Ovie Soko is a British, offensive-minded, professional basketball player born in Worcester Park, London.
Aged 30 and standing at six foot seven, the small forward currently plays for Le Mans Sarthe of the LNB Pro A League in France having joined the roster in 2020.
Soko is the definition of a journeyman having also played for Trikala Aries in Greece, New Basket Brindisi in Italy, UCAM Murcia CB of Murcia, Spain and London Lions of the BBL.
Where It All Began
Soko was keen to make it to the big leagues from a young age, taking the American route through high school, attending Bethel in Hampton before moving on to Hampton Roads Academy in Newport News, both situated in the state of Virginia.
He naturally took the next step-up and joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) during the years of 2009 through to 2012, before transferring to Duquesne College for the 2013-14 season, in what would be his senior academic year.
In 2014, Soko declared himself for the NBA Draft with the hope of a chance in the NBA, however over the two round system the small forward went un-drafted. This didn’t halt Soko who went on to start his professional basketball career in August of the same year, signing for Boulazac Dordogne of the LNB Pro B, France (at the time, the side now compete in the LNB Pro A).
Time At The London Lions
Soko agreed a deal to sign for London Lions on the 20th November 2019. During his spell at the Lions he averaged 19.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and two assists per game whilst shooting 12.5 percent from the three point line.
Whilst clearly delivering from a stats perspective, Soko was having problems behind the scenes and became unhappy with his career progress.
Looking back on his time with London Lions in the BBL he told Hoops Fix,
“The level was clearly not the level I had been playing at previously and that meant I wasn’t necessarily getting fulfilment out of competing at the high level that had really pushed me and challenge me mentally before hand”.
The general feeling about his time at the Lions was that he couldn’t improve his game due to a lack of competitive edge amongst colleagues in the British Basketball League. A lack of motivation to step on the court and deliver in practise left Soko feeling like he was stagnating.
The player went on to say,
“I wasn’t moving forward in something I had put a lot of time and effort into. It left me maybe not enjoying off the court stuff as much as I really should have at times also”.
Move To French Club, Le Mans Sarthe
On the 9th July 2020, Ovie Soko made the decision to sign for French club, Le Mans, of the LNB Pro A League.
His decision to sign a one year deal with the club was based on his willingness to win and spurred on by his recent experiences with Team GB and an intense feeling towards basketball.
On how basketball has been for him at Le Mans, Soko told Sky Sports,
“My first thought was ‘oh man, I really missed this’. It almost sent a jolt through my body. Playing against guys that are playing at a high level held me accountable just by their skill levels, I really enjoyed it and it gave me a real boost. That was a big moment for me this year”.
It is evident of Soko’s delight towards the challenging level he is now playing at in the LNB Pro A and something that he craved during his time in the British Basketball League.
Why Does Ovie Expect So Much From Himself?
It’s clear to see Soko’s talent, but the level he requires from himself and the players around him stems from his time back in high school and college in the USA.
Whilst at Bethel High School in Virginia, Soko averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, four assists and one block per game, then at Hampton Roads Academy his stats further increased, averaging 17.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
From these stats, it is apparent of his overall improvement through rebounding, points and blocks during the high school years.
It was his experience and improvement at University, however, that propelled him to the heights he is currently at.
In his freshman season at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Soko featured featured 28 times with six starts, averaging just 10.4 minutes per game (1.5 points and 1.9 rebounds), which is understandable for a freshman.
In his sophomore year, he played in 30 games with 29 starts being one of UAB’s most improved players, averaging 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
He ranked second on the team with regard to rebounding, field goal percentage (0.505%) and blocked shots (26), ending the year by averaging 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 59 percent from the floor, during the Blazer’s final eight games.
Further experiences at Duquesne Dukes took him to another level. Ovie Soko started in all 30 games for Duquesne averaging a team high 18.4 points and eight rebounds per game. He also became the first player since Bryant McAllister (19.7 points per game in 2006) and seventh player in Duquesne history to lead the Atlantic 10 in scoring.
Image Credit: ‘Ovie Soko’ – HoopsFix.com
Stats courtesy of: SkySports.com, HoopsFix.com & ProBallers.com
