Dalhousie University men’s basketball coach Rick Plato is pleased to announce the addition of Xavier Ochu to the Tigers lineup.
Ochu comes to the Tigers after an impressive high school and club team career.
A 6’1 guard, Ochu graduated from South West Furfaro Academy, a prep school in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) last June. Their team captain, he averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game in the 2016-17 season. An OSBA second team all-star, Ochu finished the year in the league’s top 10 scorers and earned multiple tournament all-star and MVP nods during the season.
Prior to joining South West, Ochu played four years at Bishop Reding Catholic Secondary School. He averaged 27 points per game during the 2015-16 season and earned all-star status in four tournaments.
Ochu grew up playing in the Milton Stags Youth Basketball Club under the S-Elite banner. He played four seasons on the S-Elite team, where in 2015, they reeled off tournament championships that included the King James (Ohio - U16), the Hoop Group Jam Fest (NJ - U16) and were one of two Canadian teams to make an appearance in the Elite 8 at the Fab 48 (Las Vegas - U16). Last spring he joined the Northern Kings Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) boys basketball team, competing in the adidas Gauntlet tournament in Indiana and Atlanta.
Last spring he joined the Northern Kings Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) boys basketball team, competing in the Adidas Gauntlet tournament in Indiana and Atlanta.
"It is a privilege both athletically and academically to join the Tigers family,” says Ochu. “I have been a part of winning teams at all levels and my ultimate aspiration is to win a collegiate championship. I look forward to playing under the guidance of Coach Plato and to being a part of such a talented squad.”
A native of Milton, O.N., Ochu will begin his studies in Dalhousie’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in January.
"Xavier's addition to the lineup in the new year will make our backcourt one of the top in the nation,” says Plato. “He is a dynamic scorer whose ability to get to the basket and lead the fast break will provide us with more depth and versatility. Xavier is the ultimate team player who makes those around him better. We are counting on him to be a major contributor for the next five years.”
The Tigers are currently #9 in the U SPORTS Top 10 rankings with a 5-2 regular season record and are in pursuit of their fourth-consecutive AUS championship title. They are back in action at the end of December as hosts of the 26th annual Rod & Joan Shoveller Memorial Men’s Basketball Tournament.