Phoenix Suns rookie Oso Ighodaro on being a Valley native, what he hopes to contribute on the court

Phoenix Suns rookie Oso Ighodaro on being a Valley native, what he hopes to contribute on the court

it’s a very exciting move the Sun and it’s a second round pick but the Suns made some moves in the second round to get him they targeted him you had said yesterday they liked him so much they would considered him in the first round they liked him at 28 yeah they did they like they considered him but obviously Ryan Dunn was there and he was below Ryan but they liked him a lot he was their guy like when the first round was over they they that was the guy they said we’re g to go try to go get this guy and they did they went and they got him yeah as far as the final roster decision and we’re expecting him to call any minute now uh in fact I believe he is on the phone right now so joining us on the Arizona Sports Line we’ll talk about the roster decision coming up in a little bit because joining us right now we want to welcome him to the Phoenix Suns we want to welcome him to the valley Oso igodo Our Guest here on the burns and gambo show Oso I’m Dave this is gambo welcome we appreciate your time man how you doing I’m good thank you for having me absolutely three of my kids graduated from Desert Vista High School two of them were a girl soccer players and another one was a lacrosse player so uh we’ve got those same ties Desert Vista tell me your memories of playing basketball at DB yeah it was a great experience uh I loved my four years there and I was super glad that we were able to win a state championship with uh my team my senior year and yeah it was I love deser vist it was a great experience did you were born and raised in the valley did you move here at a certain age I don’t I don’t remember the backstory on this one also no I’m born and raised born you’re in Arizona native I love so for okay I heard what you said when they introduced you and I’m not going to give you a ton of crap about it because I I I get it I understand but I too am born and raised I’m a lot older than you are you just weren’t a Sons fan growing up huh yeah wasn’t a wasn’t a fan just because of the the quality of the team and how they play I mean for most of your childhood they weren’t very good was that the big reason why uh I don’t know I really just I like watching players more than teams so I would I would watch certain players it wasn’t like I had a vendetta against the Suns or anything I just was AIG I was a big fan of like some certain players so I just watch them most like which which players like give me two or three uh I love LeBron I’d watch KD and Damen lard some of my favorites okay but not not a fan of a particular team so what was when when the Suns when you found out it was going to be the Suns knowing that you were coming home what was what was that moment like for you knowing it was going to be that team yeah I was super excited just to be able to come home and play for my hometown team it was a blessing um even though I wasn’t the biggest fan I this is like a dream come true being able to play in my home state so I was super excited we we knew that look look they cons they made the trade down and they were like 28 they considered you in the first round they did like you were right there they had discussions about they took Ryan dun but you were in conversation there and then after the first round was over I know that they really targeted you they were like we’ve got to make sure we get up and go get this guy did you know that did you have a feeling that the suns were trying to move up to get you yeah I knew I had a chance to go in the first round that’s actually why I attended the draft the first night just in case and so then the second night I was hoping that uh one of the teams that really liked me would come get me and and they did so I was super blessed that they made the trade they did to to get me was there any other team that you thought could take you when you were going through the process and watching the draft unfold what were a couple of the teams that you thought hey this team may grab me here uh I would say the Pelicans and The Grizzlies just because I had good workouts for those teams I felt like felt like I did a good job but it’s kind of hard to tell in the pre-draft process uh who likes it cuz all feedback is kind of generic and it seems like every team likes you but I felt like I had my best workouts at those two teams along with the Suns Oso uodo Our Guest here on the burns and gambo show summer league action starts this weekend as Oso and Ryan Dunn and the other rookies will make their way to Vegas to play five games up there tell me how what you’re going to work on during those five games and what you’re what you’re starting to work on now as you start your journey with the Phoenix Suns what what are some of the spots in your game that you feel like you want to tighten up the loose screws a little bit on Oso uh I just want to showcase my the things that my strengths right now I think that my versatility on offense and defense my ability to guard the pick and roll and guard switch and guard the ball uh are some of my biggest strengths and then my facilitating on offense so they just want to show that and more importantly I just want to win want to go out there and compete with these guys and and try to win four years Marquette you know you did it the right way right you got there the first year didn’t play and then second year played a little bit more and then third and fourth year really took off and got a lot of playing time and had ended up having a great career what was that like going through the process of having to earn that playing time the first couple of years yeah it made it it made it that even that more special I just felt like every every moment I was on the court I earned it like you said and I sat there my freshman year and played 38 minutes the whole year and just watched and learned and kept getting better each year so I was I’m super grateful for that experience and I think it will help me now coming in as a rookie and obviously not playing as much as I would have as a senior at Marquette so just leaning on that experience I think will help me in the future for sure you know you grew up in the era where everybody’s freaking transferring like everybody I’m I didn’t play I’m going to transfer and go somewhere else why did you not transfer because so many other kids you get there as a freshman you think you’re going to play you don’t and like I’m I want to go somewhere else where I could play why did you stick it out uh I don’t know I think I I have a good circle around me and I think I’m pretty self-aware I knew my freshman year I wasn’t good enough to play and I knew I had to get a lot better and that’s just what I did just put my head down and works and stuck with it and I’m super grateful for that I love Marquette and I love my experience there also Garo Our Guest here on the burns and gambo show I know we’re a long ways away from the season starting and you’ve got a lot of you know things that you’re going to work on with Summer League and all that stuff do you envision yourself having the ability to impact this team right away with minutes and playing time yeah I think so I think that my unique ability and my versatility can I think I can be a connector on this team so obviously I’m going to play whatever role the coaches give me but I’m I’m going to go out there and compete and train the camp and try to earn my earn my minutes what have the coaches told you about the role exactly what you’re saying about being a connector and things like that yeah just being versatile just going out there contributing contributing to winning um obviously they spend a lot of time watching my game and knowing my strengths and weaknesses so however they they want to use me I’m going to be ready for it I I think that there’s a real good role for you at that small ball five with your because of your versatility the ability to protect the rim continue to work on your shot but do you see that do you see the small ball five as a as a part of your future yeah for sure I think I can play any position really I think that as my shooting progresses that will even open it up more so i’ I played a lot of small ball five at Marquette and yeah like I said before any way they want to use me I’ll be ready for it all right fantastic well welcome to town welcome to the Phoenix welcome back to town it’s your home City so you’re your home uh welcome back we appreciate the time best of luck in the summer league we look forward to talking to you again in the future okay thank you so much oh thank you for the time appreciate it Oho Garo Our Guest here on the burns and gambo show Suns summer league action starting this weekend thanks for watching Burns and gambo click to see more from the guys and hit the button in the middle to subscribe so you never miss a video from Arizona Sports

Phoenix Suns rookie Oso Ighodaro joined Burns & Gambo to talk about growing up in the Valley as not a fan of the organization, NBA Draft night and what he hopes to contribute on the court.

Video: Felisa Cárdenas and Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports
Photos: Luke Hales, Andy Lyons/Getty Images

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