Blessing ‘Adde’ Adebanjo often had the word “raw” affixed to her talent, but that didn’t keep her from having high profile suitors on the transfer market. The former Arizona Wildcat visited Tennessee, Georgia, and DePaul before committing to Georgia on Saturday.
The native of Nigeria joined the Wildcats a bit late after spending several years in Japan. She finished high school at Japan Aviation Academy then played college ball at Yamanashi Gakuin University. It took a little time to adapt to U.S. college basketball, but she showed a great deal of promise on an Arizona team that was in dire need of size and athleticism.
She contributed 3.7 points on 50 percent shooting, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 10.4 minutes per game. The blocks put her in the 92nd percentile of DI basketball. On a per-40 basis, that worked out to 14.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 3.6 blocks.
Adebanjo played double-digit minutes in the last eight games of the season and made four starts. During those final eight games, she averaged 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 2.0 bpg in 18.3 mpg.
Her best game came in the win against Kansas State on Feb. 4. That game was the first of three straight starts in February. She went 5-for-8 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the line to score 17 points in 33 minutes on the court. She also logged 6 blocks in that game.
The programs Adebanjo considered had a great deal of need. Tennessee lost eight players to the portal while Georgia lost nine. It was more understandable for the Bulldogs, who just hired a new head coach. DePaul is heading into the second year under a new head coach, which is often a year of considerable movement, as well.
Adebanjo was initially listed as a sophomore by Arizona, but head coach Becky Burke later said that she was actually a freshman by NCAA eligibility standards. That would give her three more years to play.
Although she didn’t make a formal announcement on social media Achol Magot is listed as a new member of the Sacramento State Hornets on the portal tracker at on3.com. Magot has one more year of eligibility.
The two bigs join guard Kamryn Kitchen as the three former Wildcats who have chosen their new programs.
