The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Ovie Soko Leads Great Britain To Sixth-Place Finish
7/26/2010 12:00:00β―AM | Men's Basketball
July 26, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Ovie Soko led Great Britain to a sixth-place finish in the "B" Division at the 2010 FIBA Under 20 Men's European Championship, which concluded over the weekend in Oberwart, Austria. Behind Soko's team-leading 19.1 points per game, Britain closed play in sixth place in the month-long event - its best finish at this level.
The London, England native ended his tournament in grand fashion, collecting 31 points and seven rebounds in his country's loss to Israel in the fifth-place game last Saturday. Despite the loss, Soko's 19.1 ppg average not only led his team but also ranked fourth overall in the entire tournament.
Soko, a rising sophomore at UAB, was the star on a Great Britain team that finished the tournament with a 6-2 overall record. UAB head coach Mike Davis said he feels Soko's performance overseas will give the 6-8, 225-pound forward confidence heading into UAB's 2010-11 season.
"I am extremely proud of Ovie and the way he led his team in the Under 20 FIBA Championship," Davis said. "When we first recruited Ovie to come to UAB, we knew he had a lot of potential. This type of potential showed over the last month, and we look forward to him playing a big role with us in the years to come."
Not only did Soko lead his team in scoring in the event, but he also averaged 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.0 assists per contest. He shot 58.5 percent from two-point range (48-of-82) and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-27).
Soko was impressive throughout, but had several standout performances, highlighted by his 31-point, seven-rebound effort in last Saturday's 103-92 loss to Israel. It was one of three 20-plus point performances he had in his country's eight games. He also had a 29-point performance against Poland (7/20) and a 24-point outing in the tournament's opening game versus Denmark (7/14).
Soko performed well in his other five contests as well. He collected 15 points, two assists and two steals in a loss to tournament host and eventual champion Austria (7/16), followed by a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards in a win over Belgium (7/18).
Soko stayed hot in his next contest, the first of the qualifying round, with 13 points and seven boards in Britain's 87-43 trouncing of Norway on July 19. He then flirted with a triple-double in a victory over the Slovak Republic on July 21, collecting 12 points, eight rebounds and a team-high six assists in the 16-point victory. In Great Britain's penultimate contest, Soko had 15 points and five boards in a win over Portugal (7/23).
Soko finished the tournament ranked among the tournament's individual leaders in nearly every offensive category. In addition to finishing fourth in points per game, he ranked among the top five in free throws attempted (3rd - 6.6), free throws made (4th - 3.8), steals (3rd - 2.3), total field goals made (4th - 7.1), total field goals attempted (5th - 13.6), 2-point field goals made (4th - 6.0) and 2-point field goals attempted (5th - 10.3). He was seventh in total field goal percentage (52.3 percent).
