Imo Essien Announces That For Health Reasons, He Won't Play This Season For ODU Men's Basketball

By Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va. – Imo Essien, a senior who has been a team leader, an unselfish player with a dedicated work ethic and a fan favorite, announced today that for health reasons, he will not play this season for the Old Dominion men’s basketball team.

He will be on the bench tonight when ODU opens against Buffalo at 7 p.m., but not in uniform.

Essien collapsed on the court at Georgia Southern his sophomore season and after a battery of tests, was cleared to return. The cause of the incident was never identified and Essien experienced no more incidents for more than a year.

Essien passed out again early-on during preseason practice this season and doctors again could not identify what is causing the feinting spells.

Essien issued a statement on social media announcing that he won’t play.

Monarch Nation,

Unfortunately, I experienced a recurring medical scare that mirrored the incident from my sophomore season. The resurfacing of this situation has led me to make the difficult decision to step away from playing basketball, for now, to focus on my health. As challenging as it is to pause doing something I love deeply, I need to prioritize my health and explore this situation further. With prayer, hope, and determination, I’m aiming for a full recovery, and I am hopeful for the possibility of returning to playing the game I love.

I am incredibly grateful for the full support of my coaches and teammates during this difficult time. Thank you to everyone who has stood by me and continues to offer their encouragement. Although I won’t be in a jersey, I am still 100% committed and will be contributing in any way possible to ensure the success of this season.

Go Monarchs!

-Imo Essien #3

Essien will remain on scholarship and Mike Jones, ODU’s first-year head coach, said Essien will become involved with helping the coaching staff.

“First and foremost, I commend Imo for handling this the way he has,” Jones said.

“You never want to make a rash decision or an emotional decision when it comes to something like this. I do believe Imo’s thought long and hard and consulted with people important in his life.

 “Ultimately, coming coming to this decision as a student-athlete, especially at this level, is not easy. I commend him for prioritizing his life and his health and he has full support of the Old Dominion basketball program.”

Jones said in the long run, missing a season “doesn’t matter. What matters is him being healthy and him being OK with what is going on. That’s the most important thing.

“I don’t want to talk about what ifs. I want to talk about how proud I am about him for making this decision and the way he’s handled it.”

Jones hired Jason Wade, another popular player with a dedicated worth ethic, as a graduate assistant. Jones said he hopes that Essien takes on a similar role as Wade will take this season.

“He clearly wants to be a part of this team and we want him to be a part of our team,” Jones said. “He will be at practice every day. He’s almost in that Jason Wade mode in that he can communicate with players effectively.

“We will value his insight on everything he does. We’re going to find a silver lining in this and I believe it is one of them.”

Former ODU coach Jeff Jones, who recruited Essien, said Mike Jones told him about Essien’s decision.

“I feel terrible for Imo,” he said “It has to be both frustrating and a little bit scary. Doctors over the course of two-plus years have assured him that he’s OK, but these incidents keep happening and I think the unknown has got to be tough to deal it.

“There’s not a nicer person who’s ever been on ODU’s campus and whatever path he chooses, he will do well in life.

“I wouldn’t be surprised at him becoming a Senator or something else very impressive because of who he is. He’s smart, engaging and charismatic. He really has been a great teammate.”

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound Wylie, Texas native scored 1,144 points in 87 games. He averaged 3.4 points per game while making 40 percent of hits shots, 37 percent of three-pointers and 78 percent of his free throws.

He also had 39 steals and 126 assists.

In one of his more memorable games as a Monarch, Essien drove the length of the court and scored the game-winner as the final buzzer sounded in a 70-68 triumph at Texas State in 2022-23.

Mike Jones said that Essien will attend his post-game press conference tonight and take questions from the media.

“I’ll introduce Imo and let him talk first,” Jones said. “He released a statement but for our fans and for the media to actually hear him speak, I think that’s important.”

All of Jones’ postgame press conferences are posted on the odusports.com website.

Tickets remain for tonight’s game, which will be Mike Jones’ first as ODU’s head coach. Jones is an ODU alumnus who has recruited 15 newcomers to go along with just three returnees from last season.

To purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.