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Celebrating Black History Month 2023: Kwadzo Ahelegbe

His first name. Yes, it can be a bit of a head scratcher. Despite a unique name, Kwadzo Ahelegbe (often simply pronounced as Kuh-joe) had a basketball career unlike many others at UNI, helping the Panthers to a rousing start to the Ben Jacobson era with conference championships, as well as one of the most memorable moments in UNI athletics history.

A native of Oakdale, Minnesota, Ahelegbe was one of several notable prep players to come out of Tartan High School and into the Panther men's basketball program. After not seeing any action on the floor in his first two seasons, Ahelegbe made his debut during the 2008-09 season, where he led UNI with 106 total assists as the Panthers clinched a share of the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) regular season title.