Panthers Sign Forward Hamed Olayinka

MIAMI, FL – As the dawn of the new season approaches, the FIU Men’s Basketball roster has been filling up over the past months. Today, a new forward is joining the squad as the Panthers sign Hamed Olayinka.

Olayinka’s Collegiate Journey

The junior has been in different programs in each season of his collegiate career so far. Hence, FIU will be his third school at the NCAA level.

Last season, Hamed “Larry” Olayinka played for Samford. He was utilized more as a role player, appearing in 33 games but not starting in any of them. The 6’9 215-pound forward averaged 3.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 10.8 minutes per game.

Olayinka showed more efficiency on the court, improving his field goal percentage to 65.1 and his free throw percentage to 55.2. He’s known for making big defensive plays and contributing in the rebounding department. He had a career-high of seven boards in a win against Rhodes Lynx.

While at Utah State in 2023-24, Hamed Olayinka made 10 starts in 31 games, averaging 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 16.1 minutes per game.

Shot blocking is his biggest strength on the court. He had at least one block in 24 contests and multiple blocks in 14 games, including a career-high of five in a game against Cal State.

The Samford basketball roster is complete.

Hamed Olayinka, 6’9 Forward from LA.

A big pick up for Bucky Ball & Samford. https://t.co/Qbsr6ohXxk pic.twitter.com/LrQgzrtpwX

— BirminghamSports (@BirminghamSport) June 30, 2024

Before playing D1 basketball, Olayinka played at the JUCO level for Garden City Community College. During the 2022-23 season, he started in 13 of the 26 games he played. He averaged 7.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks across 18.8 minutes per game.

Hamed Olayinka recorded a couple of impressive double-doubles that season. First, he scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win against Seward Community College. Then, he had a season-high 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as well in a victory over Pratt Community College.

California High School Ball

Having been born and raised in Los Angeles, Olayinka played high school basketball at Birmingham Community Charter High School. He averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior. His performances on the court were impressive enough that he earned Division All-City selection and All-West Valley Co-MVP honors.

About Post Author

Ricardo Urrusuno

He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.

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