Melvin Ejim (Vitrus Roma) Reflects On 1st Season Overseas

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IceManLikeGervin
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Melvin Ejim (Vitrus Roma) Reflects On 1st Season Overseas

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:18 pm

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After spending four years in a free-wheeling, up-tempo, instinct-based offense, former Iowa State star Melvin Ejim needed to adapt upon arrival in the Italian pro game.

“It’s very different,” Ejim said in a recent phone interview with the Ames Tribune. “It’s very systematic. Slow, in a way. It varies, and in certain countries, they get up and down a lot more, they’re more athletic but in Italy it’s more of a systematic game.

“Our coach is really into the system of the game and the way you do it. It was different. I figure that it always takes some time to adjust but I think at the end it really helped develop my game.”

Ejim, the 2014 Big 12 player of the year, spent his first professional season Vitrus Roma in Serie A, Italy’s top tier league. He averaged 7.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

“There are certain things, certain business aspects,” Ejim said, “things you’ve got to do that change from when you are a student and there are more responsibilities and different pressures (as a professional).

“It was definitely eye opening, but you adjust quickly if you want to stay in the business. I was kind of forced to figure it out quick and go with it. Luckily I had a lot of really good vets on our team who had been there for awhile so they were able to help you through the transition.”

Ejim, though, has always had a professional demeanor to the way he approaches the game.

“The one thing with Melvin that’s been impressive over the years is the time he’s put in the gym to invest in his career and his skill development,” ISU assistant T.J. Otzelberger, who recruited Ejim to Ames, said. “Melvin is a professional in every sense of the word.”

Also helping through the transition was Ejim’s home base. He wasn’t in some outpost in Russia or small town in the Netherlands. He was in one of Europe’s most storied cities.

“Rome, being a huge city, was a great place to be for my first time,” Ejim said. “It was easy to adjust. Pasta is something everybody eats. They had some really good food. There was obviously a language barrier, but I was able to pick up a decent bit and a lot of people, especially within the organization, spoke English. It was easy to adjust.

“Every time I had somebody come through, some family or friends come over, I was always at the site. Late night, me and my fiancé might just go check out the coliseum or go to the Vatican. It was an incredible experience to have that stuff right at your backdoor.

“I feel like when you’re in this situation you can end up in really different situation, one being in a country or a town where there’s nothing to do. When you know there’s always something to do, always something to see, something always to enjoy or appreciate, it keeps things in line for you, keeps things in perspective and it was really great to have that so close and available to see.”

Ejim now, though, is returning to Iowa to help run a basketball camp bearing his name starting Monday in Urbandale.

“I feel like Iowa State and Iowa is somewhere that really gave a lot to me,” Ejim said “just through opportunities, the ability to play basketball and I think it’s a cool way to give back to some of the kids and some of the people who gave to me.”

Ejim hopes his camp will stand out amongst the multitude that populate every summer.

“It’s really focused on skill and really supposed to be not just a basketball camp,” he said, “but an overall experience where you can learn some basketball experiences, learn some life experiences, interact in a different level.

“It’s really something cool that I can put my stamp on. I want it to be something everyone can look back on and feel like they had a really great experience and look forward to it next year.

“I’m putting a lot into it and really want parents and kids in Ames to really feel like this is something to be proud of and something that’s going to be a great experience.”

Aside from his camp, Ejim’s summer will be plenty busy with basketball as he plays for the Canadian national team and will look to secure a second professional contract.

“Just a lot of basketball,” he said, “a lot of figuring out what I’m going to do and just having fun while I’m doing it.” END


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Post by IceManLikeGervin » Wed Jun 01, 2016 10:51 pm


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Melvin Ejim Resings W/ Umana Reyer Venezia (Italy)

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:37 am

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Italy - Umana Venezia keeps Ejim for another season http://www.eurobasket.com/comments/jsSc ... ate=449682
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Umana Reyer Venezia (Serie A) re-signed 25-year old Nigerian ex-international forward Melvin Ejim (198-100kg-91, college: Iowa State). He has a double citizenship as he also holds Canadian passport. Ejim played there last season. In 16 Serie A games he averaged 9.3ppg, 6.0rpg and 1.1spg. He also played at Erie Bay Hawks in D-League that season. In 39 games he had 14.6ppg, 7.7rpg, 3.1apg and 1.6spg. Ejim also spent pre-season at the Magic in NBA that year.

The previous (14-15) season he played at Virtus Roma. In 29 Serie A games he had 7.7ppg and 6.3rpg in 2014-15 season. Ejim also played 18 games in Eurocup where he had 8.1ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.3apg and 1.2spg in 2014-15 season.

Among other achievements he played in the final of NBA Pro Summer League in Orlando in 2015. Ejim received also All-Big 12 Player of the Year award and All-Big 12 1st Team award in 2014 at his college time. Ejim represented Nigeria at the FIBA Americas in Mexico last year. His team won Bronze and his stats at that event were 10 games: 5.6ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 54.3%, FT: 81.8%.

Ejim graduated from Iowa State in 2014 and it is his third season in pro basketball.

His game is described as: An undersized PF whose true height is around 6-5 and who needs to convert himself in a combo forward, adding more outside shooting and perimetral defense to be succesful in his professiobnal career.

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Sole Shift Magazine

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Thu Jul 28, 2016 2:30 am

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Check out @KayNurse11 and @MelvinEjim in the latest issue of @SoleShift ! http://ow.ly/J3rp302Fqg7

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