Tope Arikawe, a 2017 graduate of Panola College, earned his associate's degree. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Arikawe spent three of his four high school years being trained, groomed, and coached by Frederick T. Anderson, Sr. In his senior season at Covenant, Tope averaged about 13.8 points and eight rebounds per game.
During his two years at Panola College, Tope was diligent and disciplined on and off the court. He earned First Team-All Conference, First Team-All Region, and First Team-All Academic after averaging 11.7 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. He set school records as he led the Ponies to 26 wins in 2016-17 and an appearance in the Region XIV tournament final. Tope was also ranked No. 53 among the top 100 JUCO players in the nation in 2017, according to JUCOrecruiting.com. Along with all of this, he also made the Dean's list his final year at Panola.
Tope kept the momentum as he transferred to the University of North Texas in the fall of 2017. He made the commissioner's honor roll, appeared in 33 games, and started in three games. He also played in five of six CBI Tournament games, had 10 points and six rebounds in the CBI Championship game two against San Francisco as they won the championship. We cannot wait to see what Tope does as a senior with the Mean Greens of North Texas!
Keep up the good work, Tope!
Congratulations, Tope! We're so proud of you!
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Check out our other Alumni Accomplishments here!