Jayson Omokaro Obazuaye (born July 27, 1984) is an American-Nigerian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

. He is tall.

Early life

Born in

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns i ...

, Obazuaye graduated from Andrew Hill High School in nearby

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

in 2002. Obazuaye committed to the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...

, having been recruited by local colleges Santa Clara and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, as well as

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

and

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

College career

Obazuaye majored in

ethnic studies Ethnic studies, in the United States, is the interdisciplinary study of difference—chiefly race, ethnicity, and nation, but also sexuality, gender, and other such markings—and power, as expressed by the state, by civil society, and by indivi ...

and played four years for the

Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball The Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represents the University of Colorado Boulder. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Tad Boyle. The Buffaloes have competed in sixteen NCAA T ...

team from 2002 to 2006

Professional career

Obazuaye began his professional career in the 2006–07 season with Gipsar Stal Ostrów of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10 games. In the 2007–08 season, Obazuaye played for the

Chester Jets The Cheshire Phoenix are an English professional basketball team based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Founded in 1984, they are members of the Super League Basketball and play their home games at the Cheshire Oaks Arena. From 1993 until 2015 the ...

of the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) was a men's professional basketball sports league, league in Great Britain. Since its establishment in 1987 the BBL represented the highest level of basketball competition within the United Kingdom. The orga ...

. Obazuaye was the BBL's January 2008 Player of the Month and a 2nd-Team All-Star for the season. In the 2008–09 season, Obazuaye played for the BBL's

Milton Keynes Lions London Lions are a British professional basketball team based in Stratford, East London, England, and compete in the Super League Basketball (SLB). The team was originally founded in 1977 as the Hemel Hempstead Lakers. Following an ownershi ...

. He averaged 18.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in

BBL Trophy The British Basketball League Trophy, often shortened to the BBL Trophy, is an annual cup competition for the British Basketball League (BBL). It is the unique of peripheral competitions operated by the League during the regular season, The com ...

games and 14.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in the playoff and championship rounds. After two seasons with the BBL, Obazuaye played for Al-Ahli Benghazi of the Libyan Basketball League for the 2009–10 season. He averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. In the 2010–11 season, Obazuaye played for another Middle East team,

Al-Wakrah Al Wakrah () is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge touches the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated immediately north of the city. Governed by Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Jassi ...

of the

Qatari Basketball League The Qatari Basketball League () is the top-tier men's basketball league operating in Qatar. The winning team obtains the participation right to the FIBA West Asia Super League. The first official season took place in 1981/82. There is a second ...

. In 2011–12, Obazuaye played for Smouha of Egyptian Basketball Super League. Obazuaye returned to Al-Wakrah in the 2012–13 season for 8 games, averaging 14.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. In 2013–14, Obazuaye played for Al-Jazeera of Libyan Basketball League. In 2014–15, he played for Al-Karkh of

Iraqi Basketball Premier League The Iraqi Professional Basketball League is the highest professional basketball league in Iraq. The record winners of the competition are Al-Karkh, who have won the championship 13 times. Al-Difaa Al-Jawi are the current champions, having won t ...

International career

He represented Nigeria at the 2007 African Championship and 2009 African Championship averaging 8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obazuaye, Jayson 1984 births Living people African Games bronze medalists for Nigeria African Games gold medalists for Nigeria African Games gold medalists in basketball African Games bronze medalists in basketball American expatriate basketball people in Egypt American expatriate basketball people in Poland American expatriate basketball people in Qatar American expatriate basketball people in the United Kingdom American men's basketball players American basketball players of Nigerian descent Basketball players from San Jose, California Cheshire Jets players Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players Basketball players at the 2007 All-Africa Games London Lions (basketball) players Nigerian expatriates in Egypt Nigerian expatriates in Libya Nigerian expatriates in Qatar Nigerian expatriates in the United Kingdom Nigerian men's basketball players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Santa Clara, California Basketball players from Santa Clara County, California Al Ahly Benghazi basketball players 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen