Efe Lee Ekpere went to Robinson Gymnasium on Friday afternoon looking to play some pick-up basketball.
He wound up earning a spot on the roster of EA Sports East All-Stars, a team that will play Kansas University in an exhibition at 7 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Ekpere, a KU junior out of Quincy, Ill., who played football at KU his freshman year, won a 1-on-1 “Rudy” tournament sponsored by EA Sports. The winner gained a roster spot for the KU game.
“I found out about it by accident. I went up there to play basketball today. There weren’t that many people there. I was like, ‘Where is everybody at?”‘ Ekpere said. “Somebody said there’s a tournament. I went over there and a guy was supposed to have a bye in the first round. So I played him and won and beat some others and made the team.”
The 6-foot-1 Ekpere said entering Monday’s game would be a thrill. His football career at KU ended after he suffered a severe concussion in a car accident after his red-shirt freshman season here.
“I will not take it serious like I have to prove to the world I can play,” Ekpere joked. “I would love to play in front of all those people.”
Ekpere is majoring in nuclear medicine.
