Olumuyiwa "Olu" Famutimi (born February 21, 1984) is a Canadian 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 ...
player for the
Scarborough Shooting Stars
The Scarborough Shooting Stars are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They compete in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and play their home games at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in the eastern ...
of the
Canadian Elite Basketball League
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL; ) is the premier men's professional basketball league in Canada, as recognized by Canada Basketball. The CEBL was founded in 2017 and began play in 2019 with six teams all owned and operated by owner ...
(CEBL). He played college basketball for
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
.
Early life
Famutimi is of Nigerian descent. He was first noticed in a high school game at
Chaminade College School
Chaminade College School (CCS, Chaminade) is an all-boys Catholic secondary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
History
Founded by the Archdiocese of Toronto, Chaminade College School opened its doors in September 1965. Initially under the con ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, in his freshman year. Less than a year later, he transferred to
Flint Northwestern High School
Flint Northwestern High School was a high school in Flint, Michigan, United States that served grades nine through twelve. It was part of Flint Community Schools and opened in 1964.
In July 2018, the campus was repurposed as Flint Junior High Sc ...
in
Flint, Michigan
Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...
. In Michigan, he played for the Flint Northwestern Wildcats and climbed the national ranks as the seventh best player in the country, according to
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
. A career altering injury would change all of that, as he was ushered out of the limelight because of it.
Collegiate career
Famutimi played two seasons at the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...
, where he earned All-
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...
Freshman honors. In 57 games with the Razorbacks, he averaged 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game. Against all odds, he declared early for the
2005 NBA draft
The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...
and was not selected.
Professional career
Famutimi was invited to training camp with the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...
and made appearances in four preseason games (4.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) before being waived. He played 47 games for the
Arkansas RimRockers
The Arkansas RimRockers were a minor league basketball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas, which played in the American Basketball Association and the NBA Development League.
Season by season
Franchise history
The RimRockers began play ...
in 2005–06 and averaged 6.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game while shooting .513 (122–238) from the field. Famutimi signed with the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
as a free agent in 2006 but was waived before the season started. He played in
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
for two years and also played in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, and
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
.
On December 17, 2013, Famutimi signed with the
Halifax Rainmen
The Halifax Rainmen were a professional basketball team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the Atlantic Division of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) and their home games took place at the Scotiabank Centre, form ...
of the
NBL Canada
The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; ) was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franch ...
. After a one-year stint with the
Island Storm
The Island Storm is an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada that began play in the 2011–12 season. The Storm plays ...
, Famutimi signed with the
Saint John Mill Rats
The Saint John Riptide were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Saint John, New Brunswick, that had home games at Harbour Station. They were a member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) in the Atlantic Division ...
on March 14, 2016.
On August 18, 2016, Famutimi signed with
Quilmes de Mar del Plata
Club Atlético Quilmes (mostly known as Quilmes de Mar del Plata) is a sports club based in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Although other sports are practised in the club, Quilmes is mostly known for its basketball team, which c ...
of the
Liga Nacional de Básquet
Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to:
Sports
Basketball
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain
Football
Latin Amer ...
. In October 2016, he parted ways with Quilmes after appearing in ten games.
On November 3, 2016, he signed with Saint John Riptide for the
2016–17 NBL Canada season
The 2016–17 NBL Canada season was the sixth season of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC).
League changes
The league added two teams for 2016–17: the Cape Breton Highlanders (basketball), Cape Breton Highlanders in Sydney, Nova Sco ...
.
He played the
2019 CEBL season
The 2019 CEBL season was the inaugural season of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. It included six teams: Saskatchewan, Fraser Valley, Edmonton, Hamilton, Niagara, and Guelph. The regular season ran from May 9, 2019 to August 15, 2019, and th ...
for the Guelph Nighthawks. Famutimi joined the
KW Titans
KW Titans (formally known as Kitchener-Waterloo Titans Basketball Club) are a professional basketball team based in Regional Municipality of Waterloo that competes in the Basketball Super League. The team plays its home games at Kitchener Memoria ...
in 2019. Famutimi joined the
Edmonton Stingers
The Edmonton Stingers are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They compete in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and play their home games at the HIVE arena at the Edmonton Expo Centre. The Stingers' masc ...
for the
2021–22 BCL Americas.
On May 12, 2022, Famutimi signed with the
Scarborough Shooting Stars
The Scarborough Shooting Stars are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They compete in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and play their home games at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in the eastern ...
of the
CEBL.
International career
Famutimi plays internationally for the
Canadian national team.
References
External links
*
French LNB profileTBLStat.net Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Famutimi, Olu
1984 births
Living people
Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players
Arkansas RimRockers players
Basketball players from Toronto
BC Khimik players
Black Canadian basketball players
Black Canadian sportsmen
Canadian expatriate basketball people in France
Canadian expatriate basketball people in Germany
Canadian expatriate basketball people in Turkey
Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Canadian sportspeople of Nigerian descent
Cape Breton Highlanders (basketball) players
Edmonton Stingers players
Guelph Nighthawks players
Halifax Rainmen players
KW Titans players
Island Storm players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Oyak Renault basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Metropolitans 92 players
Quilmes de Mar del Plata basketball players
Saint John Mill Rats players
Saint John Riptide players
Scarborough Shooting Stars players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
TED Ankara Kolejliler players
2010 FIBA World Championship players