Colorado State University Athletics
Omogbo signs professional contract in Italy
7/23/2017 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Colorado State men's basketball senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo has signed a contract with U.S. Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro in Lega A, in Pesaro, Italy, the organization announced. Lega A is the top level of Italian Basketball.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank God for giving me this opportunity to be able to further my basketball career," Omogbo said. "I would also want to thank the CSU fans, thecity of Fort Collins and my former teammates for supporting me throughout my time at Colorado State. Once a Ram, always a Ram. Best of luck to my former teammates on the upcoming season. Go Rams!"
"Emmanuel is like a son to both myself and my wife Lana," head coach Larry Eustachy said. ". Although I think he's an NBA player, he chose to go overseas for a guaranteed contract, as he has always looked after his family first. Emmanuel has always worked extremely hard to overcome every obstacle that has come his way. I am very happy to see his hard work pay off and excited to see all that this young man will accomplish at the next level. I believe this is a giant step for him and eventually will lead to the NBA. We are extremely proud of him and what he brought the Colorado State family, and we will continue to stay in contact with him."
Omogbo was the new standard for double-doubles in the Mountain West this season, recording a new league record with 13 during conference play and 20 overall for the season, ranking in the top-20 nationally, setting a new school single-season record and joining the record book as the third-best mark in MW history. He led the conference in rebounding at 10.4 boards per conference game and ranked 12th in scoring at 13.6 points a contest. He was also third in league-only field goal percentage, hitting .482 of his shot attempts.
The senior scored a career-high 24 points, with 17 coming in the final half, in the win at San Diego State, Jan. 28. He hit a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left for the game-winner over San Diego State, Feb. 25, part of an 11-point, 11-rebound effort. For his CSU career, Omogbo recorded 28 double-doubles, which is seventh all-time on the MW career list, and his 9.24 rebounds in 69 career games ranked as the fifth-best mark in league annals.
Most recently, Omogbo participated in both the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, playing for the defending champion Golden State Warriors. He also played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in April as the beginning to his professional career.
U.S. Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro (also known as "VL") is the team with most tradition in the Italian basketball history. It was founded in 1946and during the 1980's was one of the top teams in Italy. It won two national championships, two Italian Cups and one European Cup of Cups, tying his brand to the name of the historical owner and sponsor, Valter Scavolini. Omogbo joins recent NCAA players guard Dallas Moore (North Florida) and Eric Mika (BYU) on the roster for the upcoming season.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank God for giving me this opportunity to be able to further my basketball career," Omogbo said. "I would also want to thank the CSU fans, thecity of Fort Collins and my former teammates for supporting me throughout my time at Colorado State. Once a Ram, always a Ram. Best of luck to my former teammates on the upcoming season. Go Rams!"
"Emmanuel is like a son to both myself and my wife Lana," head coach Larry Eustachy said. ". Although I think he's an NBA player, he chose to go overseas for a guaranteed contract, as he has always looked after his family first. Emmanuel has always worked extremely hard to overcome every obstacle that has come his way. I am very happy to see his hard work pay off and excited to see all that this young man will accomplish at the next level. I believe this is a giant step for him and eventually will lead to the NBA. We are extremely proud of him and what he brought the Colorado State family, and we will continue to stay in contact with him."
Omogbo was the new standard for double-doubles in the Mountain West this season, recording a new league record with 13 during conference play and 20 overall for the season, ranking in the top-20 nationally, setting a new school single-season record and joining the record book as the third-best mark in MW history. He led the conference in rebounding at 10.4 boards per conference game and ranked 12th in scoring at 13.6 points a contest. He was also third in league-only field goal percentage, hitting .482 of his shot attempts.
The senior scored a career-high 24 points, with 17 coming in the final half, in the win at San Diego State, Jan. 28. He hit a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left for the game-winner over San Diego State, Feb. 25, part of an 11-point, 11-rebound effort. For his CSU career, Omogbo recorded 28 double-doubles, which is seventh all-time on the MW career list, and his 9.24 rebounds in 69 career games ranked as the fifth-best mark in league annals.
Most recently, Omogbo participated in both the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, playing for the defending champion Golden State Warriors. He also played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in April as the beginning to his professional career.
U.S. Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro (also known as "VL") is the team with most tradition in the Italian basketball history. It was founded in 1946and during the 1980's was one of the top teams in Italy. It won two national championships, two Italian Cups and one European Cup of Cups, tying his brand to the name of the historical owner and sponsor, Valter Scavolini. Omogbo joins recent NCAA players guard Dallas Moore (North Florida) and Eric Mika (BYU) on the roster for the upcoming season.
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