/p>\n

An \u201ceasy\u201d comp for Ogunniyi in terms of trajectory, not playstyle, is his 3×3 teammate Fabian Giessmann (2005).<\/p>\n

Giessmann is a smaller but more physical, explosive big who is a massive standout in the modality. For comparison, he is<\/a> the No. 1 3×3 player in Germany, the No. 1 U-23 Men\u2019s player, and the No. 8 player in the world. Meanwhile, Ogunniyi is<\/a> the No. 9 player in Germany, the No. 14 U-23 Men\u2019s player, and the No. 139 player in the world.<\/p>\n

Giessmann\u2019s first-ever 5×5 game came in the EuroCup for Hamburg Towers in January 2025. He ended up averaging<\/a> 2.4 PTS, 1.9 REB, 0 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.1 BLK in 8 Bundesliga games. As a whole, he played<\/a> in 20 total games and seemingly planned to leave when 3×3 season kicked off again. That was a higher level than NJCAA\u2026<\/p>\n

Other names that come to mind for me are Anton Bonke and Naheem McLeod. Bonke is someone I\u2019ve profiled<\/a> recently, and he\u2019s a different type of player, so it\u2019s more about the late start, JUCO experience, and eventual D-I move.<\/p>\n

McLeod also played JUCO basketball, put up fairly modest stats at Chipola College, and then became a rotation big at Florida State and Syracuse (averaged<\/a> 3.7 PTS, 2.6 REB, 1.0 BLK in 11.4 MINS over his four D-I seasons).<\/p>\n

The thing that gives me the most pause about Ogunniyi is that I\u2019m still not really sure what he\u2019s good at. He moves around well but not excellently, and he\u2019s an interesting athlete but not an overly functional one at this stage. Then, the German prospect lacks a clear go-to skill on both ends of the floor. Finally, and maybe most importantly, Ogunniyi has to \u201clearn\u201d 5×5 in a way.<\/p>\n

A worst-case scenario here, and perhaps a very realistic one, is simply that Ogunniyi does not work out. He cannot improve his warts quickly enough and he cannot transition from 3×3 to 5×5. I could be wrong, but it seems like this is Ogunniyi\u2019s first ever 5×5 experience (or, if not, his first at a significant level).<\/p>\n

In this outcome, he\u2019d probably leave Weatherford and continue his 3×3 career in Germany. That is probably the \u201cworst case\u201d for the Texas school, but it may be what Ogunniyi was set to do before this opportunity came up anyway.<\/p>\n

If so, it looks like Ogunniyi was on his way to fairly decent success. He was in Germany\u2019s thoughts<\/a> for this year\u2019s 3×3 World Cup and has long been a part of their 3×3 structure. The new Weatherford prospect has a goal<\/a> of playing in the 2028 Olympics.<\/p>\n

Ogunniyi\u2019s decision to leave Germany and join Weatherford comes as the school seemingly goes through some significant changes that will affect its basketball program.<\/p>\n

John Putyrski was hired<\/a> as Weatherford\u2019s new coach on April 29 after most recently serving as the head coach of BKM Lu\u010denec<\/a> in Slovakia. Before that, he coached Florida State College at the NJCAA level and had D-I experience as an assistant coach at UT Arlington and various roles at Illinois State.<\/p>\n

Putyrski\u2019s hiring was preceded by broader athletics-related changes at Weatherford. Jeff Lightfoot, Weatherford\u2019s former baseball coach, became<\/a> the school\u2019s athletic director last May.<\/p>\n

Starting this year, it seems like Weatherford will also be allocating a lot more money towards basketball. The school\u2019s proposed 2026-27 budget<\/a> sets the men\u2019s basketball budget at $447,840, which is way up (+$298,370) from $149,470 in the 2025-26 fiscal year\u2019s amended budget.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that most of this uptick comes from two areas. The \u201cAdmin\/Professional Salaries\u201d budget would rise from $12,000 to $94,950 (+82,950). Another $190,000 would go towards capital equipment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

.(Women\u2019s basketball would also see a +$143,143 boost compared to last year, including a $190,000 equipment budget. However, its non-capital equipment, group insurance, retirement matching, stipends, and admin\/professional salaries would go down.)<\/p>\n

