Marquette's Oso Ighodaro Named BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete

by Jules Da Costa, age 15

Marquette University basketball player Oso Ighodaro has recently been named the Big East conference’s scholar-athlete, a first in Marquette history.

Ighodaro will graduate with two degrees in four years. The Marquette senior earned a finance degree in three years and is working towards a Master of Business Administration (MBA), which he will complete in the summer. In these four years, he has managed to maintain a 3.54-grade point average. The conference’s Academic Affairs Committee voted to give Ighodaro the award and will grant him a $2,000 scholarship for graduate or professional studies.

Ighodaro also succeeded this season, earning all-Big East second-team honors. The 6-foot-11 forward averages 14.4 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game. Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said he is “incredibly proud” and that “it’s a well-deserved award.” Ighodaro said, “I think it’s cool to show that I can do my best at both.”

Ighodaro’s performance this season makes this award well-deserved. He is a role model for young players everywhere, showing that you can do your best in athletics and academics.

[Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]