Prospect Introduction: Andrew Akuchie (2022)
Akuchie. If you have been following the St. Thomas Aquinas athletic program in recent years, it is a name you might be familiar with. Matthew Akuchie is a freshman wide reciever at Florida Atlantic University. Michael Akuchie was a four-year…
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Continue ReadingAkuchie.
If you have been following the St. Thomas Aquinas athletic program in recent years, it is a name you might be familiar with.
Matthew Akuchie is a freshman wide reciever at Florida Atlantic University.
Michael Akuchie was a four-year letter winner for the Raiders basketball team and is currently a junior at Youngstown State.
As for Andrew?
Well, he still has a few years to go…
However, the athletic pedigree looks to be in him as well. Akuchie appears to be next in-line to carry the history of family success at the private, Roman Catholic high school.
I started playing in second grade just watching my brothers go to practice,” said Andrew. “That kind of put me on it watching them play basketball.”
Currently, Andrew is a six-foot-eight, 185-pound sophomore on the Raiders varsity basketball team. Akuchie has the length and size to develop into a college athlete like his brothers before him. The younger credits them with helping him develop.
“It has given me experience on my journey for myself,” said Akuchie. It is helpful having them because they have given me guidance on the way through my own game.”
Akuchie is one of a handful of frontcourt players looking to help coach Ed Nelson in his first year at his alma-mater. Akuchie has been working in practice with fellow sophomore Jack McDevitt, junior Mike Metzger, and Logan Lord. With his long wingspan, Akuchie looks extremely disruptive around the rim in offensive and defensive sets. Quite frankly, his frame is something you can’t teach.
“I think I have a very versatile game,” said Akuchie. “I think I can shoot, rebound, and drive to the basket to get a dunk when I need too.”
Being only a sophomore, Akuchie is still in the beginning stages of filling out his body. When he adds more size it is only a matter of time before he takes his game to the next level. Akuchie has been putting in quality repetitions in practice as one of the younger players on the team.
“I have been trying to handle the ball more and bring it down the court,” said Akuchie. “I want to get better at starting the offense. I am also trying to work on my post-game so if there is a mismatch that I can take advantage of it.”
While having a pair of brothers has been beneficial, it also doesn’t hurt Akuchie has a coach with a lengthy basketball background. At six-foot-eight himself, Nelson played collegiately at Georgia Tech and UConn while playing professionally overseas. Akuchie is hoping under Nelson’s tutelage he can land an offer in the future.
“It has been great playing for coach because he has all that experience from his days of playing,” said Akuchie. “He really brings that to the table for not only myself but for our team.”
Like Akuchie, expectations for Nelsons’ Raiders are high. The team held an exciting blue-and-gold game for parents and appears to be hungry as a group in practice to prove they belong with some of the big boy programs in the area. The Raiders lone state championship came during Nelson’s playing days in 2001, something Andrew is hoping to repeat in his time at Aquinas.
If that were to happen in the future, the Akuchie legacy at Aquinas will be set in stone. Starting with his brothers, Andrew will look to finish the tradition they started before him. It will also mark the beginning of a new era for the basketball program seeking glory from years past. Akuchie appears to be up for the challenge.