By AARON BRACY
April 29, 2024
Big5Hoops.com
Saint Joseph’s received a commitment on Monday from Justice Ajogbor, whose game is big but whose inspiring story is bigger.
Ajogbor, who is transferring to Saint Joseph’s after four years at Harvard, grew up in Benin City, Nigeria. By the time he was 10 years old, both of his parents had died, his mom reportedly of a stroke and his father of reasons that have not been disclosed to him.
Soon after, he started to play basketball.
“Basketball changed my life,” he told Big5Hoops.
He learned the game in part by watching YouTube videos of fellow Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon as he grew into an intimidating presence like the former NBA standout for the Houston Rockets. As a teen, Ajogbor came to the United States and lived with Gina and Greg Bridgeford in Asheville, N.C., where he attended the Christ School before enrolling at Harvard in 2020. He will graduate from the esteemed Ivy League school in May with a degree in economics.
“Basketball connected me to the Bridgefords, who have become part of my life,” Ajogbor said. “Basketball took me to high school in North Carolina. Basketball took me to Harvard. And now it’s taking me to Saint Joseph’s. It’s taken me to meet some incredible people and get some incredible experiences.”
At Harvard last season, the 6-foot-10, 255-pound center was a menacing presence in the paint, averaging 8.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. He recorded 58 blocks in just 20 games, missing seven due to a hand injury. He shot 54.9 percent from the field while averaging 23.0 minutes.
“I play with a lot of heart,” he said, when asked to describe his game. “I try to leave it all on the floor. The reason I love blocking shots is it gives you a chance to be there for your teammates. Playing with composure and a lot of heart and trying my best to help the team win, that’s what I would say.”
Ajogbor chose Saint Joseph’s for several reasons, including their prospects for a successful 2024-25 season, the chemistry he had with returning players during his official visit two weeks ago and the culture and NBA experience of coach Billy Lange and his staff.
Lange’s six years on the 76ers bench played heavily into his decision to become a Hawk.
“It was really big for me to be around that caliber of coach,” he said. “It’s a really exciting opportunity. I can’t wait to get to St. Joe’s and get to work.”
Ajogbor, pronounced Ah-jah-Bo, has dreams of following other Nigerians to the NBA, like Al-Farouq Aminu and Victor Oladipo as two examples of players he has followed closely, in addition to Olajuwon.
“They have showed it is possible,” he said. “It is not a crazy idea.”
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Big5Hoops.com is his second website dedicated to Philadelphia college basketball. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages.