Kelvin Omojola (183-G-1997, college: Northwest) may only have played in Germany for 4 seasons before retiring, but in this short time, he was able to follow the further development of the German basketball youth development. Playing for the Pro B team Dragons Rhondorf, he was able to follow it´s NBBL (U-19) and JBBL (U-16) teams as well as having some players as teammates. “Being teammates with Janne, Marko, Josh, Vuk, Kenan, all these great young players, whenever they had a game with the second team it was always fun to watch them play and dominate. That forced me to stay up to date with what was going on in Germany and all the top young prospects. ”,stressed Kelvin Omojola. Ever since Germany won a bronze at the 2022 Eurochampionships and won the World Cup Gold over team USA in 2023, the youth development continues to be in full swing. “It’s amazing! Germany as a whole and especially the youth are improving rapidly! It’s no surprise to me that they’re having continued success and it’s only going to improve year after year! The talent has steadily risen year after year and the youth players are bringing a skillset and mindset that makes them playable on higher levels right away”, warned Kelvin Omojola. The youth development with the Dragons Rhondorf also continues to move forward and Omojola witnessed that special touch that is given to the young players by the Dragons coaches. “What makes it special is the talented young players the Dragons/Bonn brought in! We had some GREAT players in Janne Muller, Marko Rosic, Kenan Reinhardt. They are so talented and their talent is what makes the program great”, said Kelvin Omojola.

The Las Vegas native who played 132 pro games in Germany felt for the ratiopharm Ulm players Noa Essengue and Ben Saraf for having the dilemma to stay in Germany and help them win the title or go to New York to participate in the 2025 draft and feels would of only left if the player was a top 5 pick played against and with guys of team Germany that will battle at the U-19 World Cup in Switzerland. The player he knows about as closely as anyone would their own family member is Janne Muller who won the Gold medal at the U-18 Euro last summer and was his teammate the last 2 seasons and he knows exactly why he is so special as a player. “It’s his work ethic. He always competes and wants to improve! Being a young guy, that’s number 1! You have to want to be in the gym and want to improve. They say you need 10,000 hours in order to be an expert in a certain subject. When you’re a young player, you haven’t hit your 10,000 hours yet, so you need to work towards that every single day”, added Kelmin Omojola. He didn´t have a huge role last summer and this time, the roster is stacked. Despite that could another year of development and maturity allow his minutes to rise? “It definitely could! It just depends on the plans that the coaching staff and management have for him. If they want him to play a lot, he will play a lot. He’s a great player, works hard, and is more than deserving of minutes. It’s up to management and the coaching staff to decide that”, said Kelvin Omojola. Another massive German prospect is giant Hannes Steinbach who made big strides this season in the Wurzburg organization and got good BBL minutes. He will play at Washington (NCAA) this coming season and some have seen him as a bigger talent than Johan Grunloh. “He’s a walking mismatch. His size and skill are unique and unmatched. His upside is amazing and he could reach the NBA. He just needs to keep improving and working hard. The talent is already there”, commented Kelvin Omojola.

The retired guard who was a mix of Steph Curry and Kyle Lowery during his playing days also played against a potential 2026 NBA first round pick with Ivan Kharchenkov. The fearless 3 level scorer has developed incredibly in the FC Bayern Munich program the last years. He made his Pro B debut at age 15 and 5 days and poured in 16 points against Koblenz. In the last 3 seasons, he has played in 27 Euroleague games and keeps racking in titles as a BBL, NBBL and U-18 Euro belong to his achievements. Unfortunately he didn´t get as much minutes in the BBL in 24-25 as he deserved, but now will seek a new challenge in the NCAA with Arizona. He finally now will play with and against guys his own age. Omojola played against him with Speyer and Rhondorf. In his rookie season with Speyer he beat him twice as Kharchenkov was only 15 as he had 8 and 10 points. Was he already fearless then? “Yes, he was always fearless Miles and was above his age skill wise. Even though he was 15, you couldn’t tell at the time by the way his body was and how he carried himself. He was already very skilled but you could tell he was raw. I’m not surprised at all about how good he is now and him heading to University of Arizona”, stated Kelvin Omojola. He is so talented but really should of played more in the BBL this season even after Carsen Edwards was injured. Could the limited minutes be a blessing in disguise? He must be so motivated to rock the NCAA with Arizona. “Yes it was a blessing in disguise. Everything happens for a reason and it will make him a better player/person. I know him playing at UofA will be everything and then some for him. There’s nothing like High Major NCAA D1 basketball, especially when you’re playing for a great program like UofA”, expressed Kelvin Omojola. How scary will the combination Ivan and Bryce James (son of Lebron) be at Arizona? “We’ll see! I’m not sure how much either of them will play this year. They both have to go into summer workouts and show the coaching staff they deserve minutes! Nothing is given at the college level. You have to earn everything”, warned Kelvin Omojola. In a sense Kharchenkov will have to start over again in the NCAA, but his overwhelming experience and having played Euroleague and battled Carsen Edwards and Shabazz Napier on a regular basis will bring him over the top. Unfortunately Ivan Kharchenkov won´t play at the U-19 World Cup as the easyCredit BBL finals went very long. At least he won his second BBL title.

Another really talented and interesting player that Omojola who played 92 Pro B games in Germany battled in the Pro B the last 2 years was Orange Academy Jordan Mueller. He already made waves winning the 2022 JBBL title and continued to make huge strides the last 2 seasons in the pro B. In the last 2 seasons he improved his scoring average in the Pro B from 5 to 12 and his assists from 1,5 to 4,0. Omojola had a negative 1-3 record against Mueller and saw him score 15 points in both games. “Yes, he’s another great young prospect! Super skilled guard who is fearless. Same with him, just continue to stay confident and HUMBLE. People who have those traits always win, on or off the court”, warned Kelvin Omojola. At only 185cm, he isn´t the biggest point guard, but he erases that with his heart and feistiness. He has never allowed his height to bring him down. “Yes 100% Miles. When you’re competing against him, you have to bring your A-game. He plays tough defense, competes, hits shots, and consistently puts pressure on the defense”, added Kelvin Omojola. There are many top teams at the U-19 World Cup like USA, France and Canada, but does Germany have what it takes to grab Gold? “They do 100% Miles. If they play team basketball and trust one another, they should be a favorite to win”, stressed Kelvin Omojola. Who could forget the exciting USA-Germany battle at the 2023 World Cup final, but can a repeat happen at the youth sector? “ It would be exciting! USA always has the talent but Germany can compete with them. If they’re playing team basketball, they can beat Team USA”, warned Kelvin Omojola. He has the USA/Germany citizenship. So who will he root for? “I like both honestly Miles haha. I have no dog in the fight”, warned Kelvin Omojola. I have that same kind of feeling as Omojola, but I actually can pick only one even if it´s tough, but Iwill root for Germany this time simply because I have covered so many of the guys over the years.