Ahelegbe joins UNI in St. Louis for Arch Madness

ST. LOUIS - As Northern Iowa practiced at Scottrade Center on Thursday, there were a few familiar faces in St. Louis to support the Panthers in their quest for an MVC Tournament title.

One of those belonged to the man who ran the offense for the famed 2010 Sweet Sixteen team, Kwadzo Ahelegbe. The former point guard has been in Cedar Falls all year, finishing up his Master's in postsecondary education at UNI, and came to St. Louis to 'support the home team, as they say - one of the best teams in the Valley.”

He's followed the team closely since he graduated - even keeping tabs while playing professionally for three years in Germany, Holland and Austria - and said he takes pride in he, Adam Koch and Ali Farokhmanesh having an influence on the stars of today.

And like so many fans and followers of the Panthers, Ahelegbe sees a lot of similarities in this team and his team.

'Obviously part of it is Coach Jake and his system. So, you know, there's obviously characteristics that are very, very similar,” Ahelegbe said. 'The coaching staff has been doing a great job putting them in situations to be successful. That's what they always do. That's what we thrived off of and that's what they're doing now. The similarities of what they have and what we did are very, very close. It's amazing.”

The debate over which team is better - in fun - has been waged on social media all season, and when asked about his pick, Ahelegbe let out a hearty laugh.

He didn't go into detail, but had to side with the team he was on.

'Someone asked me that same question (recently). And I think we'd have them by a late-second Ali Farokhmanesh 3,” Ahelegbe said.

A more practical reason Ahelegbe is at Arch Madness is to try to learn a few things from an administrative perspective.

Once he's gotten his Master's, the hope is to one day end up running an athletic department somewhere. And if he has anything to say about it, UNI athletics director Troy Dannen better watch out.

'I poked fun with Troy Dannen, the athletic director; when I left (UNI), I told him my dream job would be athletic director - take his job,” Ahelegbe said. 'And obviously that's the part I'm understanding now, the knowledge that I'm gaining through some development meetings I went to - just seeing that side of it. It's a long stretch, and obviously there's a process to it, so I'm trying to start that process now.

'Hopefully I fall somewhere in the Valley, that would be amazing. Hopefully stay around Iowa, but wherever an opportunity comes would be great for me.”

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