Basketball With Ayo
PrepHoopsIllinois will have a regular journal with the state’s #1 2018 prospect Morgan Park’s Ayo Dosunmu where he directly reaches out to his fans and tells you what is going on both on and off the court. So without further ado here is Ayo!
Hello basketball world!
You’re entering Basketball with Ayo,
My name is Ayo Dosunmu, pronounced I-YO DOUGH-SUE-MOO. I am a junior at Morgan Park High School and I play for the Mac Irvin Fire AAU travel team. I had a great spring/summer 2016 playing on both the 16U and 17U team. I came into the season with one goal, domination. I had everything to prove. My talent has been overlooked and downplayed. I definitely played with a big chip on my shoulder. Do right and destroy everything was all that I thought when I stepped on that court.
I’ve been working really hard for all the great things that I have and those that have yet to come. My Pops always tells me, no matter what “Dude continue to work hard and your reward will come.” So that is exactly what I did. I received my first official offer after the spring session. I still felt some haters didn’t want to give me my props. After a tough game my mom told me “Baby be so great they can’t ignore you.” That was real talk and by the end of the summer more offers rolled in. I ended the AAU season with 12 offers and won Player of the Summer.
Before it all happened, Coach Nick Irvin tried to tell me what was coming my way. With all the advice he shared, I still wasn’t ready. I don’t think anyone can prepare for what I experienced. As nervous as it made me feel, it was one of the greatest feelings ever. My phone rang non-stop for five days straight. It was extremely exciting, but it got old quick. Not taking anything for granted, I am truly humbled and grateful. But let’s not forget I am a 16-year-old boy who just loves playing basketball. I was overwhelmed, but I made sure I spoke to everyone who reached out to me. No matter the school, my parents and I agreed to treat each and every coach, interest, and offer as if they were the only call I received. That kept things in perspective for me then and now.
During this summer I’ve taken unofficial visits to more than half of the schools that offered me a scholarship. Each visit was exciting and had different perks. I have not even begun to narrow down my list as it’s still too early. Right now I just want to focus on improving my game, the current high school season, and winning city and state.
I’ve learned a lot over the past 12 months and I think I’ve matured even more. Every minute of my day is filled between school, workouts, practice, homework, and sleep. Every now and then I may have an hour or two of down time and when I do you can usually find me in my room, blowing out one of my friends in 2k. I have very little time for a social life. I do not go out outside of the gym and I’m cool with that because I am focused on my goals. My motivation is to get better every day. To go harder than I did the day before and to always push myself. My motto: “Never settle, never be complacent.”
I have a big year ahead of me and I’m ready for the challenge. Charlie Moore handed me the torch and I don’t take that responsibility lightly. We have a great team this year. Our team motto is “We take what’s ours” and this year the city and state titles belong to Morgan Park because being a Mustang is the best thing.