Valparaiso lands Jubril Adekoya to Class of 2013
By Joe Henricksen For Sun-Times Media June 20, 2012 11:16PM
Andrew's Jabril Adekoya drives the lane against Thornwood's Laron Williams. | Allen Cunningham~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: July 23, 2012 7:21AM
Jubril Adekoya was so eager to commit to Valparaiso, he apparently forgot to tell his parents.
The 6-foot-6 forward and senior-to-be at Andrew High School in Tinley Park, Ill., became the fourth Class of 2013 catch for Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew.
Early Wednesday morning, a reporter surprised Adekoya’s parents with the news. But Adekoya took the blame when it came to the miscommunication with his parents about his commitment.
“They knew I wanted to go to Valpo, that I wanted to commit,” he said. “But I jumped the gun. It was totally my fault and I take responsibility for doing that. They just wanted to sit down and talk about it a little more, to be sure of my decision. But I am committed to Valpo. That’s where I want to go, where I want to be.”
Adekoya cited several factors in his decision to choose Valparaiso over other mid-major programs that were courting him. A big one was his relationship with the coaching staff.
“Both Coach Drew and Coach (Roger) Powell are young, energetic coaches who I really got along with and who I could see myself playing for,” Adekoya said. “I can see myself there, playing for them, over my four years of college.
“Plus, the playing situation is going to be there. I think there is a chance and an opportunity for me to play there early in my career if I take care of things on my end, keep working hard and improving.”
Adekoya is a big recruit for Drew. He has been rated one of the top prospects in the Illinois Class of 2013 since the day he entered high school. The rugged but versatile power forward led Andrew to the most successful season in school history this past season, as the Thunderbirds went 24-3. He averaged 15.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Along the way, Adekoya set a single-season school record with 301 rebounds and a single game record of 21 rebounds in a win over Tinley Park.
Adekoya joins Andrean point guard Nick Davidson, Triton small forward Clay Yeo and Marist (Ill.) point guard Lexus Williams in a highly regarded — and largely local — incoming freshman class for the 2013-14 season. The Crusaders still have two unclaimed scholarships for that fall, which will also feature the on-court debuts of transfers Alex Rossi (a guard via California) and David Chadwick (a forward via Rice).
