{"id":1112,"date":"2025-05-28T14:20:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2025-05-28T14:20:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:20:04","slug":"from-lagos-to-the-herd-the-obinna-anochili-killen-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/2025\/05\/28\/from-lagos-to-the-herd-the-obinna-anochili-killen-story\/","title":{"rendered":"From Lagos to the Herd: The Obinna Anochili-Killen Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
It should have been a straight shot from Lagos to Phoenix. But life rarely follows a simple flight path. For Obinna Anochili, a teenage basketball hopeful with long arms built from hauling jugs of water through the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, it took a thousand little moments to land in the friendly hills of West Virginia. A stranger on a plane to Abu Dhabi, a borrowed phone in a New York airport, a student in Chapmanville, and one family\u2019s open door. It was all part of a winding route that led him not just to America, but to a place he would eventually call home \u2014 Marshall University.<\/p>\n

As a young boy in Nigeria, hauling water was Obinna\u2019s first job. Countless gallons, every day, were hauled several hundred yards from the public fountain to his family\u2019s house in Lagos.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have electricity or running water,\u201d he said. \u201cMy Mom had a 40-gallon tank that needed to be filled up for her food business each day.\u00a0I started by hauling a gallon or two\u00a0to help my older sister. Eventually,\u00a0I could do it myself, and I needed fewer trips\u00a0as I grew stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell people that this is why my arms are so long\u00a0\u2013 hauling all those heavy\u00a0jerry cans\u00a0of water\u00a0as I was growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only son among Anthony and Angela Anochili\u2019s six children, Obinna grew up surrounded by his sisters, two older, and three younger. To make ends meet, Angela prepared and sold food.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Obinna with his mother, Angela.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShe was what people think of when they imagine young African women,\u201d\u00a0Obinna said. \u201cShe started by hawking food in the streets, with the food in a container balanced on her head,\u00a0one\u00a0baby\u00a0strapped\u00a0on her back and another on her front.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her food was good though, and soon became popular enough that she\u00a0grew to have a\u00a0stand\u00a0on the street, where the bicycle taxi drivers\u00a0brought their riders to her for lunch.\u00a0Eventually,\u00a0she started a\u00a0catering business.<\/p>\n

Life in Lagos was hard. Political corruption and economic instability led to difficult conditions. For Obinna, basketball became his escape.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Obinna with his father, Anthony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy friends and I would get up at 5 in the morning and jog to the gym and then work on ball handling,\u201d he said. \u201cThen we\u2019d go back home and go to school. After school, I was in charge of washing the dishes and the pots for my mom\u2019s business. When I got that done, I\u2019d go back to the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first, they\u2019d watch the older players, patiently waiting their turn. Eventually, Obinna became one of the first players picked. They\u2019d play until dark, then he\u2019d haul water again for the next day\u2019s cooking.<\/p>\n

His abilities on the court soon drew the attention of prep school coaches from the United States. His family made the difficult decision that basketball in America was the best opportunity to give Obinna a better life. That led to 14-year-old Obinna boarding a plane for the first leg of a journey that was supposed to take him to Arizona.<\/p>\n

\n\tI took the flight more than 12 hours to New York, but when I got there, it was so much more confusing than the airport in Abu Dhabi.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Obinna<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d never been on a plane before, and when we took off \u2014 we were flying to Abu Dhabi\u00a0\u2014 I was panicking,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cI was light-headed, and my stomach was dropping. I was sitting by a Nigerian who was going to England, and he got me to calm down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him that it was my first time on an airplane, and I was scared, and I didn\u2019t even know how to get to my next plane. I begged him to help me when we got to the airport in Abu Dhabi.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stranger helped Obinna get through customs and then to the gate for his flight to New York, but the young traveler\u2019s troubles were just beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took the\u00a0flight more than\u00a012 hours to\u00a0New York, but when I got there, it was so much more\u00a0confusing\u00a0than the airport in Abu Dhabi,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cI borrowed a stranger\u2019s phone to call my mom and told her I was scared and didn\u2019t know what to do. We got it figured out to catch my next flight to Washington, D.C., but then it got even more complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe prep school actually had gotten me a train ticket from D.C. to Arizona,\u00a0and\u00a0I didn\u2019t know\u00a0how to get from an airport to the train station.\u00a0My mom\u00a0told me to wait and she\u2019d figure something out.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mother made a quick connection to a Nigerian student who was living with a family named the Killens in Chapmanville, West Virginia, which didn\u2019t seem too far from Washington. They called the student, who told Doug and Tammy Killen about the youngster who\u2019d soon be on his way to D.C. The family jumped in their car to go meet Obinna.\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were waiting when I came out of the airport.\u00a0It was November, and\u00a0I just had\u00a0a\u00a0light\u00a0shirt\u00a0because it had been warm in Lagos. I was shivering,\u201d Obinna said.\u00a0\u201cThey say that as soon as I got in the car, I was knocked out. I was completely exhausted, both mentally and physically, jet lagged and scared. I was out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLater, they took me to my first restaurant,\u00a0a Cracker Barrel. What I remember is drinking cup after cup of hot chocolate like it was water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took me back to their home in Chapmanville, and after a couple of days there, I called my\u00a0mom\u00a0and told her I didn\u2019t want to go on to Arizona, where I didn\u2019t know anybody, that I wanted to stay with the Killens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThey took me back to their home in Chapmanville, and after a couple of days there, I called my mom and told her I didn\u2019t want to go on to Arizona, where I didn\u2019t know anybody, that I wanted to stay with the Killens.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Obinna<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\u201cThey took me in. Eventually, they adopted me, and I spent my high school time in Chapmanville.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obinna was now Anochili-Killen, and his basketball game developed the way his family hoped it would in America. Before long, he was being recruited by schools like Cincinnati, Penn State, West Virginia and others. He was even invited to play in the prestigious Peach Jam event in Atlanta, which is where Coach Corny Jackson, then a Marshall assistant, made a big impression with a small act of kindness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was\u00a0huge,\u201d Obinna said.\u00a0\u201cThe best players and the best coaches \u2014 Coach Cal, Coach K, everybody. And\u00a0I was really struggling\u00a0at the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was frustrated.\u00a0We were at a break, and Coach Corny just told me to relax and go play, that I\u2019d be just fine. And I was.\u00a0I played much better\u00a0from then on.\u00a0That stuck with me that he was with me when it wasn\u2019t going well. I remembered that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Traveling on the AAU circuit was more than just an opportunity for Obinna to improve his game. When playing in tournaments, he\u2019d save his food money to send back to help pay for his sisters\u2019 school needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome places had food for the teams, but we\u2019d also get money to go eat,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cIf I could get enough to eat without spending that money, that\u2019s what I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d save it up from our events all summer and then send it to my family. With the currency exchange rates, what doesn\u2019t seem like that much money here is a lot more in Nigeria. Then when I got to Marshall, we get our \u201ctown checks\u201d to cover our expenses \u2014 but I\u2019ve saved all I can from that to send back to my sisters. They need it more than\u00a0I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The journey to college basketball took one more major detour. Through the recruiting process, Obinna decided to go to the University of Cincinnati and play for Coach John Brannen \u2014 a Marshall alumnus and Herd Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n

He took a recruiting visit to Marshall just because it included a football game between the Herd and Bearcats at Edwards Stadium. Marshall lost the game, but gained a future Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year as Obinna was won over by two more Marshall alums.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019d save it up from our events all summer and then send it to my family. With the currency exchange rates, what doesn\u2019t seem like that much money here is a lot more in Nigeria. Then when I got to Marshall, we get our \u201ctown checks\u201d to cover our expenses \u2014 but I\u2019ve saved all I can from that to send back to my sisters. They need it more than I do.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Obinna<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\u201cCoach Corny took me around campus and I liked the school and the team,\u201d he said. \u201cThen they showed me how Coach (Dan) D\u2019Antoni developed his big men.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was known as a defensive player, but I saw how other Marshall big guys like Ajdin Penava, Iran Bennett, and Jannson Williams were taught and encouraged to handle and shoot the ball on the perimeter and how their offensive games improved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obinna had found his new home and family. A family that became\u00a0even more important as both of his parents passed away.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoach Corny gave me a flower when my mom passed. I still have it at my house.\u00a0It\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