In June, Lightfoot announced<\/a> a new partnership with Nike and BSN Sports, calling the deal \u201cone that you would typically see at the NCAA D1 level.\u201d He said that \u201cbeing a Nike school gives us a distinct recruiting advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to be sure from the outside, but to me, it looks like this is starting to pay off – not just with Ogunniyi, but with some of Weatherford\u2019s other recent signings:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Truth be told, I became aware of Ogunniyi through Ndao, who I\u2019ve had my eye on since last February<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I may have overestimated Ndao as a high-major recruit then (though he received interest from Arizona State and Houston), which has helped me recalibrate my scouting process, but I have no doubt that he can be a valuable D-I player still.<\/p>\n

Since last year, the Qatari prospect moved to Bella Vista Prep (Arizona) from Legacy the School of Sport Sciences (Spring, TX, USA) and played EYBL Scholastic. In 18 EYBL Scholastic games (10.4 MINS), he averaged 4.0 PTS, 2.1 REB (0.7o), 0.9 AST to 0.9 TOV, 0.6 STL, 0.4 BLK and 1.3 PF on 54.8 FG% \/ 79.2 2P% \/ 22.2 3P% \/ 88.0 FT% shooting splits.<\/p>\n

Said<\/a> recently that he has gone through injuries and was at the end of the bench at Bella Vista. Still, Bella Vista won the EYBL Scholastic<\/a> and the Chipotle Nationals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He was announced<\/a> by UIC in May, which would\u2019ve landed Ndao at a nice spot in the Missouri Valley Conference, but he decommitted<\/a> in July and reopened his recruitment. Weatherford announced<\/a> his signing on August 14. This is a chance for him to break back out and get a D-I move.<\/p>\n

In 4 games (36.7 MINS) at the 2024 FIBA U18 Asia Cup, Ndao averaged<\/a> 22.0 PTS, 11.5 REB, 2.5 AST to 4.5 TOV, 1.8 STL, 3.5 BLK and 3.0 PF on 40.3 FG% \/ 56.8 2P% \/ 14.3 3P% \/ 61.9 FT% shooting splits. In 7 games (35.6 MINS) at the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship, he averaged<\/a> 26.0 PTS, 13.0 REB, 3.3 AST to 4.0 TOV, 1.6 STL, 2.7 BLK and 2.9 PF on 54.6 FG% \/ 67.9 2P% \/ 29.3 3P% \/ 58.8 FT% shooting splits.<\/p>\n

Played basketball in Qatar for Al Ahli. In 8 games (34.5 MINS) in the 2023-24 season, he averaged<\/a> 15.6 PTS, 7.3 REB (1.9o), 4.3 AST to 3.4 TOV, 1.5 STL, 0.8 BLK, 2.0 PF on 49.4 FG% \/ 57.8 2P% \/ 40.5 3P% \/ 75.9 FT% shooting splits.<\/p>\n

Ndao made his senior national team debut with Qatar in 2023 at 15 y\/o and played again with them in 2024. He participated in the 2024 Basketball Without Borders Asia camp, where he was named<\/a> a Camp All-Star.<\/p>\n

\"Basketball'sBasketball’s future, the Middle East, and why I’m scouting Qatar’s Mohamed Ndao<\/a><\/p>\n

Announced<\/a> on June 24. Developed<\/a> with Cedevita Olimpija in Slovenia. Appeared to move<\/a> to Slovan in 2024. In 2025-26 season, moved to the US and played<\/a> for Lee Academy in Maine. Winning record so far in his career. Won bronze in 2024 at the U-18 level, bronze in 2025 at the U-19 World Cup, and gold in 2026 at the U-20 EuroBasket.<\/p>\n

In 7 games (19.0 MINS) at the 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket, averaged<\/a> 3.4 PTS, 1.1 REB (0.6o), 1.1 AST to 0.3 TOV, 0.4 STL, 0.0 BLK, 1.9 PF on 29.6 FG% \/ 28.6 2P% \/ 30.0 3P% \/ 100.0 FT% shooting splits.<\/p>\n

