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ON ALABI: Destined to be one of the great centers in Florida State history after earning Freshmen All-America Honorable Mention and All-ACC Freshmen Team honors in 2009...he was also named to the 2009 All-ACC Defensive Team as he became only the seventh freshman in league history to lead the ACC in blocked shots...blocked 73 shots for a 2.1 blocked shots per game average - the highest among any player in the league in 2008-09...the only freshman on the All-ACC Defensive Team in 2009...earned Freshmen All-American Honorable Mention Honors by CollegeHoops.net and was named the All-ACC Freshmen team by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association and Rivals.com...named to the All-ACC Freshmen Team, to the All-ACC Tournament Second Team and was named the ACC Rookie of the Week twice during his outstanding freshman season in 2008-09...named to the All-ACC Tournament Second Team as he helped lead the Seminoles to the championship game of the ACC Tournament for the first time in school history...along with All-American Toney Douglas (who earned All-ACC Tournament First Team honors) he became one of only three players in school history to earn All-ACC Tournament honors (Alabi and Douglas in 2009 and Charlie Ward in 1992)...only the fifth player in Florida State history to earn All-ACC Freshmen Team honors...he joined Corey Louis (1994), Michael Joiner (2001), Anthony Richardson (2001) and Alexander Johnson (2004) as the Seminoles who have been named to the All-ACC Freshmen team...ranked 36th nationally and fourth among all Division I freshmen in blocked shots with 73 and a 2.1 blocked shots per game average during the 2008-09 season...enters his second full season in the 2009-10 season with 84 career blocked shots in 45 career games for a 1.87 career blocked shots per game average...his 84 blocked shots ranks him in a tie for 11th all-time for a career at Florida State...he enters the 2009-10 season looking to become only the ninth player in school history with 100 or more blocked shots and only the fourth player in school history with 150 or more blocked shots...the school record for blocked shots in a career is 240 by Rodney Dobard (1990-93)...a terrific touch around the basket and has an excellent perimeter shot...very good timing, is a good runner and is very agile on his feet for a person of such height...said Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe during the 2009 ACC Tournament: "Mark this name down: Solomon Alabi. He may very well be the next great thing. What we are talking about is 7-feet of astonishing young grace, agility and sheer athleticism. He is not just a dunker. He has a face-up jumper, a nice little jump hook and he can even put it on the floor a little. But what is so great about him is that every shot he takes looks like it is supposed to go in. When he first went to the foul line against Boston College on the night of February 24 I naturally assumed it would be a brickerama. Hah! He went eight-for-eight, swishes all. I'm sitting there going "Omigod, what is this?" Yes, I am going to hit him with the dreaded "P" word. His potential is enormous. Of course, he has a lot to learn. He needs to rebound more consistently, and he just needs playing time. He came to the USA in 2005, hoping to find an institution where he could develop his English and become a basketball player. He is said to be very intelligent and he is obviously a hard worker. Best of all, this game looks like it all makes sense to him. He's a have to be a lottery pick. So I have seen the future of Bigs and its name is Solomon Alabi."...was granted a medical redshirt in 2009 and has three full seasons of eligibility remaining as the 2009-10 season begins season...played in only 10 games in his first year as a Seminole before a leg injury shortened his season...underwent surgery on Jan. 2, 2008 to correct a tibial stress fracture in his right leg and was sidelined for the Seminoles' final 20 games of the season...came to Florida State with the injury as a freshman and the coaching kept him out of the practices to begin the season...he attended practice and underwent specialized instruction but did not practice with the team during the 2007-08 preseason...did not participate in a full practice before he played his first game on Nov. 12 against Georgia Southern...with limited practice time as he worked to recover from the stress fracture, Alabi began to show his immense ability to be a successful player on the collegiate level...spent his time working on his free throws and midrange shots while at the same time developing his fundamentals while his teammates were practicing on the court right next to him in the Seminoles' basketball facility...is a tremendous shot blocker with good timing off the ball...was measured with a 7'3" wingspan and a 9'1" standing reach...spent his time during his redshirt season working on his ball handling, passing, catching and shooting form drills since he could not run and jump...his length makes him an imposing presence on defense...came to the United States in June of 2005 to attend high school and earn admission into a college or university in the United States...began playing the sport of basketball in 2004 