Lehigh University Athletics
Ojo's Climb Up Lehigh's Mountain
2/27/2011 8:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations
Senior guard Michael Ojo has come a long way, both literally and figuratively. Not only did he come to Lehigh from southern California, but he has also come a long way from being a young and inexperienced freshman. Today, he is a senior captain, who has taken this year's Mountain Hawks on his shoulders in hopes of leading them to a second straight Patriot League Championship.
"Michael's growth and maturity has not only taken place on the court, but he's also blossomed into a very strong student for this university as well," said head coach Brett Reed. "This past semester, he accumulated a 3.60 GPA and was on the Dean's List and Faculty Athletics Council Honor Roll. For him to make that growth and development from someone who was trying to find his way in the classroom and on the court early in his career to now - being a strong student, strong leader and very strong contributor to the program - is an indication of his overall maturity and growth across the board."
A native of Santa Monica, California, Ojo enjoyed a stellar high school career for the highly-regarded Crossroads School, which has produced NBA talent such as Baron Davis and Austin Croshere. A three-time All-League selection, Ojo was playing in a tournament in North Carolina when he was spotted by Reed, who was associate head coach under Billy Taylor at the time.
"After a few meetings with Coach Reed and Coach Taylor, I felt like this would be a great place for me to come in and further my education while getting an opportunity to play NCAA basketball," said Ojo.
Reed saw a lot of things that he liked in Ojo and knew he'd be someone worth pursuing.
"I had identified him, evaluated him, and determined he was potentially a very good fit for our program [then] continued the communication to help him understand more about Lehigh," said Reed. "He had the ability to shoot the basketball well, his athleticism allowed him to penetrate and create off the dribble and he had a determination and a toughness about him that I could see translating to the defensive end of the floor."
The communication continued and it worked out for both sides, so Ojo traveled cross country to begin his collegiate career. Despite owning superb talent, the initial transition to the college game wasn't the smoothest.
"I was coming from pretty much being `the guy' in high school and I had to learn that I wasn't going to come in and instantly contribute like everybody hopes," said Ojo. "That definitely humbled me. I learned that I really have to focus on the little things to break through."
"Michael entered our program with a great deal of physical talent, yet his understanding of the game and his attention to detail were a little bit lower than what we needed," said Reed. "He had his share of freshman struggles where he showed talent, but it wasn't necessarily refined in the right areas. Then as he continued to progress, he started to figure it out and he made the transition from his former high school habits to the intensity and determination of Division I basketball."
Ojo only appeared in six games as a freshman before sitting out the final 13 games of the season due to injury. He continued to persevere, however, playing in 25 games as a sophomore, including his first-career start on Feb. 7 vs. American. He finished that season averaging 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
It was last season - his junior year - which truly served as his coming out party. After two years of waiting in the wings, he got his chance to contribute and didn't disappoint, playing in all 33 games while averaging 6.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
"Michael started to show growth and development as a sophomore, but really blossomed as a junior," said Reed. "He took a role on our team - although his talent could have potentially put him in the starting lineup - to come off the bench as a sixth man to provide energy and a defensive spark."
Ojo was a key piece of the program's most successful season to date. He helped lead the Mountain Hawks to their most wins in school history (22) along with their second Patriot League Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament where they played neck-and-neck with No. 1 overall seed Kansas.
"I worked hard for [the opportunity], so once I broke through, there was nothing going to stop me and my team from getting to our ultimate goal which was the NCAA Tournament," said Ojo. "I wanted to come out and play as hard as I could and do whatever my team needed me to do to get us wins."
That brings us to the 2010-11 edition of the Mountain Hawks, which is much younger due to the loss of starting seniors Marquis Hall, Zahir Carrington and Dave Buchberger. It was evident that Ojo would need to take more of a leadership role with this squad, which normally has three sophomores and a freshman alongside him in the starting lineup.
One of three captains along with senior Rob Keefer and sophomore C.J. McCollum, Ojo's leadership shows how far he's truly come since his first workout.
"For him to be named a captain is a true testament to his maturity, his outlook and his approach to not only his academics, but also his basketball pursuits," said Reed.
"With a young team, the main thing we're trying to emphasize right now is focus," said Ojo. "Coach Reed and the rest of the coaching staff have definitely helped me become a better leader. I'm really just trying to inspire the guys to continue to work hard throughout whatever difficulties we run into."
"His contributions off the floor are to bring maturity to a relatively young team," said Reed. "...to apply the lessons that he's learned through the course of his career and have a voice that resonates with the team. As he approaches basketball and his academics with a mature perspective, he can provide guidance and leadership to others."
Ojo has made his impact on the floor with his play and off the floor with his leadership. He has continued to raise his scoring average since his freshman year to today, where he has easily averaged double figures. Two standout games have come at NJIT, where he posted a career-high 33 points, and at Monmouth, where he went off for 23. He has proved big in the clutch as well, hitting some crucial late-game three-pointers in wins against Stony Brook, Navy and Holy Cross, among others.
But perhaps his most memorable game this season came on Dec. 23 at USC, where the Mountain Hawks faced the Trojans only minutes from Ojo's home.
"That was a good experience because I wanted to get home at least once, so my family and friends could see me play at the college level," said Ojo. "Being able to see games comes few and far between."
Looking back, it's no surprise that Ojo has developed into one of the team's top performers. A strong work ethic, dedication and hard work, have been the primary reasons for his continued improvement.
"If there's a challenge in front of me, the last thing I'm going to do is back down," said Ojo. "I'm going to do whatever I can to overcome it.
"I didn't even go home last summer," continued Ojo. "I was in New York with Prentice [Small]. We were working out on a daily basis, pretty much six days a week, and even on Sundays, we would just go shoot."
Reed points out the same thing.
"Michael was always a determined player," he said. "While he wasn't playing, he spent extra time in the gym working on his skills - time alone in Grace Hall getting shots up when it wasn't required of him. Because of that, he's been able to continue to develop those skills.
"Plus, throughout the course of his career while he was young, he continued to listen and learn and try to get better and try to improve," continued Reed. "His ability to take information and apply it to his game has really allowed him to blossom."
Should the Mountain Hawks find a way to win their second straight Patriot League title, Ojo's impact off the floor can't be discounted.
"We haven't had the greatest season, but as competitors, we're definitely not willing to settle; we're not going to fold," said Ojo. "The Patriot League is very tight. We've lost a lot of tight games. We're really that close. I feel if people are underestimating us, they'll be sorely disappointed by the outcome at the end of this season."
This story appears in the Patriot League Tournament program, which will be available for purchase at host sites for both the men and women's tournaments.
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