1 hour ago
2
Tobe Awaka watches the confetti fall after Arizona's Elite Eight win over Purdue on March 28, 2026.
AP
INDIANAPOLIS — Tobe Awaka smiled as he recalled his journey — and just how far he has come in the last four years.
As a senior at Cardinal Hayes in The Bronx in 2022, he earned Catholic League and Gatorade New York Player of the Year honors. Yet he lacked a high-major scholarship offer.
“It means a lot. You look back at it, it’s kind of surreal,” the Arizona forward told The Post on Thursday inside Lucas Oil Stadium as the Wildcats prepared to face Michigan in the Final Four. “It’s a lot of hard work and staying consistent.”
The chiseled 6-foot-8 Awaka was a late bloomer. He didn’t start taking basketball seriously until high school. The COVID-19 pandemic ended his sophomore season early and cost him his junior season. There was one mid-major head coach from the area who saw Awaka at an open gym, and didn’t think he was good enough for his level.
English (US)