Alonzo Mourning...Pervis Ellison...Derrick Coleman...David Robinson...Tim Duncan...Tunji Awojobi.
That's pretty good company for the 2002 inductee, but it is company in which he deserves to be as all six were the only Division I college basketball players in the nation to combine for 2000 points, 1000 rebounds and 300 blocks at the time of his graduation.
From the time he stepped foot on the court at BU, Tunji, who hailed from Nigeria but went to high school in New Hampshire, became a force with which to reckon. During his freshman year, he averaged 18.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots a game. He was the second-leading scorer and rebounder among all Division I freshmen in the country that year, and he was named the America East Rookie of the Year.
Tunji went on to establish 13 school records and held the standard for points and rebounds in a career with 2,308 and 1,237, respectively, at the time of his induction.
Statistically, his best offensive season came as a junior during the 1995-96 year, as he averaged 22.7 points a game, a mark that ranked 13th in the nation. Defensively, his best totals came as a sophomore when he averaged 11.8 rebounds a game, which ranked seventh in the nation, while he was 16th in the country with 2.8 blocks a game.
However, Tunji would probably look to his senior year as his best overall season. He averaged 19.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. He led the team to a school-record 25 wins en route to a 25-5 record. The Terriers were 17-1 in the conference, won both the America East regular-season and post-season titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Tunji was named New England's Division IÂ Player of the Year and was First Team All-Conference for the fourth straight year, as he became only the third player in conference history to accomplish that feat. He also received the Mickey Cochrane Award as the University's Male Athlete of the Year and was team MVP for a record fourth year.
"Tunji's competitiveness was the secret to his success," said then-head coach Dennis Wolff. "Whether it was a drill or a scrimmage or a game, he always tried to do his best.
"His skill level was the best of any player I have had in my eight years at BU. Coaching Tunji was a privilege I will always be grateful for."