and has developed into an all-star candidate player...starred at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., as a junior and senior...led Montverde to an undefeated 30-0 record and a No. 4 national ranking in the final USA Today high school boy's basketball poll...Alabi and Montverde were named the National Champions in the HoopsUSA.com rankings...considered to be the best shot blocker and defensive intimidator in the high school class of 2007...ranked as the No. 24 ranked overall player in the nation as a senior by Rivals.com...earned All-Star status at the Nike All-American camp prior to his senior season...following his participation in the Nike All-American camp he starred for the Nigerian Junior National team as they dominated and won the African championships...the Nigerian team qualified for the 2007 FIBA Under 19 World Championships by winning the African Championships...averaged 9.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and a tournament-leading 2.8 blocks per game at the FIBA Under 19 World Championships during the summer of 2007...scored five points and pulled down five rebounds as a member of the World Select Team at the 2007 Nike Hoop Summit All-Star game played in Memphis, Tenn...compared by many in terms of build and body to Antonio McDyess...has good hands and an explosive vertical leap...earned four awards at the Seminoles' Basketball Honors Banquet in 2009: The Dave Cowens Chairman of the Boards Award, the awards for the best field goal percentage and most improved player and as the Seminoles most improved student athlete...
AS A REDSHIRT FRESHMAN (2009): Averaged 8.4 points (second on the team), 5.6 rebounds (first), 2.1 blocked shots (first) and shot a team leading .540 from the field in his first full season as a Seminole...ranked third on the team in total minutes played (779), fifth in average minutes played per game (22.3), as the leader and one of only two players on the team to shoot 50 percent or better from the field for the season, was fourth on the team in free throws made and attempted, led the team in offensive rebounds (75/2.1 orpg), defensive rebounds (122/3.5 drpg) and total rebounds (197/5.6 rpg), and had 18 steals...he blocked at least one shot in 32 of the Seminoles' 35 games and had multiple blocked shots in 22 of Florida State's 35 games...one of only two Seminoles to start all 35 games for the Seminoles and averaged 22.3 minutes played per game...named to the Freshmen All-America Honorable Mention team, the All-ACC Freshmen Team, the All-ACC Defensive Team and the All-ACC Tournament Second Team as he led the Seminoles to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998 and into the championship game of the ACC Tournament for the first time in school history...the only freshman on the All-ACC Defensive Team in 2009...ranked among the top freshmen in school history in six statistical categories: second in blocked shots (73), second in total rebounds (197), third in field goals made (122), fourth in rebounds per game (5.6), tied for sixth in total points (295) and 10th in field goals attempted (226)...his 73 blocked shots ranks as the third highest single-season total in school history behind only 111 by Rodney Dobard (1992-93) and 74 by Corey Louis (1994-95)...ranked 36th nationally and fourth among all Division I freshmen in blocked shots with 73 and a 2.1 blocked shots per game average during the 2008-09 season...was one of only 30 players in the nation to block 70 or more shots during the 2008-09 season...was one of only two players in the ACC who blocked 2.0 or more shots per game (also Clemson's Trevor Booker)...ranked fourth in the ACC among all freshmen with an 8.4 points per game scoring average, fourth among all ACC freshmen with a 5.6 rebounds per game average and was tied for third with two double doubles...earned Rookie of the Week honors twice during the 2008-09 season to become only the fourth player in school history to earn the honor multiple times in a single season...he joins only Bob Sura (three times during the 1991-92 season), Michael Joiner (three times during the 2000-01 season) and Von Wafer (twice during the 2003-04 season) as honored rookies...led the Seminoles with a .540 field goal shooting percentage - the first Seminole freshman to lead the team in field goal shooting percentage since Alexander Johnson led the tam with a .551 mark in earning All-ACC Freshmen Team honors in 2004...led the team in rebounding a team-leading 14 times and topped the team in scoring twice (12 vs. Western Illinois, Nov. 24, 2008; 16 vs. Charleston Southern, Dec. 18, 2008)...third on the team with two games of at least 10 rebounds (14 vs. Charleston Southern Dec. 18, 2008; 11 at Duke, March 3, 2009)...tied for second on the team with two double-doubles (16 points and 14 rebounds vs. Charleston Southern Dec. 18, 2008; 12 points and 11 rebounds at Duke, March 3, 2009)...scored in double figures 14 times including a career-high 17 points in the Seminoles' monumental victory over Clemson (Feb. 7) on the road...helped the Seminoles to the come-from-behind victory that saw the Seminoles rally from as much as a 14-point deficit with 10 minutes remaining in the game...double figure scoring in seven of 16 ACC games during the regular