Surrounded by elated teammates, Olu Famutimi climbed atop a ladder just behind Boeheim’s Army’s bench on Sunday and placed a label sporting the team’s name onto the “Super 17” section of an enormous bracket.

Across the court, a contingent of Syracuse fans cheered raucously for Famutimi, who had just helped Boeheim’s Army to an overtime win in the second round of The Basketball Tournament at the Gallagher Athletic Center in Philadelphia.

Famutimi went to the University of Arkansas, unlike most of the SU alums on the roster. Somewhat hindered by a knee injury suffered in high school, his professional career has included stops in several countries across the globe. His latest stop has him with Boeheim’s Army, for whom he’ll play Friday evening when the team meets Liberty Ballers in Chicago.

But the 31-year-old would have never earned a roster spot if not for a relationship he’s built over the years with Eric Devendorf.

Famutimi was a junior in high school in 2002 when he met Devendorf, then a freshman. Their Michigan high school teams faced off, and Famutimi impressed Devendorf with his ability to play above the rim like few others.

“He was just this freakish athlete,” said Devendorf, who left an impression just as impactful on Famutimi.

“I saw a star in front of my eyes,” Famutimi said. “… He was shooting from deep, getting to the rack. The swag was out of control.”

Devendorf scored upward of 35 points in that game, Famutimi recalls. But Famutimi also made sure to note that his team won and, perhaps more importantly, that he dunked on Devendorf.

“I’ll never let it go,” Famutimi said with a laugh.

At the time, Famutimi was heralded as one of the country’s top recruits. He was ranked as highly as No. 7 in the Class of 2003.

But during a game in February of his senior season, Famutimi elevated for a dunk and, when he came down, felt his knee buckle.

“I found out I tore my ACL a week later,” he said.

Famutimi’s career would never quite be the same. He left Arkansas after two years to declare for the 2005 NBA Draft, but has never played a regular season NBA game. He’s made a living of the sport, playing in a number of European countries and with the National Basketball League of Canada, most recently with the Prince Edward Island Storm in 2014-15.

In April, just a few weeks after his season ended, Famutimi was leaving a gym in Canada when he received a phone call from Devendorf, who asked Famutimi to join Boeheim’s Army.

It was something Devendorf and team general manager Kevin Belbey decided to do after they had exhausted all their options for filling out the roster with Syracuse alumni. They needed someone reliable, and Famutimi fit that bill.

“We thought Olu was somebody who was not only a really good basketball player,” Belbey said, “but somebody we could trust to show up to the games and show up to Syracuse a week early for practice.”

And a few months later, Famutimi proved such trust was warranted when he made the trip to Syracuse for the pre-tournament practices. While in Syracuse, he met Devendorf’s children for the first time and was given a tour of the area by his teammates. They also introduced him to SU men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim.

“They made me feel at home,” he said. “… They’ve treated me like I’m a Syracuse guy.”

That treatment was as evident as ever when Famutimi was given the honor of officially moving Boeheim’s Army into the third round on the TBT bracket at the Gallagher Athletic Center.

And just a few minutes prior, it was Famutimi who sunk the game-tying and go-ahead free throws with 14 seconds left, clinching Boeheim’s Army’s 92-91 win.

When Famautimi went to the charity stripe to take those free throws, Devendorf was sitting in the locker room, helpless and unable to watch due to an earlier ejection.

When the Boeheim’s Army players rushed into the locker room to tell Devendorf they had won, he felt a sense of relief come over him. But he wasn’t surprised.

“I was ecstatic,” he said. “But I wouldn’t expect anything different from Olu.”

 

Published on July 24, 2015 at 1:43 pm

Contact Michael: mdburk01@syr.edu