Barking Abbey Alumni - Joe Ikhinmwin

Joe Ikhinmwin was part of the first recruiting class of Barking Abbey Basketball Academy in September 2006.  He went on to represent Great Britain at U20 level and was a successful player with the London Leopards before finishing his studies and securing a scholarship to the USA.

Three years after leaving Barking Abbey with a BTEC National Diploma in Business, we managed to catch up with Joe to find out how life has been for him in America and what his plans are for the future.

·  What have you been up to since leaving Barking Abbey?

Since I left Barking Abbey I have been living, playing and studying in Seminole, Oklahoma at Seminole State junior college. I left B.A three seasons ago and my first season in America was difficult, dealing with being away from home for so long, plus I managed to get injured while lifting weights which eventually stopped me from playing the whole season.

My second year was a lot better I was healthy and in shape thanks to a good summer of work-outs back home in England at Barking Abbey. I started all the games that season and averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds per game.  However, the season did not go as well as we expected, ending with a recorded of 16 wins and 15 losses.

This past summer I returned home to work out at Barking Abbey but also spent a month and a half in America at camps across the country preparing for this season.   
  • How is life in Seminole/USA?
Life in Seminole is good, it is different from London, a lot different, but its a real nice place to live with good people and a variety of thing to do and see. The first couple months where hard but once you settle in you really enjoy yourself meeting new people from all over the world.  
  • How does life in the American college system compare to Barking Abbey

 I think that Barking Abbey is a really good step before moving on to a U.S college. When I was at B.A I spent most of my day and night in the gym or weight room working out and at American colleges its exactly the same except the gym is a 5 minute walk from your dorm or apartment not a hour train or bus ride making it much easier to work out and not worry about what time your going to get home.

Social life on the other hand is a lot different living in dorms is not like living at home with your family, all the responsibility is on you to clean up, wash up and cook sometimes as well as living with a roommate that you have never met before. But it’s a great experience that I think really helps prepare you for life away from home.  
  • What are you plans for next year?

Next year I am going to be transferring to South Carolina State University, they are NCAA Division One  program in the MEAC conference, they came second in the conference last season and have started off real strong this season. I am really excited about having this opportunity to play for them.

joe_signs

Joe signs his letter of intent with SCSU

  • Tell us about your recruitment and why you choose South Carolina State

Recruitment is a bit of a rollercoaster there are so many things happening all at once, and it’s all crazy until you find that school that you know is where you should be. I spoke to a load of coach’s but Coach Carter (Head Coach of South Carolina State University) made it very easy for me to make this choice. I just got a good feeling when I spoke to him and members of the coaching staff and players. I visited the SCSU early in September and it was one of the best experiences.

I chose South Carolina State for a number of reasons:

  • It is a university that I would be able to make an immediate impact
  • It’s a good level for me to play and do well
  • I like the coaching staff and the players
  • It is a good academic university
  • Its in a great area

 

Everyone at Barking Abbey wishes Joe Iand his Seminole State Trojans all the best for the rest of the year and would like to thank him for taking the time to answer some questions for us.