Jeff Walz adds 6’6″ Eseosa Imafidon to the Louisville women’s basketball roster

Eseosa Imafidon is a Nigerian transfer student who moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to live with a set of host parents. She originally came to the United States through a program called Access2Success, a Christian-based organization that provides support to Nigerian communities. Per their website, here is a brief description of what they do:

"“A2S is a non-profit organization supporting youth empowerment in Nigeria through Christian-based athletic & educational programs.”"

Imafidon has only been playing basketball since 2019, but that does not appear to be hindering her development. From her first year of high school here in the States, the 2019-2020 season, she increased her point production from 3.4 points per game to 14.1 points per game. On the same hand, she recorded 11.3 rebounds per game and 2.2 blocks per contest.

Her height certainly gives her an edge over opponents, but she is also developing skills to pair well with her talent. Eseosa Imafidon played her high school ball at Covenant Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was originally set to graduate in the Class of 2022.

But, she decided to take an extra year and attend Proctor Academy in Andover, New Hampshire. In a recent interview with Patrick O’Brien, of Lady Phenom Hoops, she described her final year as a memorable one:

"“In terms of basketball, I thought it was a great season and never regretted taking this extra year. I worked hard and was hungry to improve as a player. It was challenging and did not come easy, but I knew what I wanted and had to work hard to obtain it.  I gained a lot of confidence in my game in terms of dominating the paint, blocking shots, rebounding, and just being a force in the paint. I’m still young to the game, and starting to realize what I’m am capable of doing and I know I have more room for improvement, so I am going to keep working hard, pushing myself, and doing what I enjoy best.”"

It’s very evident that she is a talented basketball player and is serious about improving her game. Her improvements on the court propelled her recruiting upward, landing her offers from Kentucky, Iowa State, DePaul, East Carolina, and Louisville. An impressive list of schools, but the one she pledged her commitment to is…the University of Louisville.

She also becomes the first player out of the high school ranks to join the University of Louisville Women’s Basketball team this offseason. Prior to her, Head Coach Jeff Walz landed Georgia Tech’s Eylia Love, California’s Jayda Curry, Cal State Bakersfield’s Hennie van Schaik, and James Madison University’s Kiki Jefferson, Florida’s Nina Rickards, and UMass’ Sydney Taylor out of the transfer portal.

Now, Eseosa Imafidon comes into the mix to help bolster the frontcourt next season for the Cardinals. Despite the departure of cornerstone Hailey van Lith from this roster, Jeff Walz has done an excellent job reloading this team with talent and size. The upcoming season will be extremely fun to watch for the Louisville women’s basketball team.