Junior guard David Udoiwod had settled into a bench role during his first varsity season for Geneva, but that all changed when Kyle Suger went down with an injury.
The Vikings, who were 1-3 in their last four games before that, turned to Udoiwod to start Friday night in place of Suger.
“I was going into the film room and I was kind of down because I just had a bad game,” Udoiwod said. “They were like, ‘David, you’re going to start today.’ I had to get mentally prepared.”
Fast forward to Wednesday night, with Udoiwod making his third varsity start.
He continued to make himself right at home among the regulars in the lineup, scoring 16 points to help lead the host Vikings to a 52-42 DuKane Conference win over St. Charles East.
Only three players scored for Geneva (14-3, 6-1). Nathan Palmer led the way with 19 points, followed by Gabe Jensen with 17. Gavin Belli paced St. Charles East (2-16, 0-6) with 11 points.
Udoiwod scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as the Vikings tried to fend off the Saints. They led 34-33 going into the fourth before finally pulling away.
“It’s been really good,” Udoiwod said. “I’m trying to help myself as much as I can. (Wednesday) we definitely needed the scoring.”
Udoiwod made a fast entry into the starting lineup Friday. He poured in a career-high 32 points in a 63-57 win over Wheaton North to make his presence felt immediately.
“It was like a fever dream,” Udoiwod said. “There was one play I hit a three and I blacked out. I was yelling. It was crazy. I didn’t expect to go out there and just score 32 points.
“That was my dream, images in my head. I was just happy with how it went down.”
When Geneva coach Scott Hennig put Udoiwod in the lineup, he didn’t expect that either.
“How cool for that kid?” Hennig said.
Geneva was already not the biggest team around. Replacing the 6-foot-7 Suger with the 5-10 Udoiwod made the Vikings even smaller.
But Hennig still liked what he brought to the table to get the nod.
“It was nothing analytical — we just thought he gave us a little more athleticism,” Hennig said. “Between him and Gabe, we have some really good rebounding guards.”
It was those three guards that carried the load Wednesday. Not only did they score all 52 points, they combined for 15 rebounds and 11 steals. That didn’t come as a surprise to Hennig.
“Him, Nate and Gabe are strictly basketball 24/7, 365 (days), so he kind of fits that mold,” Hennig said. “He’s sneaky athletic, bouncy.”
Udoiwod was worried how his athleticism would bounce back this season. He played only seven games at the sophomore level last winter before injuring his knee and missing the rest of the way.
He had to work his way back.
“I was hoping for an opportunity to show myself this season,” Udoiwod said. “There was a lot of ambiguity with my knee and how I could play. I feel like I’m still bouncy, I’m still athletic.”
St. Charles East, meanwhile, hung around all night. The Saints cut the deficit to 44-42 before Palmer’s third driving layup of the fourth quarter started an 8-0 run to end the game.
Udoiwod scored the other six points.
“We have to treat every team like they’re the best team in conference,” he said. “We didn’t play with energy.”
Udoiwod broke down the door when given a chance. Now averaging 24 points in two DuKane Conference games, he wants to keep it rolling.
“If I didn’t show out, I don’t know what would be next,” Udoiwod said. “That’s what all the hours in the gym are for. I’m just happy that I capitalized on the opportunity.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
