Kansas senior Ochai Agbaji’s life is the stuff of inspiring sports movies — the underdog that triumphs against all odds for the final victory.
As a high school senior, Agbaji was a formidable basketball player. Still, by the close of his high school year, he had not secured a scholarship offer from any elite university even though high school coaches throughout Kansas City sang his praises, according to The Kansas City Star.
In February, The University of Kansas called him to offer him a scholarship. Agbaji improved as an athlete, using the offseason to train in the gym, and he spent time practicing drills with NBA point guard Damian Lillard, according to BOTWC.
During the 2022 NCAA championship game, coach Bill Self put Agbaji into the match after KU center Udoka Azubuike injured his hand. Agbaji went on to lead his team to a 72-69 victory over North Carolina.
“Everything he went through, everything he sacrificed,” his dad, Olofu, said, according to The Kansas City Star. “This is why he did it. This is why he came back. He came back to do this.”
“You’re a champion! You’re a champion!” his father shouted as Agbaji made his way to him.
His mother lovingly cupped her son’s face as he became overwhelmed with emotion.
“They’re the ones who know everything I’ve gone through. They know the path it’s taken for me to get to this point. Just to share that moment with them, man, that was special,” Agbaji said, BOTWC reports.
Previous KU point guard Devon Dotson told the Star that seeing his “growth” and “development” is “amazing.”
“I didn’t see this happening, honestly. I mean, you knew, from seeing him in practice freshman year, the potential. But no, I didn’t know he’d reach this level,” Dotson said, according to the Star.
As Agbaji held up the trophy, Self said Agbaji was the program’s most accomplished player since Danny Manning.
