Akoh setting himself up for success

Sometime next March, hopefully deep into the NCAA tournament, Jamar Akoh will suit up for the Grizzlies one final time. When his collegiate career comes to a close, he'd like to continue playing basketball overseas, and given his skillset on the court, that's a very real possibility.

But Akoh also knows that at some point – again, hopefully several years down the road – the 6-8 forward will hang up his jersey one last time, and at that point will look for his next career path.

"I was doing some reflecting in the spring, going back and forth on what I wanted to do with my life," Akoh said. "I want to play basketball as long as I can, at the highest level possible, but when I'm done, how will I be able to compete with the people who are graduating with me? If I go overseas for X amount of years, they'll be getting experience that I won't have."

Instead of falling behind, Akoh was proactive, and that meant trading in his sneakers this summer for business casual (his attire wasn't full-on suit and tie, he noted).

The senior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., spent his busy summer with not one, but two internships. Akoh held a management position with Sheehan Majestic and a marketing gig with Draught Works.

"Both were great experiences and I learned a ton," Akoh said. "Huge thank you to Draught Works and Sheehan Majestic. They really gave me a great opportunity."

While with Draught Works, a local brewery, Akoh did anything from fixing products to designing merchandise, and even was behind some advertising decisions. The biggest benefit for Akoh was seeing how a local business operates.

"It was eye opening to see how they try to reach the community," Akoh said. "As a local business, what's specific about Missoula that can make your company successful?"

Sheehan Majestic, a local wholesale distributor that has been a fixture in the Northwest for nearly four decades, gave Akoh more of a corporate feel.

"More meetings and offices," Akoh said with a smile.

He was involved with clients, and learned how to promote a product and sell it better. One of his favorite parts was sitting in on meetings and hearing negotiations between the two parties about why or why not his company wanted to take on a product and try and sell it.

Something that stood out to one of his supervisors was his intuitiveness.

"Jamar was really a pleasure. He's a bright individual," said Sean Murphy, the director of procurement and marketing for Sheehan Majestic. "Probably the most impressive thing about him, for someone who hasn't worked in this area, he asked a lot of really great questions and had a great intuition about how a business operates."

Additionally, Akoh had the opportunity to interact with the owners, hearing their stories and how they got to where they are. The internship also piqued his interest in the stock market.

"It was a great experience," Akoh said. "It was probably one of the greatest things I've ever done. It was different but fun going to work every day, and I felt really accomplished."

Akoh is unsure which route he will pursue when he eventually joins the workforce, which is one of the reasons why he got into an area of study that gives him a wide range of opportunities. Regardless of what he chooses, he's putting himself in position to succeed.

"The best way to describe Jamar is a sponge," said Montana men's basketball coach Travis DeCuire. "He holds onto information, he grasps it and then he puts it into use about as well as anyone I've ever coached.

"He went from a business major to a double major, and then wanted to gain experience in the working field outside of basketball. He took it and ran with it, and took two internships and turned them into potential careers."

Don't fret, Griz fans. Akoh was sure to note that while he was busy working, it was also the hardest-working summer he's had on the court.

"I got after it and had one of the hardest summers in the gym I've ever had, and I was still able to complete two internships and give myself an upper hand," Akoh said.

Akoh wanted to stay ahead of the curve instead of falling behind. But perhaps he's already ahead. After all, he completed two internships while earning Academic All-Big Sky honors as a double major AND being a leader on a conference-champion basketball team. How many people can put that on their resume?

About Akoh: Akoh is in the final year of his undergraduate program, finalizing degrees in both management and marketing. After beginning his collegiate career at Cal State Fullerton, Akoh transferred to Montana in 2016. Per NCAA regulations, he redshirted in 2016-17, before starting all 34 games as a junior in 2017-18. Akoh earned All-Big Sky Conference recognition and was recognized as the team's Dennis T. Murphy Coaches' Award winner. He was one of two players in the Big Sky to rank in the top 15 for scoring (12.8), rebounding (6.6) and field-goal percentage (.570). He also had a team-most 23 blocked shots. Montana went 26-8 and won the Big Sky regular-season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013. Off the court, he earned Academic All-Big Sky Conference honors.

University of Montana Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Jamar Akoh

Related Videos