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Who is Samford's Achor Achor? What to know of basketball star ahead of March Madness game vs Kansas

ehsan kassim, usa today network
·4 min read

For any fans who watch Samford basketball take on Kansas on Thursday, yes, you heard that name correctly from play-by-play commentator Brad Nessler.

The Bulldogs' star player is named Achor Achor.

More: Watch select NCAA Tournament games with Sling TV

The 6-foot-9 forward has helped guide Samford (29-5, 15-3 Southern Conference) to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000. The 13-seeded Bulldogs take on 4 seed Kansas (22-10, 10-8 Big 12) at 8:55 p.m. Thursday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Achor is in his second season with Samford following a transfer from Chipola College in Marianna, Florida, where he led the school to two NJCAA Final Four berths.

Here's what you need to know about Achor, as his Bulldogs get ready to attempt to pull off an upset which CBS' Seth Davis first called. Kansas will be without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr.

Where is Achor Achor from?

Achor is South Sudanese, but according to AL.com, his mom — Ator Ucala — fled South Sudan during the country's civil war. Achor was born in Cairo, Egypt and speaks Arabic fluently, even though his family moved to Melbourne, Australia when he was 5 years old.

He played Australian Rules Football growing up, and even said that was his favorite sport. He started playing basketball seriously when he was 17 when he made the move from Australia to play basketball at a prep school in Sarasota, Florida.

From there, Achor moved to Chipola College, where he stood out leading the college to back-to-back NJCAA Final Four appearances. Achore averaged 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during the 2021-22 season, including 22 points and 16 rebounds in the opening round against Hutchinson Community College. His performance caught the eyes of Bucky McMillan, who recruited him to Samford.

"I want to say not a lot of people really believed in me throughout my life. Bucky is one of the few," Achor told reporters at NCAA Tournament media availability on Wednesday. "I felt like he believed in me when he got in a two-passenger plane. Not a lot of people in my recruiting process went to that length of extents. When he seen me, did that, and even actually when I wasn't playing a lot, he still believed in me: Keep at it. Keep at it."

Being at Samford is also a big deal for Achor, as he noted he'd be making history for his family.

“When I graduate I’m going to be the first graduate of my family, so that’s huge,” Achor told AL.com.

REQUIRED READING: Where is Samford located? What to know of Kansas basketball's first-round March madness opponent

Achor Achor stats at Samford

Achor played in 30 games, making one start during the 2022-23 season for the Bulldogs. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game in 14.4 minutes. This season, he has emerged as a breakout and one of the top talents in college basketball. He is averaging 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game while playing 22.4 minutes. He has started all 32 games for the Bulldogs. He did so while shooting 59% from the field and over 44% from 3-point range.

During the regular season, Achor scored a career-high 35 points and 10 rebounds in a 75-71 victory over Western Carolina on Jan. 16. He also turned it on during the Southern Conference Tournament, helping No. 1 seeded Samford beat No. 8 Mercer, No. 5 Furman, and No. 7 ETSU en route to a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. He had 28 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks on 12-of-15 shooting in an 84-77 semifinal win over Furman. He followed it up with 25 points, nine rebounds and four blocks on 7 for 9 shooting vs. ETSU in the championship game.

Here's a full breakdown of Achor's stats at Samford:

  • 2023-24: 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.5 assists per game on 59.9% shooting, 44.6% from 3-point range, 71.5% from the free throw line in 22.4 minutes per game.

  • 2022-23: 6.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 0.4 assists per game on 57.7% shooting, 33.3% from 3-point range, 64.9% from the free throw line in 14.4 minutes per game.

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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Achor Achor: What to know of Samford forward ahead of March Madness