'Keep my head and focus, don't get homesick': Irish ballers aiming High on America's hardwood

Terry Okodogbe and Caedan Ash were two of the four players sent over last year. Another 12 have since been confirmed for the next academic year. That growth in numbers is reflected in the spread of schools involved with Irish players now signed up for stints as far afield as Florida and Kentucky as well as the east coast.

HEAD IN THE GAME: Caedan Ash and Terry Okodogbe at an Igiehon Academy open day in Gormanston, Meath earlier this month. Pic: Aidan Igiehon

Terry Okodogbe had already covered thousands of miles by the time his flight touched down at JFK Airport last summer. His new home and a new school - a whole new life - were now just a quick spin down the road in Woodmere, Nassau County, but this journey was only beginning.

Like generations of Irish people before him, this first experience of America felt very familiar and completely different. Bordering on the surreal. The sheer size of the cars and the freeways, and the simple sight of these behemoths driving on the ‘other’ side of the road, struck him straight away.