St. Louis Park twins Micah and Marley Curtis credit Arigu for helping them go from unknown prospects to committing to play Division I basketball at North Dakota.

“At first it was about learning the moves and perfecting it,” Micah said. “But then you start seeing those opportunities in the game and they’re real. We’re not playing with the ball. We’re getting straight to our moves. That’s how it’s going to be now and at the next level.”

Calling for no more than 1-2 dribbles, Arigu instructs players through a variety of pivots, jabs, drop steps and spins. He won’t switch to different counter moves until they get the footwork right and finish consistently, which can be helpful to guards, wings and post players.

“Footwork was so popular when I was a kid,” Arigu said. “I saw when Hakeem came back to Nigeria to run camps. Because he helped pave the way for so many Africans, people there watched him and learned the footwork. And Hakeem’s little brother was a childhood friend.”

With the Raptors organization, Ujiri has witnessed firsthand how the professional game has grown with international influence, but he also remembers when Arigu followed him from Nigeria to the U.S. to play basketball in the mid-1990s.

At Bismarck State in North Dakota, Arigu played with Ujiri for two years. After finishing his career at the NAIA level at Cumberland in Kentucky in 2000, Arigu landed a job through Ujiri with NBA Africa and the Basketball Without Borders program. Arigu thrived in the role for 15 years.