His families, both in Nigeria and West Virginia, weigh prominently in his decisions. A career that saw him score\u00a01,682 points\u00a0(No. 14 all-time at Marshall), haul in\u00a0781 rebounds\u00a0(No. 9), and\u00a0shatter the old\u00a0Marshall record with 287\u00a0blocked shots\u00a0meant\u00a0the transfer portal and NIL deals\u00a0were there for the taking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a loyal guy, to my family,\u00a0to\u00a0my team,\u00a0to\u00a0my school,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m there for the people who have been there for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know\u00a0how good it is here.\u00a0When I started playing basketball in Lagos, I was shooting at rusty, bent, nine-foot rims and rusty backboards right on the wall with a concrete court. Now I\u2019ve spent my career at Marshall with everything I need, things people in other places don\u2019t even dream about.\u00a0I still appreciate it when I turn on a hot shower.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also\u00a0admires\u00a0the\u00a0Marshall supporters, those\u00a0fans who\u2019ve cheered him on in the Cam Henderson Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing I\u2019ll always remember about Marshall fans is that season when we went 13-20, but we sold out the Henderson Center five times,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s the kind of loyalty that Marshall fans show the basketball team, and that\u2019s what I appreciate. We go other places, and the fans aren\u2019t there if that team is losing. Our fans show up when it\u2019s bad, not only when it\u2019s good.\u201d\"\"<\/p>\n

He\u00a0also values\u00a0his\u00a0Marshall\u00a0accounting degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had awesome professors at Marshall, my entire time here,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cPlaying basketball while in school is a lot during the season. We travel and miss class for two or three days or more.<\/p>\n

\n\tI know how good it is here. When I started playing basketball in Lagos, I was shooting at rusty, bent, nine-foot rims and rusty backboards right on the wall with a concrete court. Now I\u2019ve spent my career at Marshall with everything I need, things people in other places don\u2019t even dream about. I still appreciate it when I turn on a hot shower.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Obinna<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\u201cThe professors work with us to make sure we can keep up. They\u2019ve been understanding. They\u2019re the reason I\u2019ve had such a great career at Marshall academically as well as in basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than chasing some quick money in the short term, Anochili-Killen took a wide-angle look at his future. He hopes to make money playing professional basketball. He has workouts scheduled with NBA teams in the coming weeks, but his ultimate plan is to put his education to work back in Lagos.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a country, Nigeria has a lot of oil,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cIt could be a rich country. But in the past the leadership\u00a0was\u00a0bad and they\u00a0had corruption.\u00a0Now\u00a0it\u2019s getting much better.\u201d<\/p>\n

He may have arrived in West Virginia as a weary, young traveler, unsure of what would come next, but Obinna Anochili-Killen leaves Marshall as a star, on the court, in the classroom, and in the lives of everyone lucky enough to know his story.<\/p>\n

Armed with his degree in accounting, Obinna has plans for a future in real estate back home in Lagos.<\/p>\n

\u201cLagos is an awesome place \u2013 a big city\u00a0(the population is\u00a0more than 20 million)\u00a0\u2013 and you have the beaches. I\u2019d like to develop resort areas and tourism there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He also has a deep loyalty to the people and places who believed in him. Someday, he hopes his sisters and even his own children will come to Marshall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like for there to\u00a0be Anochilis on this campus for a long time to come. Hopefully, they\u2019ll be playing in the green and white.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It should have been a straight shot from Lagos to Phoenix. But life rarely follows a simple flight path. For Obinna Anochili, a teenage basketball hopeful with long arms built from hauling jugs of water through the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, it took a thousand little moments to land in the friendly hills of West […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":619,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moments"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/619"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1112"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1138,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions\/1138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}