season and in all three games during the ACC Tournament as the Seminoles finished fourth in the ACC standings and advanced to the championship of the ACC Tournament for the first time in school history...Florida State's third leading scorer in ACC games only with a 9.4 points per game average...averaged in double figures (11.7 ppg) in three games during the Seminoles' march to the ACC Tournament championship game...averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in helping the Seminoles to the championship of the Global Sports Classic with victories over Coastal Carolina (7 points and 5 rebounds), Western Illinois (12 points and four rebounds), Cincinnati (six points and six rebounds) and Cal in the championship game (four points and four rebounds)...improved steadily throughout the season as he averaged 7.8 points, in the first 12 games of the season, 8.2 points in the middle 12 games of the season and 9.4 points in the final 11 games of the season...in the first half of the season (18 games) he averaged 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds and in the second half of the season (17 games) he averaged 9.8 points and 5.9 rebounds...Florida State's third leading scorer with a 7.9 points per game scoring average and second leading rebounder with a 5.1 rebounds per game average in 14 games against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament...averaged 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in seven games against teams that played in the NIT in 2009...first double figure scoring game came in the third game of his career - 13 points in the Seminoles' victory over Stetson (Nov. 20)...first career double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds in the Seminoles' victory over Charleston Southern (Dec. 18)...played in four wins over ranked teams - No. 21/23 Florida (Dec. 7), No. 10/10 Clemson (Feb. 7), No. 12/13 Clemson (Feb. 28) and No. 1 North Carolina (March 14 in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament)...the Seminoles' victory over No. 1 North Carolina was the third time in the history of the program the Seminoles had defeated the nation's No. 1 ranked team...(vs. Boston College): scored 16 points, blocked four shots and pulled down seven rebounds in the Seminoles' only game of the season against Boston College (Feb. 24)...his four blocked shots ranked as a game high statistic and he was a perfect eight of eight (1.000) from the free throw line as the Seminoles nearly pulled off the road win...Boston College gained the 72-67 victory as they outscored the Seminoles by six points the second half after the Seminoles had taken a 25-24 lead into the locker room at the intermission...worked to bring the Seminoles from a second half deficit with nine points, four rebounds and three blocked shots in the second half...was four of four in the final 3:09 of the game as the Seminoles nearly rallied to tie the game...two free throws drew the Seminoles to within one at 66-65 and two more free throws drew Florida State to within one a 68-67 with 2:40 remaining...his three second half blocks never allowed Boston College to take more than a manageable two point lead at home in the second half...the Eagles scored the final four points of the game to pull away for the victory...(vs. Clemson): averaged 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 rebounds in two games against NCAA Tournament participant Clemson...the Seminoles swept the regular season series against the Tigers as Alabi shot a combined and team-leading .833 (10 of 12) from the field in the victories...also earned three steals in the two wins...scored his ACC career-high of 17 points to go along with nine rebounds in a near double-double as Florida State won at Clemson, 65-61, as they rallied from as much as a 19-point deficit to earn the season changing victory on the road (Feb. 7)...began Florida State's comeback in earnest with a thunderous dunk at the 14:00 minute mark to pull the Seminoles to within 14 at 44-30...the Seminoles had trailed 44-25 only 45 seconds earlier...he then became nearly unstoppable on both ends of the court to lead Florida State to the victory...in the final 14 minutes of the game he scored six points (including the go-ahead basket) and blocked four shots as Florida State recovered to win on the road...offensively he scored on a dunk to make the scored 44-30 with 14:00 minutes remaining, scored on a lay-up to bring the score to 57-44 (minus 13) with 8:34 left in the game and put Florida State up for the first time since only 39 seconds had elapsed in the game with a jumper at the 2:07 mark...defensively he made four game changing plays with four blocked shots...a block at 13:16 on a lay-up attempt by Tanner Smith that would have taken the score to 15 points in favor of the Tigers, a second block at 12:51 in a lay-up by Jerai Grant that would have given the Tigers a 13 point lead, a third block at the 1:06 mark on a lay-up attempt by David Potter that would have put Clemson back on top by one and a block at the 2:36 mark on a lay-up attempt by Demontez Stitt that would have put the Tigers up by six...rather than a six point lead by the Tigers, Alabi's block led to a run-out break away for the Seminoles which culminated in a 3-point shot by Luke Loucks to bring the score to 59-58 and left the Seminoles down by only one point...Florida State's victory improved their overall record to 18-5 and 5-3 in ACC play...scored five points, pulled down two rebounds and blocked two shots as Florida State defeated Clemson, 73-66, in Tallahassee (Feb. 28)...three first half points contributed to the Seminoles' 39-27 halftime advantage...his two second half blocked shots allowed the Seminoles to lead the entire final 20 minutes in winning their ninth ACC game of the year to virtually assure the Seminoles their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1998...