Iowa State men’s basketball player preview: Looking at Daniel Edozie
By Brian Spaen
Let’s take a look at one of Iowa State’s under appreciated backups, senior forward Daniel Edozie.
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Straight out of Compton, Edozie was actually born in London, England, back in 1992. It was an eventful childhood for Edozie, who struggled with poverty. There was a pretty rough story when he was offered a big meal at Denny’s only to find out that the stranger giving him a meal had an ulterior motive of putting him in prostitution.
Defying the odds, Edozie was able to break through in basketball playing at the Tyler, Texas, junior college. He averaged 5.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in his final year before heading over to Iowa State.
Edozie didn’t have standout numbers, but he had some memorable performances. He had a huge block at the end of the BYU game to help seal the deal. He also collected seven rebounds in the big blowout against Northern Illinois and had four boards against North Carolina in the NCAA tournament.
The backup forward played more in non-conference action, and had a season high of four points in a game against UNC-Wilmington, Kansas City, and Auburn. Despite not scoring, he did play a total of 23 minutes in the NCAA tournament games against the Tar Heels and UCONN.
It’s likely that Edozie will see limited minutes again, but if there are any injuries, foul trouble, or the team needs to rely on defense at the end of games, the backup will likely be on the court. The 6-foot-8 frame will help in getting blocks or the necessary rebounds.