Emadi Okwuosa admits that he wasn’t the best offensive player on the basketball court for North Haven. However, even though Emadi didn’t produce a ton of points on that end of the floor, the 6-foot senior more than made up for it with his athleticism on the defensive end.

“I noticed I was able to jump high and I could time when others would shoot. It just clicked. If I couldn’t do much offensively, I needed to do something to make up for it. I was determined to find what worked,” says Emadi. “I was more a hustler, so it came down to the effort I’d put in. It comes down to my mentality, which I never try to let waver.”

Emadi led the Indians in rebounds by averaging 6.6 a game in the recent season and was also the team leader in blocks with 1.8 per night. On top of that, Emadi won the North Haven boys’ basketball squad’s Sportsmanship Award for the second-consecutive campaign.

“He’s got a good attitude, great energy, and a lot of the kids really respect him because they know he’s doing best he can. He’s genuine in that he’s going to pick you up when you’re down and he’s going to tell you when you’re doing well. The other kids appreciate that and have a huge respect for the kid,” says Indians’ Head Coach Justin Falcon. “He can say he’s not the best offensive player, but he’s arguably the most athletic guy on our team. The things he does in midair, we look at him in awe and amazement. He’s quick, fast, and can jump through the roof. He can guard anybody in the gym and easily outrebound anybody in the gym.”

Emadi says that the most important part of any contest for him was to get into the flow. When he got into the flow of a game, Emadi would find some way to contribute on offense for North Haven.

“I needed to get the tempo of the game. If I wasn’t there, I was letting the team down. I took dominance on the defensive side because I knew that’s what I was best at,” says Emadi. “I was a very timid player [on offense]. I didn’t have the confidence or ability to drive in. Most of my points would come off fast breaks or put-back rebounds.”

Emadi played particularly well in the second half of the recent season. Although he wasn’t a captain for the Indians, Emadi provided key leadership that helped them earn berths in the SCC and state tournaments. It was North Haven’s first trip to the postseason in two years.

“It meant everything. Coach Falcon was a great inspiration and motivator throughout the season. Before the season, he talked about how this was the year we’d turn it around. We wanted this one to be a stepping stone for future teams,” says Emadi. “As we continued to win, he gained confidence in us. It felt amazing to make it to the state playoffs. Looking two years ago, we’d have never thought we’d go.”

Emadi took his junior year off from North Haven’s track team, but rejoined the squad for his senior season this spring. Emadi runs the 100, 200, and 4x100 relay, and also competes in the long jump and triple jump. Emadi says the 100-meter dash is his specialty event and his favorite one. In North Haven’s first meet of the season, Emadi ran a personal-record time of 11.3 seconds to qualify for both the SCC and state championship meets, while helping the Indians earn a convincing victory.

“It feels amazing. I was glad to be back with my track team. For a quick second, I doubted myself, thinking there are so many freshman and sophomores who came back better than me,” Emadi says. “After running for the first time, it was like a new feeling and it felt great. It was really empowering and great that I still had it.”