(vs. Duke): averaged 8.7 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots in three games against NCAA Tournament participant and ACC Tournament champion Duke...shot .800 percent (four of five) from the free throw line in the three games against the Blue Devils...scored four points and pulled down nine rebounds in the Seminoles' ACC opener in Tallahassee against the Blue Devils (Jan. 10)...his nine rebounds ranked as a team and game high statistic...all four points came in the first half as the Seminoles kept the game close at 19-14 before falling, 66-58...one blocked shot started a streak of 16 consecutive conference games and 20 games overall with at least one blocked shot...totaled his first career ACC double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in his first career trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium (March 3)...tied for game-high rebound honors and blocked three shots as the Seminoles battled mightily in losing by only three points on the road to the nationally ranked Blue Devils...six second half points including a monster dunk to allow the Seminoles to re-take the lead (64-63) with 6:39 remaining in the game...cut the Blue Devil lead to one (74-73) on a short jumper at the 2:58 mark...Duke outscored Florida State, 10-8, over the remainder of the game to take the slim 84-81 win...scored 10 points, pulled down five rebounds and blocked one shot as the Seminoles faced Duke in the championship game of the ACC Tournament in the Georgia Done (March 15)...Duke led the entire second half and took the win from Florida State which was playing in the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time in school history...(vs. Georgia Tech): averaged 11.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in two games against Georgia Tech...shot .600 from the field (nine of 15) and was perfect from the free throw line (four of four) as the Seminoles defeated the Yellow Jackets in Tallahassee during the regular season and at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament...scored eight points, pulled down a team-high tying seven rebounds and blocked two shots as Florida State defeated Georgia Tech at home 62-58 (Feb. 5)...scored four first half points in a three minutes span to break at tie with a short jumper at the 13:26 mark and to increase the Seminoles lead to five on two free throws with 10:47 left before intermission...his four first half points were important as the Yellow Jackets led, 31-25, at halftime...four second half points helped Florida State gain the see-saw victory that saw nine ties and seven lead changes...changed the lead and gave the Seminoles a one point lead (46-45) with a pair of free throws with 5:29 remaining in the game...his free throws ignited a 18-13 game-ending run for the Seminoles which saw them go from a one point deficit (45-44) with 6:32 remaining to a 62-58 lead for their 17th victory of the season...scored 14 points and pulled down a team-high six rebounds to lead Florida State to a momentum building 64-62 victory over Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament...totaled 10 points in the second half as Florida State rallied from a later deficit to earn the victory...his 10 points proved large as the Yellow Jackets stormed back from as much as an eight point second half deficit to take a 62-61 lead with 29 seconds left in the game...Florida State won the game on an old fashioned 3-point play by Derwin Kitchen with seven seconds left on the clock...two second half blocks including one with 6:44 remaining on an attempted jumper by Gani Lawal with the Seminoles leading by three...the Seminoles turned the blocked shot into a made field goal by Alabi and a five point lead (56-51) with 6:32 left...his blocked shot was huge in the Seminoles' taking the victory and advancing to the finals of the ACC Tournament for the first time after defeating North Carolina in the semifinal round the next day...(vs. Maryland): scored eight points, pulled down three rebounds and blocked three shots in the Seminoles' only game against NCAA Tournament participant Maryland...important for Florida State with six points and three blocked shots in the first half to allow the Seminoles to take a 29-27 lead into the locker room at halftime...two baskets (four points) within 2:10 of each other allowed the Seminoles to stay virtually even with the Terps in the first half...a basket at the 7:32 mark put Florida State up 19-16 and a jumper drew the Seminoles to within four at 25-21 with 5:22 remaining after a 9-0 Maryland burst...three first half blocks with two coming as Maryland was attempting to extend its first half lead...the third blocked shot came at the 5:01 mark on an attempted jumpshot by Eric Hayes...had the basket been made the Terps would have taken a six point lead...thanks to Alabi's block the Seminoles scored the next basket to cut the lead to two and took the 29-27 lead at halftime...