Tosan Evbuomwan didn’t start playing basketball until he was 14, went to the Newcastle Football Academy…
Princeton shocked the No. 2 seed to deliver the first — and probably not the last — upset of March Madness.
College basketball’s relentless pendulum is in full swing and the whole concept is rather foreign to British sports fans.
It was most likely a very new concept for Thursday night’s star as he made his way across the pond.
22-year-old Tosan Evbuomwan, 22, from Newcastle, England, has been impressing throughout this college season before performing on the big stage at Golden 1 Center.
He scored 15 points to knock out Pac-12 champion Arizona in the opening round this week after only getting into the sport at age 14.
Princeton college basketball player Tosan Evbuomwan is from England and represented GB
The 6-foot-8 player moved from the UK to America after only taking up the sport at the age of 14
Playing virtually every other sport as a child, Evbuomwan revealed that ‘rugby and football dominated my life’ in a Princeton Athletics interview. He even played for Premier League side Newcastle United’s youth academy.
Cricket, athletics and tennis were also on the agenda before the American hardwoods took over.
It was his father Isaac who brought basketball to the forefront. “He was also playing in Nigeria when he came here,” Evbuomwan told the the team’s official website.
‘I got to know the sport through him, we always had the hoop in the yard thanks to him.’
Evbuomwan set up a high school basketball team with a friend and thanks to his talents, he was on his way to America.
A few Newcastle teams, England camps and appearances for Great Britain were added to the resume before the jump to New Jersey.
Newcastle Eagles head coach Ian MacLeod saw Evbuomwan’s ability and sent a highlight email to multiple US universities in October 2018. It was Princeton who locked him up.
“He was always a super-intelligent kid, very coachable, very down-to-earth and to take that next step is half the battle,” said Eagles director Paul Blake. The chronicle.
He impressed this college season before taking the big stage at Golden 1 Center
“You have to have that mentality and as far as I know Tosan has that mentality, absolutely. He’s a very impressive young man.’
Evbuomwan lost his mother when he was only 11 years old and he admitted that he works hard ‘to make her proud’.
The young star immediately catches the eye before being tipped off with a pair of pale pink sneakers to pay tribute to his mother Michelle. His number 20 jersey is also his way of honoring her.
After starring in the Ivy League and now March Madness, more and more people are aware of his unique shoes, but ultimately his burgeoning talent.
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