In 7 games (12.4 MINS) at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, averaged<\/a> 3.1 PTS, 1.1 REB (0.4o), 0.4 AST to 0.6 TOV, 0.3 STL, 0.1 BLK and 2.3 PF on 26.1 FG% \/ 66.7 2P% \/ 20.0 3P% \/ 100.0 FT% shooting splits.<\/p>\n

In 7 games (20.2 MINS) at the 2026 FIBA U20 EuroBasket, averaged<\/a> 6.1 PTS, 1.4 REB (0.6o), 1.9 AST to 1.0 TOV, 0.7 STL, 0.0 BLK and 2.3 PF on 40.0 FG% \/ 62.5 2P% \/ 33.3 3P% \/ 75.0 FT% shooting splits.<\/p>\n

Also has some 3×3 experience<\/a>, including when he represented Slovenia at the 2024 3×3 U-18 World Cup.<\/p>\n

I think he\u2019ll be asked to act as a tablesetter and POA defender for Weatherford.<\/p>\n

Announced<\/a> on June 19. Listed at 6-foot-10. Date of birth is<\/a> March 2, 2007. Was part of the Canterbury School development system in Gran Canaria as of the 2020-21 season, according to Spanish basketball federation records.<\/p>\n

In 4 games (20.4 MINS) at the 2021 Spanish Under-14 Club Championship, averaged<\/a> 15.5 PTS, 12.3 REB (5.8o), 1.0 AST to 3.5 TOV, 1.5 STL, 1.3 BLK, 0.5 PF on 58.0 FG% \/ 59.2 2P% \/ 0.0 3P% \/ 40.0 FT% shooting splits. Also played up two age groups with Canterbury\u2019s U-16 team that season. In 6 games (9.9 MINS), averaged<\/a> 2.8 PTS, 4.3 REB (1.8o), 0.3 AST to 0.3 TOV, 0.0 STL, 0.3 BLK and 0.7 PF on 38.9 FG% \/ 38.9 2P% \/ 0.0 3P% \/ 42.9 FT% shooting splits. Was still<\/a> with Canterbury in the 2021-22 season.<\/p>\n

In the 2022-23 season, over 4 games (37.9 MINS) at the U-16 Club Championship, averaged<\/a> 15.3 PTS, 15.8 REB (5.3o), 1.3 AST to 3.3 TOV, 1.5 STL, 0.5 BLK, 2.3 PF on 60.0 FG% \/ 57.9 2P% \/ 100.0 3P% (2\/2) \/ 78.6 FT% (11\/14) shooting splits.<\/p>\n

In the 2023-24 season, moved up to Canterbury\u2019s U-18 team. In 3 games (31.1 MINS) at the 2024 Spanish U-18 Club Championship, averaged<\/a> 6.3 PTS, 9.3 REB (4.7o), 0.7 AST to 2.3 TOV, 1.3 STL, 0.0 BLK and 1.7 PF on 29.6 FG% \/ 32.0 2P% \/ 0.0 3P% \/ 60.0 FT% shooting splits.<\/p>\n

Moved to the US for the 2025-26 season and played<\/a> for St. Benedict\u2019s Prep<\/a> (New Jersey). Appeared<\/a> to be the team\u2019s starting center by February and received<\/a> an all-conference honorable mention.<\/p>\n

I expect him to be asked to dominate the glass and improve as a shotblocker.<\/p>\n

Announced<\/a> June 22. Two-sport athlete in high school as he also played wide receiver for the football team. Committed to UW-Milwaukee<\/a> for his freshman year of college but never appeared in a game.<\/p>\n

Transferred to North Iowa CC for the 2025-26 season, his real freshman year. In 27 games (12.9 MINS), averaged<\/a> 13.4 PTS, 4.1 REB (0.3), 2.4 AST to 2.0 TOV, 0.7 STL, 0.1 BLK, 1.9 PF on 44.1 FG% \/ 48.0 2P% \/ 36.9 3P% (3.1 3PA) \/ 84.8 FT% shooting splits. Had 145 FTA vs. 236 FGas (on a low 348 minutes), which gave him a 61.4 FTr.<\/p>\n

Given his numbers, he profiles as a low-friction player who can produce on low minutes while being a reliable outside shooter and getting to the line, where he\u2019ll drill his free throws.<\/p>\n