After surprise

St. Pölten’s artist is already envisioning the title

After five defeats in the season, St. Pölten's basketball team celebrated their first win against Traiskirchen at the start of the Superliga quarter-finals and will go into their home game on Tuesday at 6pm with a lead. A small feat. Like the paintings of Ajiroghene Ogemuno-Johnson. The SKN center paints in his spare time - and has already found buyers for his portraits.

"It all started at high school in the USA, and I also painted for fun at college," says the Nigerian. When he came to St. Pölten in the summer, he soon needed an easel in his apartment. The art store in Traisenpark even had one in the right size for the 2.05 m giant.

He uses his big hands for an average of 6.8 rebounds and 10.6 points per game. But also to wield a paintbrush: "I love painting portraits." SKN manager Stefan Worenz also got hold of one of them and now just has to find a place for "Mr. Bean as Mona Lisa".

Would "Ajiri" rather see his art in the Guggenheim Museum or dribble in the NBA? "My dream is the NBA," he laughs, "you can't always just play basketball." Even though he says: "This sport is also a kind of art. And the title for us would be a masterpiece!"

On the way there, he could visit the new Albertina Klosterneuburg, but the earliest St. Pölten can meet the "Dukes" is in the final. Ogemuno-Johnson doesn't want to think that far ahead just yet: "The win in Traiskirchen was a first step, now we have to take the next one!"