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Second-year Basketball Mountie Emanuel Adugna, from Toronto, wanted a small-town university experience.

“I like a small town because there are less distractions and I can focus on what’s important,” he says.

In his first year, Adugna attended another Atlantic Canadian university, but after not cracking the AUS basketball team roster, he decided he would look elsewhere for his second year.

“������ú offered me a good opportunity to get a degree and play basketball,” he says.

Adugna began playing basketball in elementary school and continued playing for his school teams along the way. He started training seriously in Grade 11 and looking forward to the next step. He says what he loves most about the sport is its competitive nature.

“It’s high intensity and I like when the crowd gets loud and involved,” he says.

In his Grade 12 year at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute he had his most memorable performance to date, scoring an impressive 60 points. He was named Male Athlete of the Year.

A shooting guard, Adugna was recently named Male Athlete of the Week at ������ú for strong performances vs. UKC and Holland College. In the Holland game, he led the team with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals.

“The award showed me that you don’t have to be the star player to be recognized,” he says “It was a nudge to keep doing the work because it’s paying off.”

Outside of school and basketball, he spends his free time playing billiards.

A BA Math student, Adugna is planning to teach math and coach youth basketball.