For Episode 94 of the Hoopsfix podcast, we sit down with St Benedicts prep wing and Cal commit, Sam Alajiki.Alajiki left the UK in January of 2020, where he had started the season with Barking Abbey having initially been developed by Kent Crusaders, to attend Beckley Prep in Virginia. After a half season there – which was cancelled due to COVID – he made the switch to St Benedicts in New Jersey, but not before committing to PAC-12 side Cal, becoming the third British-developed player in the Class of 2021 to sign with a high major programme.The 6’7″ small forward with a 7’2″ wingspan and 44 inch max vertical, jumped on the Hoopsfix podcast to discuss his journey so far, being intent on taking the US High School route, and his aspirations for the future.Timestamps:00:00 Intro 03:10 Interview start 03:16 Alajiki’s American accent 04:33 Sam’s upbringing in Ireland and how he ended up in England 08:07 Making the decision to focus on basketball over football 09:13 Whether the move from Ireland to England was difficult 10:36 The role of Jesse Sazant, Adam Davies on his early stages 11:50 How Sam was difficult as a younger player 12:34 How he matured 13:48 When he started taking basketball seriously 14:17 His involvement with the England U15 development programme 16:00 His initial focus on representing England/GB then that becoming Ireland 17:31 His relationships that are still in Ireland 18:10 His early aspirations in the sport 19:13 Wanting to prove himself to Coach Jesse Sazant 20:06 Sam’s physical gifts and matching the skills to them 22:25 Finding his shot and working on his jump shot 23:14 Deciding to make the switch to Barking Abbey for year 12 23:48 Being intent on going to the US 24:54 Why he felt the need to go to the US for HS rather than stay in the UK 26:59 Why his visa was denied in Year 10 27:19 Concerns about his eligibility 27:38 Why choosing to go to Barking Abbey from Canterbury 28:18 Leaving Barking Abbey midway through the season 29:57 Coaches from the US getting in his ear 30:30 Having D1 options in the UK already and still wanting to go to the US 31:36 Whether he has any regrets on the route he took 32:17 If Barking Abbey was the step up he wanted in the UK 33:33 Whether he ever felt out of his depth in the UK 34:43 US High school vs NBL D1 men 37:35 Whether the ultimate allure to the US is exposure and coaches wanting to see prospects against US competition 39:37 The transition to the US from England 42:20 How quickly the college interest came when going to the US 44:06 The Xs and Os in the US compared to England 45:12 2019-20 season being cancelled, staying in the US last summer 46:09 Making the decision to commit to Cal early 46:42 Why he chose Cal, who else he was looking at 47:42 The role he sees himself having at Cal 48:45 Is the goal to be a professional basketball player? 49:01 Choosing a bigger school over a smaller one 50:44 Switching to St Benedicts this season 52:51 Status of their current season 55:03 The impact of COVID-19 on the Class of 2021 57:58 How Cal are anticipating the 2021-22 season being 59:53 Whether he’s coming back to the UK this summer 59:29 His NBA aspirations and potential barriers 1:00:57 His favourite basketball memory 1:02:27 Feedback on the Hoopsfix All-Star Classic 1:05:15 best British player he’s played with or against 1:06:18 best individual performance he’s witnessed 1:07:05 His basketball role models 1:08:50 His goals for the next 3-5 yearsThe show has been approved on iTunes – find it here and please subscribe to automatically receive new episodes straight to your phone/computer/tablet – if you could give us a review/rating it would be much appreciated to help the podcast spread far and wide, meanwhile it is also on Spotify here, Overcast, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.You can support Hoopsfix’s work in helping to grow British basketball on Patreon.

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