University of Georgia Athletics
Ogbeide Not A Typical Freshman
October 07, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 7, 2015
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By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Derek Ogbeide thinks the longest he's ever lived in one place is three years, but he's not sure. That's understandable, actually. He's a college freshman that's already lived for significant stretches on three continents.
A big and powerful forward on the Georgia men's basketball team, Ogbeide (pronounced Aagh-BAY-DAY) arrived in Athens in June. If he stays four years, this could begin to feel like home.
"Having to move from place to place definitely matured me faster than most guys my age," Ogbeide said before Tuesday's practice, the Bulldogs' second of the preseason.
Georgia's summer prospectus lists him as being from Atlanta, which at the moment is true. But that doesn't tell the whole story -- not by a long shot.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Ogbeide's family moved to London when he was very young. Then came a move to Sweden, then Maryland, back to Nigeria, back to Maryland and then Toronto for a few years before arriving in Atlanta. London was his favorite, he said.
"There's no question he's had more life experiences," Georgia coach Mark Fox said. "He's a very intelligent kid -- education has always been important in their family -- so he's very bright, and because he's had to move some and change schools, he has a personality that allows him to adapt into different settings.
"He's made a fairly easy transition (to Georgia) and probably his history has allowed him to do that."
Listed at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds -- and he appears all of that and maybe more -- Ogbeide graduated last spring from Pebblebrook High School near Atlanta. As a senior he earned all-state honors after averaging 14.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game.
Ogbeide spent his last two years of high school at Pebblebrook. The first two were spent in Toronto, Canada.
"That was at a time when basketball in Toronto and Canada was up and coming, and I saw a lot of guys, like Andrew Wiggins," he said, referring to the Toronto-born Minnesota Timberwolves star, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft and last season's Rookie of the Year. "That's what really pushed me and encouraged me to want to do something."
Those life experiences that Fox spoke of, Ogbeide has them. He's seen many cultures and communities, speaks "five or six" languages, he said, and he can settle into a new place rather quickly, as he did college life in Athens.
"At times you can tell the difference," senior guard Charles Mann said. "At some events or some situations, you can kind of tell that he acts older than what he is. And then at times you can tell he's a freshman, which is what every kid goes through."
Now, a couple of days into preseason practice, which began Monday, Ogbeide is trying to settle into being one of the Bulldogs.
Of Ogbeide's size and physicality, Mann said: "He's a monster."
A big boy since he was born, Ogbeide and Fox credited Georgia's strength and conditioning program for helping him fill out and get stronger than he's ever been. Fox said Ogbeide's vertical leap is up four inches since he began summer workouts in June.
"He has a great body and he's very physical, but he's never really trained with elite coaching, and our strength people are terrific," Fox said. "I think the natural gifts that he has are only going to be accentuated by the terrific training our strength and conditioning people and Coach (Sean) Hayes provide."
The Bulldogs, who have posted back to back 20-win seasons, will need to new bodies down low after losing senior post starters Marcus Thornton and Nemanja Djurisic, who combined for 23.3 points and 12.5 rebounds a game.
Ogbeide said he'll do whatever's asked of him; he just wants to make a difference.
"I really want to be a great impacter, any way I can," he said. "No matter what I do, whether it's scoring or defending, I want to impact the game and help us win."
Fox said he expects Ogbeide to "compete for significant playing time," but it's still too early to know exactly what role Ogbeide will play this season.
"He'll play more at the 5 than he does at the 4, but those guys are pretty much interchangeable," Fox said. "When you go to the other (defensive) end, he'll probably match up more at the 5, because of his strength."
The Bulldogs will play their lone exhibition game on Nov. 6 at Stegeman Coliseum, against Armstrong Atlantic, followed by the season opener against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Nov. 13.
John Frierson is a staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can follow him on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
