Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Travis Neely
Coro: Much ado about Aidoo
12/20/2017 10:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes sophomore guard finding comfort, potential
Fiifi Aidoo speaks Twi from his native Ghana.
He speaks Finnish after growing up in Finland from age 5 until he came to Grand Canyon last year.
Thanks to his parents and The Cartoon Network, Aidoo also was fluent in English upon arrival at GCU.
Aidoo dabbles in French and Russian but the language that the sophomore guard concentrates on comprehending is what is said to him and about him at the GCU Basketball Practice Facility.
Aidoo was an immediate factor as a freshman last season, even starting two games and scoring 15 points against San Diego State, but he never played with the comfort level that he holds now. A year at GCU and an offseason on the Finnish national team are advancing Aidoo toward how good Lopes head coach Dan Majerle believes he can be.
"The first year was difficult," Aidoo said. "The first month was like, 'Damn, I'm really here.' I didn't know anybody. It was culture shock. It affected me and I didn't know how to play with these guys. I didn't know what they expected from me. They were telling me I wasn't aggressive enough. I was like, 'Me?' I thought I was always aggressive. It's just a different way of playing in Europe. It's a different playing style."
Often in the preseason and early season, Majerle would point out to Aidoo that he is one of the team's best players in practices. He was hoping that Aidoo would find a way to transfer that to games.
Aidoo has strength, length, athleticism, shooting touch and defensive ability but his strengths have yet to consistently come out together.
"Last year, he just thought he was a freshman and wasn't supposed to be very good," Majerle said. "I told him this summer that I expected a lot out of him this year. I think he's starting to figure it out. He's got to have as many expectations as I do for him. Sometimes, he doesn't hold himself to a high account of what he needs to do."
Majerle shook up the starting lineup four games ago for effect rather than anyone's poor or strong play. Aidoo had been 0 for 12 on 3-pointers over the previous six games but has gone 5 for 9 from 3-point range as a starter in the last four games. He mindfully took a more relaxed approach and noticed that he sometimes had been releasing his shot on his jump's return to the floor.
Majerle said he might return sophomore guard Oscar Frayer to the Lopes' starting lineup soon, in part to get Aidoo more shooting opportunities with the second unit. But that doesn't mean the expectations will decrease -- even though Aidoo still is trying to figure out how high they are.
"I have expectations for myself and I know I'm a good player," Aidoo said. "But I'm starting to think Coach is thinking way over the top. It's a good thing that someone, especially your coach, thinks like that. When I hear that, I get happy but I don't feel pressured."
Aidoo grew up in Finland after his father took a job in Helsinki with a meat-packing company. His unique frame immediately gained noticed in youth basketball, to the point that it got an inordinate amount of credit during his rise.
Aidoo is 6-foot-2 but his wingspan stretches 6-10, eating up passing lanes and leaving opposing dribbles vulnerable to his reach.
"It definitely helps on defense to get deflections," Aidoo said. "When I was younger, people would always say, 'You've got long hands and that's why you're good.' You can have long hands and be bad. The first time they say it, it's cool. But then they keep saying it and saying it and every time I get a stop, they'd say, 'Dang, you've got such long arms.' Like I didn't do anything?"
Aidoo has done plenty at GCU and in his homeland to make a name for himself. It does not hurt that he bears a memorable name. Fiifi is actually his middle name. It is a name often given to boys in Ghana born on a Friday. His first name is Harold, which his favorite fans on campus like to use.
His game caught the attention of GCU assistant coach Chris Crevelone when Aidoo was playing at the Helsinki Basketball Academy for Hanno Mottola, a former University of Utah star who played two NBA seasons. Aidoo kept his ties in Finland this summer when he helped the national team to a seventh-place finish at the World University Games by shooting 51 percent and averaging 9.0 points, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 19.6 minutes per game.
It all has led to a sophomore season in which Aidoo markedly has improved his scoring efficiency and doubled his playmaking. He is averaging 4.6 points in 16.0 minutes per game.
