Black History Month: Huskie a leader on and off court

The starting point guard on the Huskie men’s basketball team earned a national championship silver medal in 2022, a kinesiology degree in 2023, and received well-deserved recognition as a U Sports Academic All-Canadian (for an academic average of better than 80 per cent) and as a mentor in the community, not to mention praise from teammates and coaches alike as the consummate leader on and off the court.

“It is something that I have always tried to do, even when I wasn’t playing a lot, I just wanted to be a leader by example,” said Moibi, now in his fifth and final year as a member of the Huskies while also working on completing his Master of Science in Kinesiology this year. “Now that I am a starter, I just try to be supportive and work as hard as I can, play hard on defence, and give the effort to lead by example.”

Moibi came to USask four years ago after spending his first year at MacEwan University back home in Edmonton. He didn’t know quite what to expect coming to Saskatoon, but has always felt right at home. As the university celebrates Black History Month, Moibi said he is proud to be one of the many Black student-athletes in the Huskies program and is grateful he made the move four years ago.

“For school and for basketball reasons, moving to the University of Saskatchewan was a great move for me and I have always felt very welcome here as a Black student,” he said. “Coming here, I honestly didn’t know how many Black students would be on campus and it was kind of surprising to see, but it’s been great, and I have always felt supported here. I think it is really important to recognize the things that Black students do at our university and in our community and I am proud to be a part of it.”

In his second season of serving a starter under second-year head coach Jamie Campbell, Moibi’s leadership has helped the Huskies knock off powerful nationally ranked teams like the fifth-ranked University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, as well as a remarkable road sweep of the previously third-ranked Winnipeg Wesmen to close out the first half of the season. On a team focused on defence first, the 6-foot-2 Moibi is the perfect floor general for Campbell’s squad.

“Fisayo works just hard on the basketball court as he works off the floor, and on top of that, with the type of person and the leader he is, he is exactly what you want on a team,” said Campbell, whose Huskies are in playoff position with an 8-8 record in the Canada West conference and looking to build towards a post-season run. “He has a great ability to get in the lane and find his teammates and is very unselfish, and a tremendous on-ball defender for us. He is a tremendous role model and shows how far hard work and being a good person can take you.”

While Moibi is focused on completing his master’s degree and finishing his final year of basketball, he also cherishes his time as a volunteer and mentor in the community, from helping coach youngsters in summer basketball camps, to taking part in school visits during the season.

“Every summer our teams help with the Huskie camps and it is always a lot of fun and the kids really enjoy it, too,” said Moibi. “It is great to interact with them, and I think it is kind of cool for the younger guys to talk to Huskie athletes and it is a lot of fun for us. We see some of them at our games during the season and it is nice to see. So I always enjoy helping out in the community.”

In the classroom and in the lab, Moibi is preparing to start a career as a researcher, focused on how plantar flexion and stretching affects athletic performance, with a long-term goal of improving shoe design. On the court, he is focused on one final run at a championship, with the Huskies committed to a defence-first mentality that is the key to their success.

“I think we have a pretty good understanding of our identity and we are pretty focused on defence and I think we are one of the better teams defensively in the conference, and maybe even in the country, in terms of holding teams to under their average in points per game,” said Moibi, who is averaging 5.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game and has been automatic from the free throw line by draining a remarkable 27 of 28 this season. “So that is our identity, to always out-work our opponents and play tough defence and even if we are a little off on offence, we will always be in a game because of our work on defence. And we’re hoping that will take us a long way.”

Huskie women’s soccer standout Amou Madol, a three-time Academic All-Canadian and pharmacy student at USask, has been awarded a $5,000 Athletes on Track bursary. Madol, who helped the Huskies earn a bronze medal in the Canada West conference playoffs, is one of eight Black student-athletes across the country selected to receive the financial and mentorship support from the Black North Initiative this year … Tickets for the Huskies Women of Influence Breakfast on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at TCU Place in support of female Huskie student-athletes are now available. The event will feature three-time Canadian Olympian and former Huskies legend Diane Jones Konihowski as guest speaker … Tickets are also on sale to see the Huskie women’s hockey team host the 2024 GFL U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship, presented by Connect Energy, from March 14-17 at Merlis Belsher Place … Seven of the 10 Huskie teams in action this semester are currently ranked in the Top 10 in the country, including the No.1-ranked undefeated (16-0) Huskie women’s basketball team, women’s wrestling (No.2), women’s track and field (No.3), men’s wrestling (No.3), men’s volleyball (No.6), men’s hockey (No.9), and women’s hockey (No.10).