Medical issues have ended the athletic career of redshirt sophomore Ike Eke of the Marquette University men's basketball team, head coach Steve Wojciechowski announced Friday afternoon.
An extensive evaluation process has determined that Eke is medically incapacitated to participate in basketball at the collegiate level due to a back injury.
"This was an extremely difficult decision, but the priority is Ike's long-term well-being," Wojciechowski said. "He has dealt with pain for a majority of the last two years, including a pair of surgeries, but never complained or felt sorry for himself.
"Despite all of the adversity, Ike's strong character has been evident to everyone he has encountered, both within our program and on campus," Wojciechowski said. "He is an important piece of our team and a tremendous ambassador for Marquette and that's not going to change."
The Lagos, Nigeria, native will remain enrolled at the University as he continues to pursue his bachelor's degree and will have access to the support services provided to Marquette student-athletes. He missed each of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons with back injuries and underwent surgeries in January of 2018 and 2019.
"I thank Coach Wojo, the staff, President Lovell and Marquette University for allowing me to continue my education at Marquette," Eke said. "Words can't express how much this means to me and my family.
"This team has shown me that character is built on and off the court and I'm forever grateful to those who taught me that," Eke added. "While things didn't go the way I planned, I always remember what my mom used to say, 'For everything, there is a reason.' Thank you to my Marquette family."
Eke was a four-year letterwinner at University of Detroit Jesuit High School and a member of five-consecutive league championships and helped the team to the state title in 2015-16.
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