Hawai’i makes last-minute international addition to backcourt with Belgian guard

HONOLULU – Quit your waffling, more reinforcements have come from Belgium. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball announced the signing of Belgian guard Osahon Obasohan on Wednesday, the eighth member of the 2024 recruiting class for the Rainbow Warriors. The 21-year-old Obasohan will have three years of eligibility upon joining the program. 

A 6-foot-4 guard, Obasohan should contribute right away after he played in France’s ProA U21 league last season for Le Mans Sarthe Basket’s team. The Belgian playmaker averaged 14.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 2023-24 for Espoirs Le Mans while appearing in 33 games.  

The playmaking guard posted double-digit points in 22 of 33 games last season for Le Mans, including a five-game stretch of 20-plus points that began with a 30-point explosion in an 80-67 win against St. Quentin. He shot 46.7 percent from the field, knocking down 35.1 percent of his 3-point attempts and added 1.5 steals per game for good measure on the other end. 

The 2024-25 season will be the guard’s first American college experience after playing in various leagues throughout Europe growing up. A downhill guard with the ability to put guys on his hip, “Osa” will help Hawai’i’s backcourt put pressure on the rim against opposing defenses. 

Built with a sturdy frame at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Obasohan shows off defensive versatility that should allow UH to deploy the guard in multiple different lineups. The Rainbow Warriors will look to employ much larger lineups in the backcourt this season with four out of the five backcourt additions standing at 6’3 or above. 

Obasohan is the fourth international signee for Hawai’i this offseason, joining fellow backcourt member Jacopo Van der Knapp (Italy/Netherlands) as first-time college players while the Rainbow Warriors have Xavier transfer Gytis Nemeiška (Lithuania) and Valpo transfer Jerome Palm (Netherlands) for their final seasons of eligibility. 

Hawai’i has now added eight fresh faces for the 2024-25 season, including early enrollee AJ Economou. Other names within the class include 3-star recruit and Salesian standout Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, HCU transfer guard Marcus Greene and Utah Tech shot-blocking big man Tanner Christensen. The Rainbow Warriors still hold one open scholarship for the 2024-25 season and are exploring different avenues of using it.