Al-Farouq Aminu - basketball royalty
by Iwedi Ojimah 11 June 2012, 09:38
Among one of the pillars on which the Nigerian D ‘Tigers hope to lean on heavily in July at OQT in Venezuela will be the regal professional Al-Farouq Aminu.
Royal - because Aminu can trace his roots all the way back to that of a Nigerian King. His name means " the chief that has come"
Professional - because that’s what he is on the court, a NBA Hornet.
Hope - because nothing is etched in stone yet
A member of the 2008 McDonalds All American team he almost had his career derailed when he was found guilty of shooting a pedestrian with an Air gun and was subsequently put on probation. But that was a long time ago and he has since that idiotic prank, virtually reinvented himself.
Also American by birth , he is also the younger brother to the ex Georgia Teach star Alade who currently plays in France
Aminu opted to return home to West Africa and help Nigeria in her quest to obtain one of the three remaining spots for the London 2012 Olympics. At 6 ‘8 the small forward has an amazing 7-3 ¼ wingspan and could easily be played as a power forward.
So it’s interesting to see how the Nigerians will utilize him in a mere three weeks. Not that it matters because even as a water boy he will be a plus because of his focus.With an awesome work ethic Aminu is comfortable at both ends of the floor and if he could just sharpen his shooting a little more, would be an even more vicious weapon in the D' Tigers arsenal.
Nigeria has been grouped along with Lithuania and host Venezuela.
