Tobi Oyedeji was named to the All-Greater Houston team as well as the TABC All-State Class 5A basketball team.
I'm not going to say Tobi Oyedeji was the nicest young man you'd ever want to meet, or that he'd do anything at any time for anybody.
First, that is way overused when we mourn the death of anyone, especially when that person is taken from us early in life.
Second, I only met the young man in person once briefly and interviewed him over the phone twice, so I'm in no position to be the tell-all on Tobi, the star Texas A&M basketball recruit from Houston Bellaire High who was killed in a car accident over the weekend.
I can say he was cordial, polite, respectful, well-spoken and so looking forward to being an Aggie and playing basketball for Mark Turgeon.
I will add he would have been a fan favorite. I can safely say that because it was obvious from his tone that he loved the game and was willing to do anything, and had already done everything asked of him to prepare himself for his role with Aggie basketball.
In my most recent interview with Tobi a little more than two weeks ago, he was in California getting ready to enjoy the festivities at the High School Academic All-American Game. That he was selected for a national all-star game in which the criteria are basketball skills coupled with academics speaks volumes about Tobi, and that he was named the MVP for his team that weekend proves how serious he was about becoming the best player he could be.
He didn't have to win any trophies, though, to prove to me there was a reason Turgeon beamed when Tobi's name found its way into a conversation. My interview with him two nights before the event was enough.
We were going through the standard questions about being selected for the game when he interjected the fact that he'd added 15 pounds to his 6-foot-9 frame since the end of his high school season. He was looking forward to the opportunity to work on his moves in a structured competition for the first time since putting on the weight, good weight.
"He's real happy. He came to see me two weeks ago and was proud of what I'd accomplished," Tobi said of Turgeon's most recent visit.
The words Tobi used were enough to express what it meant to him to have Turgeon's approval. The tone in which it was conveyed reminded me of a young boy who had just received a pat on the back from his father after going solo on his bicycle for the first time.
It was refreshing to hear in this day and age when there are so many that get caught up in their own numbers and accolades they believe everything should be handed to them.
Tobi, a top 100 player nationally, had those numbers and honors -- he was selected to the Houston Chronicle's All-Greater Houston first team after averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks a game last season -- but he knew there was much more work ahead and he was willing to pay his dues.
The day before Tobi made his college choice official he was playing in a pickup game with former A&M great Acie Law IV. Law booted Tobi off his team near the end of the game because he failed to box out, costing his team a basket.
Tobi later said he fully understood.
"Acie said you've got to earn your respect, and I said 'Yeah,'" Tobi recalled that night.
I learned a lot about Tobi from a friend whose basketball knowledge I respect very much, Troy Miller of rivals.com. Miller first told me about him not long before he signed with A&M, complimenting his size and his defensive and rebounding abilities.
The next time we talked intently about Tobi was midway through his senior season. Miller was marveling over how Tobi had improved on the offensive end. He had added a 15-foot jump shot and the ability to go the rim if the defender took that jumper away.
It was obvious then, because of how hard he had worked on his game, that Tobi would be a player Turgeon could nurture, the type of player the Aggies and their fans are always interested in having at A&M.
Tobi said the reason he chose A&M was the coaching staff and players -- even those he would not have the opportunity to play with -- treated him as family.
The Aggie family lost an outstanding young gentleman, and I have no qualms about saying that even with my limited time getting to know him.
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The graduating senior basketball players from Houston Bellaire and Houston Yates will play a benefit game for Tobi at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Delmar Fieldhouse in Houston.
Tickets will be $5.
A memorial fund has been set up in his name at Amegy Bank. Donations can be made at any Amegy Bank location.
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