(vs. Miami): averaged 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots in two games against NIT participant Miami...shot extremely well from the free throw line (.881, 9 of 11) as the Sunshine State rivals split their two game regular season series with each team winning at home...scored 10 points and pulled down nine rebounds as he nearly earned a double-double as the Seminoles traveled to Miami and lost, 75-69, to the Hurricanes (Jan. 21)...four points (all on free throws) in the second half as the Seminoles worked to rebound from an eight point deficit...Alabi twice cut the Seminoles' deficit to as few as one on made free throws but the Hurricanes pulled away at the end for the victory...his one blocked shot in the game came in the first half...scored seven points and pulled down three rebounds to go along with one blocked shot as the Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes, 80-67, in Tallahassee (Feb., 18)...scored what proved to be the game-winning basket early in the second half - a basket at the 18:50 mark that gave the Seminoles a lead they did not relinquish in earning their seventh ACC victory of the season...sank a lay-up at the 18:50 mark to put the Seminoles up 32-21...it was the first basket by either team in the second half and allowed the Seminoles to recover quickly from a 30-29 deficit at halftime...he was fouled on the play, made the free throw and began Florida State's march to the victory...was a perfect five of five from the free throw line in the game as Florida State made 31 of 35 free throws during the game (.886 percent)...(vs. North Carolina): averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in two games against NCAA National Champion North Carolina...shot the ball well against the Tar Heels (eight of 14, .571 percent) as the Seminoles split the two games played with Florida State's win over No. 1 ranked North Carolina in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament...the victory over the Tar Heels sent Florida State to the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time in school history...scored six points and pulled down six rebounds as Florida State played host to North Carolina in Tallahassee (Jan. 28)...totaled four first half points and two second half points...his four first half points helped the Seminoles take as much as a nine point lead...his jumper at the 8:04 mark of the first half gave Florida State a 23-14 advantage...the Tar Heels won the game on a buzzer beating half court 3-point shot by Ty Lawson....scored 11 points, pulled down five rebounds and blocked two shots in the Seminoles' 73-70 victory over No. 1 ranked North Carolina in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament...five second half points to help the Seminoles recover from a three point deficit at halftime...the Seminoles led for the majority of the second half and worked through four ties and two lead changes in the second half to gain the victory...an old fashioned three point play at the 15:57 mark gave Florida State a 43-38 advantage...(vs. NC State): scored 12 points, pulled down four rebounds and blocked two shots in the Seminoles' only game against NC State during the 2008-09 season...hot from the field as he made six of seven shots in the first ACC road game of his career as Florida State won in Raleigh (Jan. 13)...scored what proved to be the game tying and game winning baskets as Florida State won 78-65...tied the game at the 5:23 mark with a jumper and put the Seminoles ahead for good less then two minutes later at the 3:54 mark to put Florida State up 65-63...his game tying basket began a game-ending 17-2 run that gave Florida State their first ACC victory of the season...two first half blocked shots proved big as he erased the possibility of four points for the Wolfpack and the Seminoles held a three point lead(35-32) at the intermission...(vs. Virginia): averaged 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in two games against Virginia...the Seminoles swept the regular season series against the Cavaliers for the second time in the last three seasons...shot the ball well from the field against the Cavaliers as he made 11 of 18 field goal attempts (.611 percent)...Scored 10 points, pulled down four rebounds and blocked two shots as the Seminoles won on the road in Charlottesville (Jan, 24)...helped Florida State jump out to as much as a 20 point first half lead with four points in the first 20 minutes of the game...six points in the second half helped the Seminoles win the game going away, 73-62...nearly perfect from the field (six of eight, .750 percent) as he scored 13 points, pulled down six rebounds and blocked two shots as Florida State defeated Virginia, 68-57, in Tallahassee (Feb. 10)...did most of his offensive damage in the second half with 10 points as Florida State rallied from a 22-20 halftime deficit...also earned his career-high of three assists as the Seminoles won their 19th game of the season and upped their record to 6-3 in the ACC...scored what proved to be the game-winning basket on a jumper with 6:27 remaining in the game to give Florida State a 45-43 lead...his basket began a 25-14 game-ending advantage that led the Seminoles to the victory...tied the game once (22-22 at the 18:48 mark) and gave the Seminoles two leads (26-24, 16:12 and 45-43, 45:43) during the second half of the win...two blocks including one in the first half on a lay-up attempt by Virginia's Assane Sene that would have cut Florida State's lead to only one with 7:59 remaining in the half...the blocked shot loomed large in the outcome of the game as the Cavaliers took a slim two-point halftime lead...