NORFOLK, Va. — NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — On the day Old Dominion begins its new season, one of its most experienced players will be putting a pause on his playing career.
Senior point guard Imo Essien announced on Monday morning he will miss the 2024-2025 season to focus on his health.
"Unfortunately, I experienced a recurring medical scare that mirrored the incident from my sophomore season," he said in his social media post announcing his decision. "The resurfacing of this situation has led me to make the difficult decision to step away from playing basketball, for now, to focus on my health."
Proud to be a Monarch!https://t.co/yRyU7YPlo2 pic.twitter.com/fXBiKTr15D
— Imo Essien (@imo_essien) November 4, 2024
During a road game at Georgia Southern in the 2022-2023 season, Essien collapsed on the court. A barrage of tests all came back negative and he was able to return to the court that year.
After playing 30 games last season, the guard had another incident during practice this preseason.
"As challenging as it is to pause doing something I love deeply, I need to prioritize my health and explore this situation further," he said. "With prayer, hope, and determination, I’m aiming for a full recovery, and I am hopeful for the possibility of returning to playing the game I love."
The 5-foot-11 guard has played in 87 games throughout his career at Old Dominion, scoring 1,144 points. When the program went through numerous challenges during the 2023-24 season, Essien was leaned upon to be a voice of reason.
While he will not wear the jersey, Essien said he will be around the team this season and is "100% committed and will be contributing in any way possible to ensure the success of this season."
Old Dominion opens the season on Monday evening with Buffalo at Chartway Arena in Mike Jones' debut as head coach.
