ROOKIE FORWARD RIDING HIGH
Fareed Shittu didn’t start playing basketball until his Grade 11 year at Harry Ainlay High School in Edmonton.
But if you watch how effortlessly he dunks the ball or how quickly his body soars into position to finish off an alleyoop play, you’d swear he was born with springs on his feet and a nose for the net.
One of the most exciting rookie recruits in the eight-year Canada West history of the UNBC Timberwolves men’s basketball program, the six-foot-six, 185-pound Shittu has rapidly endeared himself to Twolves’ fans with his ability to defy gravity to score points and grab rebounds, and the best is likely yet to come in his burgeoning basketball career as he finds his way around the U Sports playground.
“Honestly, I just like to have fun, whenever I’m out there, even if we’re winning or losing, I like to go out there with the mindset that I want to get better and try to have fun,” said Shittu, who turned 18 on Oct. 20.
Just starting to establish his reputation as a gamebreaking forward, Shittu has forced head coach Todd Jordan’s hand and he’s played him an average of 25 minutes per game - much more than Jordan thought he would get his first season.
“I was not expecting to come here and play this many minutes but I’m also very happy,” said Shittu. “It’s a pretty big jump (from high school) but I played for two or three months a club team in Edmonton called Good Hoops and played in one or two lower college-league tournaments, so I got a university taste from there. I’m not the biggest guy out there so I do have to spend a little more energy trying to fight around the bigger guys on the court and that was a big adjustment.
“I’m a pretty quick learner and just over this half-season I’ve been able to pick up on ball movement and where the ball bounces off the rim, really stretching for rebounds and just getting a better feel for the game.”
Shittu is rapidly closing in on the Twolves’ record for points in a season by a rookie (90) set by teammate Tyrell Laing in 2017. Also within Shittu’s long reach is the team record for rebounds in a season by a rookie, held by Navjot Bains. Bains collected 94 in the 2012-13 season.
Shittu was born and raised in Edmonton and his parents are from Nigeria. A natural athlete, just like his parents, he played club soccer for eight years and was also into snowboarding and BMX racing before he joined his first basketball team when he was 16.
“He’s been great, he’s bringing lots of energy to the games and he’s athletically gifted so he can rebound the ball very well for us,” Jordan. “He doesn’t create a lot of scoring for himself but when guys help off of him, he’s able to finish above the rim. He’s definitely an exciting guy to watch.
“He has a high D-1/NBA vertical jump, it’s up around 40 inches. Because he hasn’t played a lot of basketball he’s still learning the basics of the game at this level, some technical stuff as far as defensive schemes and offensive schemes of how to execute pick-and-rolls. He’s very athletic but the physicality is much different for him, going against men now. He’s still a work in progress getting stronger in the weight room.”