O’Fallon junior forward Ben Akoro could be ‘special’
By SAM LANCE
O’FALLON, IL — Junior forward Ben Akoro out of O’Fallon Township High School (IL) comes from a basketball family. His mother, Melanie Akoro, is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at Chester High School (IL) and went on to play at John A. Logan and Pittsburg State. His father, Ian Akoro, played basketball in Kenya before coming to the United States to star at Pittsburg State. Then you have his older sister, Celeste Akoro, who played Division I hoops at Virginia Tech and SEMO.
It’s now Ben’s time to shine.
During the Bank of O’Fallon shootout, Akoro averaged 15 points per game across his two contests vs. Columbia (IL) and Vianney (MO). He showcased his ability to hit shots from the mid-range and drive to the basket, as well as showing he’s a capable passer, rebounder and defender. O’Fallon came up short both games, but Akoro certainly stood out.
(6'7 G/F )Ben Akoro was on fire during the Bank of O'Fallon Shootout (@BofO_SO) @ben_akoro @ian_akoro @scottybscout @OTHSBoysHoops pic.twitter.com/C2AYWZ57e3
— Anthony Stephany (@byantsteph) February 10, 2025
“I’d say I’m a point forward or like a two-way, three-level scorer,” Akoro said of his game. “I love playing defense. I sit down on defense and I can guard one-through-five. And then offensively I feel like I can score at all levels. I’m the opposite of selfish. I look to find my teammates. I’m just willing to do anything to win. I’m not about scoring. I just want to win.”
Simply put — Akoro does it all for O’Fallon.
“There’s been games where I’ve had a lot of assists and ran point guard for our team and then there’s other games where I’ve ran the 4 or 5, doing all the dirty work,” Akoro told ZAGSBLOG. “And then there’s other games where I’m the leading scorer, and I’m doing whatever it takes to win.”
On the recruiting front, the class of 2026 forward has no offers. However, he has received interest from some local schools like St. Louis in addition to Belmont. He was up at SLU to watch a game and chat with the coaches the last week of January.
“That was my first time meeting [Josh Schertz],” Akoro said. “He talks to my dad a lot more than me. Meeting him, he was real friendly and he told me what he liked about my game and what to continue focusing on. So I’m just trying to take his advice and apply that.”
Belmont will be in at O’Fallon to watch him practice soon. When he gets down to it and interest starts to flow in, Akoro is looking for a program where he can showcase his talent. He also wants to major in business or finance. Akoro’s dream school would be Kansas.
“I love watching Bill Self coach,” Akoro said. “I watched them all the time when they had Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, all of those players.”
As a propsect, Akoro is still pretty raw and will need to put on some muscle to truly become a force. But there’s no denying all of the tools are there.
“His size, length and really his ball handling is what makes him elite because he can work both hands and get to the basket either way,” O’Fallon head coach Brian Muniz told ZAGSBLOG. “Even if you pressure him, you’re not getting it away from him. He can get around you and then he’s a really good passer also. So it’s his ball handling with his length that sets him apart from other guys at that size. There’s so much room for him to grow, strength wise, shot wise. If he can put it all together he’ll be special.”
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