Ose Okojie's 2024-25 college basketball season came to an end when the Howard Bison guard suffered a concussion during a game against the Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers in November 2024.
The Canadian senior got another chance to face the same UMBC team on a far bigger stage Tuesday — and made the most of the opportunity.
Okojie scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Washington school to its first-ever NCAA men's tournament win, an 86-83 triumph over UMBC in a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio.
"It's a full-circle moment," Bryce Harris, Okojie's teammate, told reporters.
After losing March Madness games to Kansas and Wagner in his first two years, the native of Brampton, Ont. was a huge part of a milestone victory.
Okojie played most of the final 13 minutes with four fouls.
"My teammates need me," Okojie said of playing with foul trouble. "The younger guys need me. So to be solid and play those 12 minutes with not fouling is discipline, truly discipline, and trusting in my abilities."
Okojie had a much-improved 10.8-points-per-game scoring average for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions this season, up from 4.7 in his shortened 2024-25 season and 4.0 in a 2023-24 season that also was disrupted by a head injury. He shot 56.8 per cent from the field this year.
"It's kind of surreal," Okojie said. "You kind of watched this tournament as a kid, and you're like, I always imagined I'd be here, but to win a game is crazy. I'm truly blessed."
Now, Okojie gets a chance to play close to home.
Howard heads to Buffalo to face the Midwest Region's top-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Thursday night.
The Buffalo four-pack Thursday includes several other key players playing close to home, including Hamilton's Josh Omojafo of South Florida (versus Louisville) and Ishan Sharma of Milton, Ont., with his Saint Louis Billikens against Georgia.
