A. J. Edu


Ariel John "A. J." Litang Edu is a Cypriot-born Filipino college basketball player for the Toledo Rockets of the Mid-American Conference. He is a member of the Philippines national under-18 team. A power forward and center, he stands and weighs.

Early life and career

Edu was born in Cyprus to Ayotunde Edu and Josie Litang. His mother is a native of Surigao City, Philippines but moved to Cyprus for work after finishing her education. While living in Cyprus, she met Edu's father, a mathematics and physics professor from Nigeria. Standing, Ayotunde played basketball in his home country before becoming a high school coach in Wales.
Edu began playing basketball at age 7 in the junior ranks of Cypriot club AEL Limassol. He also played soccer in his childhood but began focusing on basketball due to his exceptional height. After his family moved to England a few years later, Edu joined the Bristol Flyers cadet team and the Swansea Storm in the Wales League. With Swansea, he established himself as a top player at the under-16, under-18, and men's first division levels. With the Flyers, he trained with many former college basketball players. In 2017, Edu began playing for South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in Bristol, England, where he was considered one of the top prospects in the country while competing in the Elite Academy Basketball League. After the 2017–18 season, he was named EABL West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 18.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. In 2018, he was invited to a Basketball Without Borders camp in Los Angeles.

College career

On April 12, 2018, Edu signed a National Letter of Intent with the Toledo Rockets under head coach Tod Kowalczyk. He played all 33 games, averaging 3.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and a team-high 1.7 blocks in 14.3 minutes per game. Edu recorded 57 blocks in the season, the most by a freshman in program history. He was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team. Edu missed his entire sophomore season recovering from a knee injury suffered at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

National team career

Edu was granted Filipino citizenship from a young age after difficulties in receiving a Cypriot passport, which made him eligible to play for the Philippines in FIBA competition. However, he still drew interest from the national teams of Cyprus and Great Britain. In 2017, Edu joined the Philippines at the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup in Chengdu, China. He debuted for the Philippines at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. In 6 games, Edu averaged 14.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game, finishing with 4 double-doubles. He led his team to a fourth-place finish at the tournament, giving them a berth for the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. About two minutes into his first game at the Under-19 World Cup, Edu suffered a torn ACL and torn meniscus in his right knee, as well as a hairline fracture on his right femur. He missed the rest of the tournament with the injury.

Career statistics

College