(vs. Virginia Tech): averaged 7.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in two games against NIT participant Virginia Tech...Florida State won both games of the regular season series against the Hokies for the first time since Virginia Tech joined the ACC...scored six points, pulled down six rebounds and blocked two shots as the Seminoles won, 67-65, in Blacksburg (Feb. 21)...two points in the first half helped the Seminoles take a 43-33 halftime lead while four points in the second half held Florida State recover after being down on the road for the victory...his four second half points came in a 35 second span as a jumper pulled the Seminoles to within two (51-49) at the 8:43 mark and a thunderous dunk tied the score (51-51) at the 8:08 mark...Alabi's two baskets began a 20-14 game-ending run for Florida State that culminated in Toney Douglas's buzzer-beating shot with six seconds remaining to allow the Seminoles to leave Cassell Coliseum with the victory...two blocked shots in the game and both proved large in the outcome of the game...first half block on a lay-up attempt by Jeff Allen allowed the Seminoles to continue to hold a seven point lead and increase that lead to 10 points at halftime...a second half block of a field goal attempt by A.D. Vassallo at the 13:22 mark maintained a 47-47 tie...Florida State eventually took the lead and won the game...closed the regular season with an eight-point, six-rebound, two-blocked shot performance as the Seminoles defeated Virginia Tech, 63-53, in Tallahassee (March 8)...the win closed off one of the best regular seasons in the history of the program as it gave the Seminoles a 23-8 overall record and a 10-6 mark (good for a fourth place finish in the league standings) in ACC play... scored four points in both the first and second halves as the Seminoles led the game wire-to-wire to gain the senior day victory for Toney Douglas, Uche Echefu and Brian Hoff...(vs. Wake Forest): scored eight points, pulled down four rebounds and blocked three shots in the Seminoles' only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant Wake Forest...four points in each half as the Seminoles fell on the road to the Demon Deacons, 86-63...his three blocked shots in the game ranked as his second highest total in an ACC game behind his five blocks in the Seminoles' victory against Clemson in Feb. 5...(in three games during the ACC Tournament): averaged 11.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots in three ACC Tournament games as he earned All-ACC Tournament Second Team honors...was one of three Seminoles to shoot better than 50 percent from the field (15 of 27, .556 percent) and one of four Florida State players to shoot better than 70 percent from the free throw line (five of seven, .714)...his play elevated the Seminoles to a victory over Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals, over No. 1 ranked North Carolina in the semifinals and into the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time in school history....scored in double figures in all three games with 14 points against Georgia Tech, 11 against North Carolina and 10 against Duke in the championship game...at least one blocked shot in each of the three games with two against Georgia Tech and North Carolina and one against Duke...(vs. Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament): scored six points, pulled down four rebounds and blocked one shot in the Seminoles' NCAA Tournament game against Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament...the game was played at the Taco Bell Center in Boise, Idaho and was the Seminoles' first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1998...all six of his points came in the first half and helped the Seminoles to a 31-19 lead at the intermission...credited with one rebound and one blocked shot in the second half and in the overtime periods as the Badgers recovered to win the game in overtime, 61-59...(vs. Florida): scored 11 points, pulled down eight rebounds and blocked one shot as the Seminoles defeated NIT participant Florida in the annual game against the two in-state rivals...scored eight second half points as Florida State gained the 57-55 victory in Tallahassee (Dec. 7)....scored six consecutive points for Florida State early in the second half to help the Seminoles take a five point lead at the first media timeout...scored on a lay-up at the 19:16 mark to put Florida State up 31-25, scored on a lay-up at the 17:27 mark to put the Seminoles up 33-30 and made two free throws at the 16:10 mark to put the Seminoles up 35-30...two free throws at the 5:36 mark proved immense as the Gators had taken the lead...his two free throws pulled Florida State back to within four at 45-49...those two free throws proved to be the Seminoles' winning margin in the game...his lone blocked shot also proved to be a very important play as he sent back a lay-up attempt by Kenny Kadji that would have put the Gators up by two at the 8:06 mark...
