COLUMBIA, Mo. (BVM) — Most high school athletes don’t begin their senior year with over a dozen offers from universities across the nation. Most high school athletes are not Aminu Mohammed.

Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Mohammed has always been passionate about playing sports, especially basketball.

“I played basketball when I was in Nigeria,” he said. “And when I came over here, that’s when the stuff really picked up.”

Mohammed is a 6-foot-4 guard on the varsity basketball team at Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield, Missouri. While he was living in Nigeria, his older brother, Kabir, came to Missouri to play basketball. Mohammed wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps, and moved to Missouri before beginning his sophomore year of high school. 

Staying close to family was important for Mohammed as he moved to a new continent, which is what led him to choosing his current high school. Greenwood is affiliated and located on the campus of Missouri State University, where Kabir is a student.

While Mohammed came to Missouri with the intent of following his brother to attend school, his experience with the Greenwood Blue Jays’ basketball team is what truly changed his passion for the sport.

“From the start I was like, ‘we will see,’” the guard said. “As I started playing during the season and got a feel for the whole thing, the team came together, I was playing really good and we ended up winning the championship. I was scared at first that I was not going to do good, but that really changed when I started picking stuff up and I fell in love with it.”

Mohammed said basketball has always come natural to him as a game, but never as a competitive sport. He remembered how he didn’t understand basketball as a team sport because he had never played competitively on a team. Living in Nigeria as a kid drew him to play more popular team sports, such as soccer.

“I played soccer growing up, but when I was playing soccer, basketball was more what I wanted to play,” Mohammed said. “Basketball was more just for fun but it was really what I wanted to do.” 

After moving to Missouri in 2018, Mohammed said he was focused on coming to a better school, not playing basketball. His brother set a great example of what going to school in America could be like, and Mohammed wanted to try it for himself.

“America, you know, is the land of opportunity first of all,” the Greenwood basketball star said. “My brother lived here, was playing basketball and going to school here, and I felt like I could do that, so we made the decision and I was here.” 

Mohammed lives with his legal guardian, Shawn Harmon, who has a history with mentoring young men in the sport of basketball, including Mohammed’s older brother, Kabir. 

Harmon continued to honor the boys’ parents’ request that academics come before basketball when Mohammed came to America, but was familiar with the talent that ran in the family. He is clearly committed to guiding Mohammed on his path into college basketball.

When asked how he feels about being watched by recruiters every time he steps on the court, Mohammed credited Harmon for being able to stay calm.

“For me, I don’t get overwhelmed with that stuff easily,” he said. “I just stay poised, stay in control. My guardian pretty much has everything in control. He’s the one looking out for me, and with him doing that, I don’t really feel the need to be overwhelmed…I just feel relaxed and whatever happens, happens.”

Mohammed’s skills on the court are nothing short of impressive. A five-star player, winner of the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year, and ranked No. 17 in the nation for high school basketball players according to 247 Sports, it is no secret that basketball is what he is meant to do.

But despite receiving such honors, he said he does not let winning awards impact his play.

“Me, personally, and for my guardian, we don’t really look at the rankings and stuff,” Mohammed said.  “It is something to be recognized on, but the main focus is just getting better and being ready for the call.”

The call he is referring to is one he has received over a dozen times: offers from colleges.

According to his guardian, Mohammed has had about a dozen college scholarship offers including impressive programs at schools such as Indiana, Oklahoma State, Louisville, and many, many others.

“It’s exciting to get those offers,” he said. “I mean, going to the campus and seeing what the players are doing, talking to the coaches, getting the atmosphere, that’s exciting too.”

Mohammed and his guardian have visited four colleges so far, including Kansas State and his current prospective choice, Indiana.

While thinking about college decisions can be intimidating, it is something he tells himself to take in strides.

“I mean, sometimes pressure comes with that, but you just got to figure it out,” Mohammed said. “You got to know that there’s still things you have to grow in and you just got to handle it, no matter if the pressure is coming.”

Pressure is not something Mohammed has been used to in his high school career. The Greenwood boy’s basketball team went 18-3 in the 2019-20 season, ranking third overall in Missouri.  

Mohammed’s contributions to the team led Greenwood to their first state title since 1942 last season. His impressive stats for the team in 2019 include 34.8 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game, making him a top scorer for Greenwood.

While some people assume that talent such as his is almost always accompanied with competitive pressure, the guard said that it is just part of the sport.

 “‘You say you wanna play basketball right?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Well, that’s what comes with it — pressure.’”

In terms of the awards he has earned from his time at Greenwood so far, Mohammed was named the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball after the 2018-19 season.

This award in particular was a goal that Mohammed was after, but not expecting.

“It is part of the goal, but it was never like, ‘oh you need to get it,’” he said. “It felt pretty good to be recognized, but in the meantime, you always got people coming in behind you, so you just have to keep getting better, there’s no time to wait.”

Mohammed got a taste of the competition he prepares himself for during this past season at Greenwood. After getting eliminated from the playoffs before the team could clinch a spot in the semi-finals, Greenwood was unable to repeat as state champions.

But his mindset for his final season as a Blue Jay is all about keeping his eye on the horizon of success.

“For this season, for us, we just have to get it done by any means necessary,” he said. “Putting it all out there on the floor and hopefully we come out with a successful season, winning the championship, winning the tournament we’re playing, and just putting ourselves out there.”

As for after he graduates, Mohammed is focused on doing what he needs to in order to achieve his ultimate goal: playing in the NBA.

“The main goal is to get to the NBA, but you know, if you don’t get there, you can still play professionally somewhere,” the Blue Jay’s star said. “With college, I want to get a degree but you can always get there, go professional, come back and get your degree. But you know, the main focus is to get to the NBA first, that has been the main goal.”

Aminu Mohammed and the Greenwood boys basketball team start their quest for championship glory with their first game of the season against Rogersville High School on Dec. 8.

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