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Neumann-Goretti's Sultan Adewale headed to Iona

05/06/2023, 3:00pm EDT
By Owen McCue

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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Like the rest of the college basketball fans around the country, Sultan Adewale watched Tobin Anderson lead Fairleigh Dickinson to the second 16 over 1 upset in NCAA Tournament history this spring.

It’s a big reason why he’s excited to try and help Anderson get back on that stage multiple times over the next four years.

When Anderson followed Rick Pitino as the new head coach at Iona in April, he and his staff targeted the 6-foot-8 Neumann-Goretti forward for their first recruiting class. Following a visit to New Rochelle, N.Y. this past week, Adewale announced his commitment to the Gaels on Saturday.

“That played a big role,” Adewale said of Anderson’s NCAA upset. “He did it with a low-major team. We can make something special happen here, and they always win. … What they did at FDU with versatile forwards, he sees a future with me with that stuff.”


Neumann-Goretti forward Sultan Adewale dribbles the ball during a game this past season. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Adewale hails from East London, where he was a standout basketball player before coming to the U.S. in 2020-21 with goals of playing Division I hoops. He played for St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Academy on the Grind Session before spending the last two seasons at Neumann-Goretti.

At Neumann-Goretti this year, Adewale was named a first team All-Philadelphia Catholic League and all-state selection as he averaged 14.8 ppg on 58.9 percent shooting to go along with 10.3 rpg (2nd in PCL) and 2.0 bpg for the PCL and PIAA Class 4A runner-ups.

“It’s just obviously trying to win a championship, make multiple tournaments. make all-teams, all-tournament teams, all-conference, freshman of the week stuff like that,” Adewale said of his goals for the next level. “Just being a standout player in college. I was a great player in high school. I want to be a great player in college too.”

Adewale said the biggest steps in his game this year were getting better at defending on the perimeter, becoming a dominant defensive rebounder and improving on his shot. He also noted his confidence grew as a player to elevate his game.

The N-G forward received an offer from Iona on April 28 and took his official visit to campus on Wednesday. When he returned home on Thursday, he knew he’d found the place to continue his basketball career. He had 15 other scholarship offers, also taking an official visit and receiving an offer from Buffalo in late April.

“It was just that it’s a winning program," Adewale said. "They've got a good history. Coach has a plan for me. Tobin, he showed that he can win with anyone. They see a future with me. That’s all I can hope for.”

“Ever since the coaches got the new job, they started reaching out,” Adewale said. 

The Gaels' staff has told him he will have the opportunity to come in and compete for a role right away.

“They see me as an inside out guy," Adewale said. "Not just a big, a basketball player. They said they recruit basketball players, so they don’t just recruit by positions. They recruit good basketball players. They thought I fit that and my hustle, my energy, my versatility and they said there’s no one like me on the roster."

Adewale said he liked the idea of staying close to his host family. He also knows Iona freshman forward Sadiku Ibine Ayo from the Grind Session. He said he had multiple coaches who had good relationships with the Iona staff as well.

It's been a longer journey than most for Adewale as he left home to try to chase his goal as a Division I player, and he's excited for the next step in his basketball journey.

“Obviously it’s a dream to play Division I basketball, just one step closer to the goal,” Adewale said.


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