Kelvin Nosa JR Amayo[1] (born January 9, 1992) is a Nigerian-Canadian basketball player for the Rivers Hoopers of the Nigerian Premier League (NPL) and Basketball Africa League (BAL).
| No. 1 – Rivers Hoopers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | NPL BAL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 9, 1992 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | Nigerian / Canadian[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Benedict's Preparatory School (Newark, New Jersey) |
| College | Marshall (2012–2013) Iona (2014–2016) Loyola Marymount (2016–2017) |
| Career history | |
| 2019 | Abkhazeti Tbilisi |
| 2019–2020 | Toofarghan Azarshahr |
| 2020–2021 | Chemidor Tehran |
| 2022 | Sanaye Hormozgan |
| 2023 | Stade Malien |
| 2024 | Rivers Hoopers |
| 2024 | Dynamo |
| 2024 | Al Ahli Tripoli |
| 2024–present | Rivers Hoopers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school and college career
editAmayo was born in Montreal, Canada, to Nigerian parents Faith and Charles Amayo.[2] Amayo played high school basketball with St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, where he averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists per game.[3] He transferred to NIA School, where he upped his statistics to 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game, while leading NIA to the nation's number 6 among United States prep schools.[3]
He enrolled in Marshall University in 2012, where he played for the Thundering Herd men's basketball team, appearing in three games before electing to transfer. He changed to Iona where he would sit out the 2013–14 season due to transfer rules.[3] He played four games in his junior season before having a season-ending injury, causing him to miss the entire season, as well as the next 2015–16 season.[2]
Amayo then transferred to the Loyola Marymount University where he made his debut for the Lions in the 2016–17 season, averaging 4.7 points and 3.8 rebounds for the team.[2]
Professional career
editIn the 2019–20 season, Amayo was on the roster of Toofarghan Azarshahr of the Iranian Basketball Super League.[4] On October 27, 2020, Amayo signed a one-year contract with Chemidor Tehran.[5] In the 2021–22 season, he played with Sanaye Hormozgan.
Amayo played in the 2023 BAL season with Malian club Stade Malien. He helped the team finish in third place,
In March 2024, Amayo joined Nigerian club Rivers Hoopers for the 2024 BAL season.[6] The Hoopers finished in third place, the best result in team history.[7] Amayo was named to the All-BAL Second Team and the All-Defensive Second Team.[8]
In November 2024, he played for Al Ahli Tripoli in the Elite 16 of the 2025 BAL qualification, helping the team qualify.[9] The same month, Amayo returned to the Rivers Hoopers, and helped them win the Nigerian Premier League (NPL) title, by scoring 29 points in the championship game against Hoops & Read.[10][11] He was subsequently named the NPL Most Valuable Player.[10]
BAL career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Stade Malien | 8 | 4 | 26.3 | .385 | .143 | .278 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 7.4 |
| 2024 | Rivers Hoopers | 10 | 10 | 37.0 | .343 | .227 | .391 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 16.0 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Kelvin Nosa JR Amayo - Player Profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kelvin Amayo - Men's Basketball". Loyola Marymount University Athletics. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kelvin Amayo - Men's Basketball". Iona University Athletics. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Eurobasket. "Toofarghan Azarshahr basketball, News, Roster, Rumors, Stats, Awards, Transactions, Details-asia-basket". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Iranian Basketball Club Chemidor Signs Two Foreign Players - Sports news". Tasnim News Agency. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Edward, Johnny (4 March 2024). "Amayo joins Hoopers". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Rivers Hoopers finish third at 2024 BAL". The BAL. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ @thebal (5 June 2024). "The 2024 All-BAL Second Team!" – via Instagram.
- ^ "Murphy's 34 points send Al Ahli Tripoli to the 2025 BAL". www.fiba.basketball. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Rivers Hoopers are the 2024 Nigeria League champions". www.fiba.basketball. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "Basketball League Final 8: Kelvin Amayo Excited To Be Back With Rivers Hoopers". Basketball League Final 8: Kelvin Amayo Excited To Be Back With Rivers Hoopers. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "Kelvin Amayo Player Profile, Loyola Marymount - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved 22 June 2024.