"Now, everything feels more comfortable," Aidoo said. "I actually could live here now."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
He speaks Finnish after growing up in Finland from age 5 until he came to Grand Canyon last year.
Thanks to his parents and The Cartoon Network, Aidoo also was fluent in English upon arrival at GCU.
Aidoo dabbles in French and Russian but the language that the sophomore guard concentrates on comprehending is what is said to him and about him at the GCU Basketball Practice Facility.
Aidoo was an immediate factor as a freshman last season, even starting two games and scoring 15 points against San Diego State, but he never played with the comfort level that he holds now. A year at GCU and an offseason on the Finnish national team are advancing Aidoo toward how good Lopes head coach Dan Majerle believes he can be.
"The first year was difficult," Aidoo said. "The first month was like, 'Damn, I'm really here.' I didn't know anybody. It was culture shock. It affected me and I didn't know how to play with these guys. I didn't know what they expected from me. They were telling me I wasn't aggressive enough. I was like, 'Me?' I thought I was always aggressive. It's just a different way of playing in Europe. It's a different playing style."
Often in the preseason and early season, Majerle would point out to Aidoo that he is one of the team's best players in practices. He was hoping that Aidoo would find a way to transfer that to games.
Aidoo has strength, length, athleticism, shooting touch and defensive ability but his strengths have yet to consistently come out together.
"Last year, he just thought he was a freshman and wasn't supposed to be very good," Majerle said. "I told him this summer that I expected a lot out of him this year. I think he's starting to figure it out. He's got to have as many expectations as I do for him. Sometimes, he doesn't hold himself to a high account of what he needs to do."
Majerle shook up the starting lineup four games ago for effect rather than anyone's poor or strong play. Aidoo had been 0 for 12 on 3-pointers over the previous six games but has gone 5 for 9 from 3-point range as a starter in the last four games. He mindfully took a more relaxed approach and noticed that he sometimes had been releasing his shot on his jump's return to the floor.
Majerle said he might return sophomore guard Oscar Frayer to the Lopes' starting lineup soon, in part to get Aidoo more shooting opportunities with the second unit. But that doesn't mean the expectations will decrease -- even though Aidoo still is trying to figure out how high they are.
"I have expectations for myself and I know I'm a good player," Aidoo said. "But I'm starting to think Coach is thinking way over the top. It's a good thing that someone, especially your coach, thinks like that. When I hear that, I get happy but I don't feel pressured."
Aidoo grew up in Finland after his father took a job in Helsinki with a meat-packing company. His unique frame immediately gained noticed in youth basketball, to the point that it got an inordinate amount of credit during his rise.
Aidoo is 6-foot-2 but his wingspan stretches 6-10, eating up passing lanes and leaving opposing dribbles vulnerable to his reach.
"It definitely helps on defense to get deflections," Aidoo said. "When I was younger, people would always say, 'You've got long hands and that's why you're good.' You can have long hands and be bad. The first time they say it, it's cool. But then they keep saying it and saying it and every time I get a stop, they'd say, 'Dang, you've got such long arms.' Like I didn't do anything?"
Aidoo has done plenty at GCU and in his homeland to make a name for himself. It does not hurt that he bears a memorable name. Fiifi is actually his middle name. It is a name often given to boys in Ghana born on a Friday. His first name is Harold, which his favorite fans on campus like to use.
His game caught the attention of GCU assistant coach Chris Crevelone when Aidoo was playing at the Helsinki Basketball Academy for Hanno Mottola, a former University of Utah star who played two NBA seasons. Aidoo kept his ties in Finland this summer when he helped the national team to a seventh-place finish at the World University Games by shooting 51 percent and averaging 9.0 points, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 19.6 minutes per game.
It all has led to a sophomore season in which Aidoo markedly has improved his scoring efficiency and doubled his playmaking. He is averaging 4.6 points in 16.0 minutes per game.
"Now, everything feels more comfortable," Aidoo said. "I actually could live here now."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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