Pride of 2019: Ademola Afonja Concludes Stellar Collegiate Career
WESTON, Mass. – Over the next two weeks, GoRegisPride.com will be recounting 10 of the most memorable moments, events, and achievements from the Pride athletics department during 2019. Going in chronological order, the first spotlight falls on four-year men's basketball letter winner Ademola Afonja '19 as he concluded his record-setting collegiate career in February 2019.
Afonja, a native of Staten Island, N.Y., had already become the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, achieving that milestone earlier in the season. On Feb. 5, Afonja broke the Regis all-time rebounding record with the 651st rebound of his career.
In the season finale at University of St. Joseph Feb. 16, Afonja scored 19 points, becoming just the second player in Pride men's basketball history to reach 400 points in a single season and then setting the new single season scoring record, finishing with 416 points in 2018-19. That also put him second on the all-time scoring list with 1,294 points, averaging a program-best 13.9 points per game.
Over his four-year career, Afonja played in 93 games, including 66 starts, shooting a school-record 54.6 percent (528-of-967) from the field. He also finished with 666 career rebounds and 96 career blocked shots, both school records.
Afonja posted the second-highest single-game scoring total in Regis history with 32 points at Albertus Magnus Jan. 31, including tying his own school record with 13 made field goals. He reached double figures in scoring 21 times during the 2018-19 campaign, including 10 contests with 20 or more points.
After Afonja received Second Team All-GNAC honors for the second straight year, head men's basketball coach Nate Hager said, "Ademola's growth and ability to put others before himself have been very impressive. I would like to thank Ademola for his hard work and dedication to the program."
At the Athletics Awards Ceremony April 26, Afonja received the Regis-Casserly Award, the highest honor presented to a graduating student-athlete by the athletics department. He was recognized not only for his exemplary play on the basketball court, but also for several community service projects, especially those involving mentorship of his peers and children.
Afonja graduated from Regis College with his bachelor's degree in psychology. As of now, he is scheduled to return to Higgins Court to see his name added to the men's basketball 1,000-point banner during a halftime ceremony Saturday, Jan. 25, during the Pride's GNAC contest against Anna Maria set to start at 12 p.m.