AS A FRESHMAN (2008): averaged 3.9 points (eighth on the team), 2.2 rebounds (ninth) and blocked 11 shots (tied for fifth) while playing an average of 9.4 minutes per game...a medical redshirt after playing in only 10 games because of a leg injury...underwent surgery on Jan. 2, 2008 to correct a tibial stress fracture in his right leg and was sidelined Seminoles' final 20 games of the season...played in 10 of the Seminoles' first 14 games of the season before Head Coach Leonard Hamilton decided to end his season and advised him have surgery on his leg...double figure minutes came in three games with his career-high of 22 minutes coming against Maine in the first start of his career...he also played 14 minutes in the Seminoles' victory over Stetson (Nov. 30) and 13 each against the College of Charleston (Dec. 18) and at Providence (Dec. 22)...scored at least two points in eight of his 10 appearances with a career-high six points coming in three different games...totaled six points in victories over Stetson (Nov. 30), Samford (Dec. 2) and against NCAA Tournament participant Butler (Dec. 15)...his career-high of three field goals came as the Seminoles played Butler in the Wooden Tradition in Conseco Fieldhouse...also earned his career-high of three field goals against the Bulldogs...scored three points and pulled down his career-high of seven rebounds in Florida State's victory over the Black Bears...blocked at least one shot in eight of his 10 appearances...earned 11 blocked shots in 94 minutes played - an average of one blocked shot every 8.5 minutes played during his first season as a Seminole...two blocked shots each in Florida State's victories over Georgia State (Nov. 20) and Stetson and on the road against Providence (Dec. 22).
AT MONTVERDE: Graduated from Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla. in 2007...Montverde is an academic institution of nearly 500 students in grades PK3-12 representing 36 different countries and 11 states...Montverde is located just outside of Orlando, Fla...averaged a double-double of 17.5 points and 11.4 rebounds in leading Montverde to a perfect 30-0 record as a senior in 2007...averaged 6.0 blocked shots per game and set a single-season Montverde record for blocked shots in a single-season with 180...earned All-State First-Team honors in Class 2A as a senior...also named to the All Central Florida Boy's Basketball First-Team by the Orlando Sentinel...named the Most Valuable player in the Montverde Invitational Boy's Basketball Tournament during his senior season...scored 19 points in the Eagles' semifinal win over Bel Air (Md.) John Carroll and added 17 points and 12 rebounds in their championship game victory over Montrose Christian...in addition to earning the team championship at the Montverde Tournament, the Eagles also won the titles of the Mount Dora Thanksgiving Tournament, the Les Schwab/Nike Challenge Tournament in Sacramento, Calif., the Junior Orange Bowl Tournament in Miami and the Omaha Shootout during Alabi's senior season...helped Montverde close out his senior season with 15 points in a 75-41 victory over Omaha (Neb.) Central in the Championship game of the Omaha Shootout...the victory allowed the Eagles to close out their season with a perfect 30-0 record...pulled down nine rebounds and blocked six shots for Montverde in a 71-41 victory over defending Class 5A Florida state champion Gainesville Eastside...averaged eight points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots as a junior in his first season of organized basketball in the United States in 2005-06...a member of the talented Nike Team Florida AAU team coached by Tom Topping.
PERSONEL: Born March 21, 1988...attended the same high school as former UCLA star Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who was a starting center for the Bruins...a teammate of Wake Forest sophomore Gary Clark - who was also an All-State First-Team selection in the state of Florida...Montverde's entire starting line-up and its sixth man earned all-state Class 2A honors...is one of 22 Montverde players in the last six seasons to earn a Division I basketball scholarship...born in the north central of Kaduna in Africa...soccer was his primary sport of choice (he was a striker) before picking up basketball when he was 15...also grew up playing tennis, ping pong, volleyball, handball and field hockey...began to concentrate on basketball after he was told that he could earn a scholarship to attend a college or university in the United States...has three brothers and two sisters...his dad is a retired police officer...has been hone only twice since he initially came to the United States in 2005...his family has never seen him play basketball...lists his favorite book as 1984 by George Orwell...selected Florida State over Arizona and Virginia.
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