Basketball Panthers recruit Kenyan student
The UPEI men's basketball team is excited to announce that six-foot-six forward Sammy Opel has committed to the Panthers for the upcoming season. Opel joins the team from Nairobi, Kenya, where he was captain of his high school basketball team that won both the Kenyan Secondary Schools Championship and the East African Title.
Head Coach Tim Kendrick is very pleased with the new addition. 'We are thrilled to add a player of Sammy's potential to our roster. We have been in contact with him for several months, and think that he will be a great fit for our program,' said Kendrick. 'He appears to be a very good young man, and we are certainly looking forward to his arrival on campus.'
Opel is anxious to get to Prince Edward Island and to the University. 'I want to bring all of my hard work and talent to UPEI. I am thrilled and grateful to the University, and to Coach Kendrick, for giving me the honour of playing for the Panthers,' he said. 'I will give my best to my studies and to my team.'
The Panthers begin the exhibition season by hosting the Mickey Place Basketball Tournament, October 12-14, with teams from across Canada competing in the event. Season passes are now on sale which include admission to the tournament, contact (902) 566-0432 or pantherpass@upei.ca.
