His full name is Jesusemilore Talodabijesu Ojeleye. His mother Joy created it, beginning with the name Jesus, as she did for all three of her children. His parents, Ernest and Joy, emigrated from Nigeria to Ottawa, Kansas — a small town of 12,000 people about 45 minutes south of Kansas City. Ernest is a doctor. Joy poured her faith into her children’s names and their upbringing. Semi and his older brother Victor grew up in a household where education, faith, and discipline were non-negotiable.
At Ottawa High School, Ojeleye was a force unlike anything small-town Kansas had ever produced. He set state records for career points (2,763) and single-season points (952). By his senior year, he was a five-star recruit ranked 26th nationally and #8 among small forwards. In 2013, Parade Magazine named him the National High School Player of the Year — the most prestigious individual award in prep basketball. He was a McDonald’s All-American and the most decorated player in Kansas high school history.
He chose Duke. Of course he chose Duke. When you’re the Parade National Player of the Year and Coach K comes calling, you go to Durham. The 2013-14 Blue Devils were loaded with talent — Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, Rasheed Sulaimon, Quinn Cook, and Amile Jefferson were all on the roster. Seven players from that team would eventually reach the NBA. It was the kind of class where even elite talent could get buried.