Following the announcement of Rashad Hassan earlier this week, the Surrey Scorchers have announced the return of Tayo Ogedengbe for the 2020/2021 BBL season.
6th season with the Scorchers
The 33-year-old has the most appearances for the Scorchers, the 6’4 small forward has been a member of the Scorchers team every season since Surrey re-branded in 2015.
Tayo also played 3 seasons between 2009-2012 when the Surrey franchise was known as the Guildford Heat.
Born in London, Tayo began his pro career with London Capital in 2007.
In total he has 13 years pro basketball experience during his career, also spending a season in Spain and in France.
In the BBL, Tayo has also played for London Lions and Glasgow Rocks.
Last season in the BBL Championship, Tayo averaged an impressive 16 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Happy to be home
Tayo was clearly very happy when speaking to the Scorchers website, saying: “It’s great to be back."
“Everyone knows I love playing here, I’ve made this place my home, so it’s great to continue and help the team build and compete for a Championship and some silverware.
“(Rashad Hassan) is a big signing, I know Creon (Raftopoulos) has had that in the works for a while now.
“I’ve known Rashad for a while, I’ve played against him many times in the last five years, he’s a great player and a good teammate, so I’m happy to have him on the team.
“I’m building back into game shape and we are working hard in the bubble to get back on court.
“With Rashad and myself, and others we have coming in, it should be exciting basketball and it will lead to a lot of wins on the board.”
Coach Creon on development of the side
Head Coach Creon Raftopoulos said: “Everybody knows what a great pro Tayo is."
“He made a commitment to this franchise a number of years ago, and he’s still got the same appetite to win with Surrey.
“I’m hoping with the squad we are putting together, they can feed off all of the energy and sacrifice he puts in.
“We’ve always done well with young players, who have learned the trade as we go along.
“But one of our most successful teams, if you look back, was 2017-2018 with Alex Owumi and Gerald Robinson, who gave us a blend of experience along with upcoming young guys like Tony Hicks.
“Getting the likes of Rashad and Tayo is something to look forward to.
“I haven’t had that amount of experience on a regular basis, so to start the season with them is a really exciting thing.”