As the volume of commitments increases and the May 15 signing deadline crawls closer, Drexel men’s basketball team has signed a player who could make a big impact in the near future. Clemson Edomwonyin is a big 6’10” forward from East London, England, who has a unique basketball background, making him a fascinating prospect to watch out for.
Edomwonyin has a rather unorthodox story of how he elevated to basketball excellence, as he first started playing basketball in the fall of 2020. He began his career at the City of London Academy, gaining initial attention for his incredible speed and athleticism as a forward. Edomwonyin follows a trend of Drexel recruits with British backgrounds, as both big man Amari Williams and sharp shooter Mate Okros played high school basketball in England.
“In the UK, there’s a lot of underrated players that go undiscovered,” Clemson mentioned, “there are some unexpected people with big talent, and you kind of just go, damn this guy is good.”
Although Drexel was his first Division 1 offer, it was not his only, as A-10 school Fordham also extended an offer to Edomwonyin. When I talked with Clemson, he made it clear the reason why he chose to be a Dragon in the long run.
“The coaching staff was the primary reason,” he asserted. “Speaking with Spiker and all the other coaches gave me a lot of confidence.” Clemson added that his coaches in the U.K. were in full support of his decision, and admired Drexel’s track record of developing big men.
On top of the coaching staff, Edomwonyin gave credit to Amari Williams, a fellow British forward, for helping assure him of his decision. “I was able to speak with Amari on my visit, and we got along well. He talked about how he used to play, and how the coaches helped him develop,” Clemson recounted. “It helped me picture the vision of playing at Drexel.”
Following his time in London, Edomwonyin transferred to the South Kent School in Connecticut, an incredibly well established prep basketball program that has produced over 100 NCAA division 1 basketball players and 10 NBA players, including former NBA all-star Isaiah Thomas.
Adding to his impressive resume of high caliber basketball and rapid development, Clemson played with the U18 Spanish National team, where he followed in both Williams’ and Okros’ path playing at the Hoopsfix showcase. Clemson showed appreciation for what playing in Spain had done for his growth.
“Early on I recognized I had to improve to compete with the tough competition,” Clemson stated. “I feel like [playing in Spain] gave me a lot of confidence in what I can do, and will help me translate my speed and athleticism to playing at Drexel.”
It’s clear Clemson Edomwonyin is an incredibly talented basketball player with a lot of passion for the game, as well as a passion for the fans. When asked about what he was looking forward to about playing in Philadelphia he talked about the people.
“I’ve heard the people in Philly are good fans, and I want to win for them.”
Additionally, the talk of Philadelphia may have brought up the recruit’s appetite, as he expressed his excitement for trying Philly Cheesesteaks.
Clemson Edomwonyin joins Archbishop Wood’s Josh Reed as Drexel’s incoming freshmen for the 2024-25 season. Edomwonyin’s size paired with his athleticism could make him a big contributor, and his passion and personality should make him a fan favorite for the Dragons.