HIGH ACHIEVERS: Versatile Sam Akot fast breaks to University at Buffalo from Canada Topflight Academy

By Martin Cleary

The popular Swiss Army knife has served as a versatile pocket tool for more than 125 years.

When Canada Topflight Academy founder and head coach Tony House looked on the basketball court and saw six-foot, seven-inch Sam Akot playing his distinctive two-way game, he couldn’t help think about the convenient, multi-purpose gadget.

“On the court, he’s athletic, a Swiss Army knife,” House said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “He can play multiple positions. He can play 1 to 4 (guard through forward) and guard 1 to 4. He’s very dynamic. I’ve used him in multiple roles.

“He’s a guard, but it’s a luxury he could play multiple positions. He was one of the team captains, had natural leadership, had great communication and people skills and the guys loved him.”

Akot joined the Canada Topflight Academy program, which is based at Notre Dame High School in Ottawa, two years ago from the Compass Basketball program in London, ON. He continued to develop his game in all aspects on and off the court, which attracted the attention of coaches from 20 different American universities and colleges.

When it was time to decide what post-secondary direction to follow, Akot accepted an athletic scholarship to the University at Buffalo to study business and play for the Bulls.

Akot has been in Buffalo for the past month, getting his first experience as a university student-athlete. He’s training with his new Bulls teammates, including five other freshmen, and taking summer courses to work towards his bachelor’s degree. There are five players on the team with Canadian connections.

“Twenty schools contacted me through their recruiting programs. I had to narrow it down to choose the right school,” Akot said in a phone interview last Saturday, when academic classes and basketball practices didn’t appear on his schedule.

He liked the Buffalo basketball culture as it was a good fit with his diverse game. He wanted to be in the forefront as the Bulls are “trying to build something new.”

Akot has all the skills to be a valuable addition to the Bulls’ roster. Although official statistics aren’t available, he averaged about 15 points and 10 rebounds a game as well as a healthy handful of blocked shots and steals for his two years with the Canada Topflight Academy National Gold Team.

“When we first looked at him, he was very athletic and had height and length, which is what you want,” House added. “He loved the game. He worked hard. When practice was done, he’d look for open gym times to work on his craft.

“He was coachable and you could challenge him. I’ll miss him. He’ll be hard to replace.”

While the Canada Topflight Academy team enjoyed chasing victories and tournament championships, the main goal was for the players to develop their skills to the highest level to be recruited by coaches at universities, colleges and junior colleges in Canada and the United States.

One of House’s many duties with Canada Topflight Academy is to put his high school players on the radar of the university, college and junior college coaches. Once that’s done, the coaches can live stream or watch archived games of players who have caught their eye.

Occasionally, a coach will attend games to get a different perspective of a player on and off the court. That was the case for Akot, when Buffalo associate head coach Jake Presutti was in the stands for one of his games last February.

“Jake Presutti was a big fan (of Akot),” House added. “He saw him live and he loved it, he fell in love with him.”

Akot was fully aware of the college recruiting as his older brother Emmanuel previously experienced a similar process. Emmanuel played his freshman year at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida, in the 2023-24 season. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds a game in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8 league.

“He’s definitely a role model for me,” Sam Akot said about Emmanuel. “We started playing at a young age and he started before me. When I was involved, we fell in love with the game, competed against each other, worked against each other, and held ourselves accountable.”

Sam Akot played seven years in the Compass program, which allowed him to develop his skills and slowly see his confidence climb each year on the court.

By the time he arrived at the Canada Topflight Academy, his game and personal confidence was brimming as he was surrounded by the fellowship of his peers.

He was a solid player in the program for two seasons, raised his offensive and defensive skills and showed plenty of leadership. He plays offence at a high level and has a good eye for the three-point shot. Defensively, he’s lanky, long and quick, which makes him an efficient defender.

Moving to Ottawa from London after his Grade 11 year at John Paul II Secondary School was difficult as he left behind his friends and large family. Besides his parents, he has five sisters and two brothers.

“I’m on a mission to achieve a goal. I’m staying focused,” Akot said. “My goal is to continue to play good basketball and grow my game. I have to help my family. I want to be a role model so others can do as well.”

As Akot eases into his university basketball career, he’ll aim to become a consistent three-point shooter and continue to work hard in the weight room to get stronger, quicker and faster to compete at the NCAA Division 1 level.

“I want to continue to have a great attitude, be more aggressive, stronger, and make quick decisions on defence,” Akot projected. “Off the court, I want to hold myself to high standards in the way I talk to people.”

After his four-year stint at Buffalo, Akot hopes to play professional basketball and House can see that happening at some level.

“Every kid wants to play in the NBA and you can make a move overseas,” House said. “I see him evolving and developing. I love his work ethic and skill set. I see him potentially making a pay cheque.

“If I had a crystal ball, I could see him making a living in pro basketball somewhere.”

Read More of our 2024 High School Best Series, presented by Louis-Riel Sports-Études, as we tip our caps to top local student-athletes at: OttawaSportsPages.ca/Ottawa-High-School-Best-2024

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