Olumuyiwa "Olu" Famutimi (born February 21, 1984) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He played college basketball for Arkansas.

Olu Famutimi
Famutimi in 2017
No. 3 – Scarborough Shooting Stars
PositionSmall forward
LeagueCEBL
Personal information
Born (1984-02-21) February 21, 1984 (age 40)
Toronto, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorthwestern (Flint, Michigan)
CollegeArkansas (2003–2005)
NBA draft2005: undrafted
Playing career2005–present
Career history
2005–2007Arkansas RimRockers
2007–2009Khimik Yuzhne
2009–2010Oyak Renault
2010Paris-Levallois Basket
2010–2011Düsseldorf Giants
2011–2012TED Ankara Kolejliler
2012Al-Manama
2013–2014Halifax Rainmen
2014–2015Island Storm
2016Saint John Mill Rats
2016Quilmes de Mar del Plata
2016–2018Saint John Riptide
2018–2019Cape Breton Highlanders
2019–2020KW Titans
2020–2021Guelph Nighthawks
2021Edmonton Stingers
2022-presentScarborough Shooting Stars
Career highlights and awards

Early life

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Famutimi is of Nigerian descent. He was first noticed in a high school game at Chaminade College School in Toronto, Ontario, in his freshman year. Less than a year later, he transferred to Flint Northwestern High School in Flint, Michigan. In Michigan, he played for the Flint Northwestern Wildcats and climbed the national ranks as the seventh best player in the country, according to ESPN.com. A career altering injury would change all of that, as he was ushered out of the limelight because of it.

Collegiate career

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Famutimi played two seasons at the University of Arkansas, where he earned All-Southeastern Conference Freshman honors. In 57 games with the Razorbacks, he averaged 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game. Against all odds, he declared early for the 2005 NBA draft and was not selected.

Professional career

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Famutimi was invited to training camp with the Philadelphia 76ers and made appearances in four preseason games (4.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) before being waived. He played 47 games for the Arkansas RimRockers in 2005–06, and averaged 6.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game while shooting .513 (122–238) from the field. Famutimi signed with the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent in 2006, but was waived before the season started. He played in Turkey for two years and also played in France, Germany and Ukraine.

On December 17, 2013, Famutimi signed with the Halifax Rainmen of the NBL Canada. After a one-year stint with the Island Storm, Famutimi signed with the Saint John Mill Rats on March 14, 2016.[1]

On August 18, 2016, Famutimi signed with Quilmes de Mar del Plata of the Liga Nacional de Básquet.[2] In October 2016, he parted ways with Quilmes after appearing in ten games.[3]

On November 3, 2016, he signed with Saint John Riptide for the 2016–17 NBL Canada season.[4]

He played the 2019 CEBL season for the Guelph Nighthawks.[5] Famutimi joined the KW Titans in 2019.[6] Famutimi joined the Edmonton Stingers for the 2021–22 BCL Americas.[7]

On May 12, 2022, Famutimi signed with the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the CEBL.[8]

International career

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Famutimi plays internationally for the Canadian national team.

References

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  1. ^ "NBL Canada Transactions". NBLCanada.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ Olu Famutimi es el primer extranjero confirmado de Quilmes (in Spanish)
  3. ^ Cambio en Quilmes (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Riptide Sign Fan Favourite
  5. ^ "Guelph Nighthawks Name Inaugural Roster For 2019 Canadian Elite Basketball League Season". www.thenighthawks.ca. May 7, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  6. ^ Bryson, Mark (December 10, 2019). "Coach impressed with new-look Kitchener-Waterloo Titans". The Record. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  7. ^ "CEBL Announces Training Camp Roster Ahead Of Basketball Champions League Of Americas". Edmonton Stingers. November 29, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  8. ^ @scarboroughshootingstars (May 12, 2022). "Olu Famutimi / Forward". Retrieved May 24, 2022 – via Instagram.
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