Basketball began early for Amadi Udenyi, the No. 31 ranked player in the class of 2012 according to NorCalPreps.com. Udenyi started playing organized basketball at the age of three for the Pee Wee Rebels that was coached by his older brother, Bruce Johnson II. From age nine to twelve, he played for the Oakland Rebels, which was also coached by Johnson II. Since Udenyi was thirteen, he has been playing for the Oakland Soldiers 16U and Greenline clubs. Udenyi has pride in his Oakland roots as he says, "If you can play in the city of Oakland, you can play anywhere."
Udenyi has been the starting point guard since his sophomore year for the De La Salle Spartans of the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL). As the only starting sophomore on the team, Udenyi was able to guide the Spartans to a 29-3 record and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) title victory. The first time starter was able to average 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists.
At 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds, Udenyi considers his best moves to be his step-back and hesitation crossover dribble that allow him to create room either to score or to find an open team mate. When asked whose game he models his after, Udenyi says, "I model my game after many players. I like to take different things that may work for me and add them to my game. It's like a pot of gumbo. You keep adding till it is where it needs to be." But when asked to name some players, he says, "Kobe's mental approach. Everything about Chris Paul's game."
During this summer, Udenyi has been working out and playing in tournaments with both Greenline and Oakland Soldiers 16U. Greenline is De La Salle High's summer team. Udenyi feels that playing for Greenline during the second half would prepare him better for the upcoming EBAL season. In addition, he has been working with his De La Salle Coach Frank Alloco Jr. every day at 6AM Monday thru Friday during the summer.
Udenyi's Soldiers team includes Mitty's Aaron Gordon and David Andoh, Jabari Bird (Benicia), and Ikenna Irorgbu (Franklin). When asked how he performed and what he thought about playing with the Soldiers, Udenyi said, "playing with the Soldiers is fun too because at any moment we can do something that has the entire gym going crazy."
Udenyi's ability to play for De La Salle, Greenline, and Oakland Soldiers 16U at a high level can be attributed to his family. His older brother, Johnson II, has been honing Udenyi's skills to be a well rounded point guard who can handle the ball, has a perimeter shot, get to the basket to finish, and create for others. During the summer, he has been working on his perimeter shooting and ball handling. In addition, Udenyi has a younger brother, Emeka, who is an aspiring small forward. Coincidentally, Amadi's name means "from a good family" in the Igbo Nigerian dialect. Hence, basketball really does run in this family.
Even though Udenyi has not maximized his abilities, colleges already have him on their radar. Bucknell, Chico State, Fresno State, Oregon State, Sacramento State, San Diego, San Diego State, and Saint Mary's have contacted the junior to be. He has not made any visits nor received any offers yet.
Nicknamed 'Madi' by his teammates, Amadi is looking for a stable program that will improve his basketball skills and has a relaxed coaching staff. In addition, he wants to be in an environment that he can mature as a person. He has no current geographic restrictions.
Academically, Udenyi has a 3.0 GPA and has not taken the SAT yet. He would like to major in either Business or Journalism as his favorite subject is Math. His aptitude for learning cannot be overlooked as he has had to learn two different offenses as the starting point guard for De La Salle and Oakland Soldiers 16U. This plus his athleticism will make him a tantalizing prospect for any program that needs a versatile floor general in two years.
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