- Slug: Sports-Suns Summer Leagues, 480 words.
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By Anne-Marie Iemmolo
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – During Oso Ighodaro’s formative years at Desert Vista High School, his former coach Gino Crump recalls a memorable rookie mistake the Phoenix Suns’ new addition made while playing for the Thunder.
Ighodaro forgot to bring a necessary item on a team trip to Las Vegas for a basketball tournament.
“He left one of his uniforms when we went off to our Christmas tournament in Las Vegas,” Crump said.
To make sure the 6-foot-10 center wouldn’t repeat his mistake, Crump required him to wear his alternate uniform for the rest of the day as the team traveled around Sin City. Fast forward over five years later, Ighodaro prepares to return to Vegas this week and represent the Suns at the 2024 NBA 2K25 Summer League, starting July 12.
On Sunday, the Suns announced their Summer League roster, which includes Ighodaro and first-round pick Ryan Dunn. The Suns will open Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, giving fans a first look at the team’s newest rookie additions.
Phoenix will play games at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the University of Nevada campus, aiming to be one of the top four teams to advance to the playoffs and compete in the semifinal doubleheader on July 21, with the championship game slated for July 22.
Dunn, selected 28th overall by the Suns in June, was touted as one of the best defensive prospects in this year’s NBA draft and will showcase his skills in Vegas.
The 6-foot-8 forward played for two seasons with the University of Virginia, where he averaged 6.9 rebounds and led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with an average of 2.3 blocks per game.
“I’m just excited to bring my young energy to these players and compete as hard as I can and just learn as much as I can,” Dunn said during his introductory press conference last Tuesday.
Other Suns players to watch are Boo Buie and Tyrese Samuel, two Suns Exhibit 10 signees who could end up playing for the team’s new G League affiliate, the Valley Suns.
Buie, a 6-foot-2 point guard, scored 2,187 points during his five seasons with the Northwestern Wildcats, becoming the all-time leading scorer in program history. Samuel, the Canadian hooper, transferred from Seton Hall to Florida for his senior season, averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
During four years with Marquette University, Ighodaro averaged 12.4 points while shooting 61.6 percent from the field.
The Arizona native won’t forget his ties to the Valley or his jersey as he heads to Vegas to begin his professional basketball career.
“The culture that we started in high school helped me in college and will hopefully continue to help me at the NBA level,” Ighodaro said, giving credit to Crump.
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