KENNESAW, Ga. - After transferring from Temple following his sophomore year,
Quincy Ademokoya was a strong player for the Owls off the bench in his first season in the Black and Gold during the team's run to the NCAA Tournament. However, looking into his senior year, "Q" is taking a step up not just as a player, but also as a leader.
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In the 2022-23 season, Ademokoya saw action in 33 out of 35 games, picking up one start. During those games, he averaged 4.4 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, and 14.7 minutes per game. This production left Ademokoya hungry for more. As a player, he knew that his time would come, but that did not stop him from striving this offseason to earn himself a bigger role on the team.
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For some athletes, at the beginning of each season, they will set their minds on personal accolades and personal achievements. In contrast, Ademokoya prioritizes team success rather than individual. He believes that his emphasis on team performance is reflected in how much work and effort he puts into his game.
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"Personally, I just want to go out there and get as many wins as possible. Play my role, perfect my role."
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When it comes to the type of role that he will be playing for the team this year, Ademokoya just wants to be the best version of himself. This season he hopes to find his identity in his 3-point shooting ability.
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"I'm a shooter at heart…seeing the ball go through the hoop is always fun."
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His offensive production is not the only part of his game that Ademokoya takes pride in. He wants to establish himself as a strong defensive presence for the Owls both on the perimeter and in the paint.
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As a basketball player with aspirations of making it to the NBA one day, Ademokoya has developed a mentality to reflect this dedication. This mentality is comparable to one NBA legend he believes his game reflects most, Kobe Bryant.
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"I'm in the gym as much as I can. I work until exhaustion," said Ademokoya when asked about his personal Mamba Mentality. "I want to make sure I'm ready and I don't let my teammates down."
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The amount of effort and attention that Ademokoya puts into his game is something that has not gone unnoticed. Head coach
Antoine Pettway has nothing but respect and adoration for the kind of player and person he is developing into.
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"Quincy deserves success, he works so hard," Pettway said. "And I tell him all the time, 'You should be the most confident being in the gym because you work so hard every single day.' Work breeds confidence."
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This offseason, the Owls saw many key players depart from KSU, and the preseason coaches poll projected the reigning Atlantic Sun Champions to finish in fourth place this season. According to Ademokoya, this did not change the team's mentality going into this season.
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"We just have to stay level-headed. Be the best version of ourselves every single day," Ademokoya said. "I feel like that version of ourselves is going to get us a long way into the season."
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Through the first seven games of the season, Ademokoya has lived up to his promise of stepping up the lever of his play. He's currently averaging a career-high 10.3 points per game, which ranks him fourth overall the squad despite coming off the bench. Ademokoya already has posted double-figures in scoring four times this season, and scored a career-high 16 points in the Owls' first-ever win over Georgia Southern on Nov. 19.