SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Augie PR) – Augustana head men’s basketball coach Tom Billeter is pleased to announce the signing of Akoi Akoi of Sioux Falls O’Gorman. Akoi is a 6-6 forward entering his senior season for the Knights. “We are extremely excited to add Akoi to our men’s basketball team,” Billeter said. “We have watched Akoi play for the past few years and the growth and improvement in his game have been astronomical.” Akoi will be a three-year starter for O’Gorman this winter after averaging 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game as a junior. He earned All-State honors after leading the Knights to State runner-up honors and the Metro Conference Championship. As a key reserve, Akoi won the South Dakota State AA Championship in 2017-18. “My staff and I finished our summer and fall evaluations this year and the one thing we all agreed on is nobody played harder, or more consistently than Akoi,” Billeter added. “He is a competitor who never takes a play off. We feel he is really good now but will continue to improve. We are incredibly happy to have him as a part of our basketball family.” At Augustana, Akoi plans to earn a degree in sport management with dreams of becoming an athletic director. He will enroll in classes in the fall of 2020.
Akoi will join former O’Gorman All-State guard Matt Cartwright, a junior Augie guard who is the reigning NSIC men’s player of the week. Cartwright was South Dakota’s Gatorade Player of the Year his senior season of 2016-17 while leading the Knights to a state title.
