(Editor’s note: Montana State University media release)
BOZEMAN – Montana State head men’s basketball coach Danny Sprinkle announced the addition of Amin Adamu to the Bobcat roster for the 2019-20 season on Friday, May 17.
Adamu is a 6-foot-4 guard who spent the 2018-19 season at Casper College in Casper, Wyo. He was a member of a Thunderbird team that went 32-3 and won its first NJCAA Region IX Championship in 23 years. Adamu played under coach Dan Russell who joined the Bobcat staff as an assistant on May 2.
The London, England, native played in 35 games and started in 34 for Casper College. Adamu averaged 15.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game during his sophomore season. He shot 58.7 percent from the field, including a 35.3 percent mark from beyond the 3-point line. Adamu scored in double digits in 28 games and recorded season highs of 28 points and 8 assists in a win over Miles City Community College on Dec. 6. He also recorded six assists in a game on three occasions.
“His relationship with coach Russell was huge and his relationship with coach (Chris) Haslam,” Sprinkle said of Adamu joining the Bobcats. “He was a big part of Casper’s success getting to the national tournament and winning their league. The one thing Amin does is you don’t have to run a play for him and he has the ability to still score 15 points a game. He is super efficient and he does it with his energy and effort.”
Adamu played for the Barking Abbey Basketball Academy in London before traveling overseas to play collegiately. He spent his first season of collegiate eligibility at Western Wyoming Community College. He played in 26 games as a freshman for the Mustangs and averaged 19 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
“He’ll be one of the top athletes in the Big Sky,” Sprinkle said. “He can really get the ball to the rim in a hurry. When he takes off, there’s not too many people that can go up with him. He’s skilled enough to where he can jump stop and kick it out to shooters.
“I think he’s really going to make life easier for Harald, Ladan and some of our other shooters. I think that’s the one thing we really needed in this class. A dynamic athlete that can get his own and get the ball to the rim.”
Montana State’s 2019-20 class now includes Adamu, Caleb Bellach (Fr./Manhattan, Mont.), Jubrile Belo (Jr./London, England), Xavier Bishop (Sr./Sprinfield, Ill.), Finn Fleute (Fr./Essen, Germany), Zach Hobbs (Fr./Mesa, Ariz.) and Mychael Paulo (Jr./Toronto, Ontario).
The Bobcats return five players in Harald Frey (Sr./Oslo, Norway), Quentin Guliford (So./Peoria, Ariz.), Devin Kirby (Chandler, Ariz.), Zeke Quinlan (So./Portland, Ore.) and Ladan Ricketts (Sr./Livingston, Mont.) for next season.
