UConn battles Georgia Tech for title tonight
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Connecticut center Emeka Okafor is on the brink of winning a national championship, and almost as close to graduation.
“I can’t say I’m more proud of one than the other,” he said.
That’s the way things are for a player who sees the clear distinction between life and basketball, a result of being the son of a man who grew up in war-ravaged Nigeria and saw things from a very different perspective.
“My dad’s high school education was interrupted by a civil war and they weren’t sure they were going to eat the next day,” Okafor said. “And here I am in the United States wondering what I’m going to get for Christmas.”
Okafor will lead UConn against Georgia Tech in the national final Monday, hoping to push the Huskies to one half of a possible sweep of the men’s and women’s championships. The Connecticut women defeated Minnesota 67-58 on Sunday night to also advance to the championship game against Tennessee.
A win for the guys would mark the crowning achievement on the basketball court for Okafor, although it would be only part of the picture in his well-rounded life.
The 6-foot-10 All-American, who averages 17 points and 11 rebounds, will earn his degree in finance in May with a 3.8 grade-point average. After that, he’ll probably be a top-five pick in the NBA draft in June.
It took Okafor just three years to earn his degree, an impressive accomplishment that doesn’t surprise those who know him. Okafor shrugs it off, calling it more a matter of circumstance than anything great he did.
“I was at school in the summer working on basketball, so I decided to take some classes while I was there,” he said.
Okafor got his chance thanks to the decision his father, Pius, made in 1974 to move to America, where he went to college and worked odd jobs to help pay the bills. A few years later, Pius was on a trip back to Africa when he met his wife, Celestina, a registered nurse.
Emeka — his given name is Chukwuemeka Ndubisi Okafor — was born in 1982. He and his sister moved between Oklahoma and Texas while his dad pursued his education and better jobs. By watching his parents succeed, Emeka learned about the value of a hard day’s work and about the abundant opportunities available in the United States.
He worked hard in school and got good grades, all the while working on his basketball game. He never gave up when he was told, as a high school sophomore in Houston, that he wasn’t good enough to start the season on the varsity team.
“His freshman year he played because he enjoyed playing,” said his high school coach, Dave Hudek. “I didn’t start him out on the varsity because I didn’t think he was ready.”
As high school went on, Okafor started taking his game more seriously. UConn coach Jim Calhoun was one of a handful of recruiters who came calling. Okafor didn’t think much of UConn at first, and when he met Calhoun, the coach’s heavy New England accent threw him off.
“There were a lot of `Whats?’ when we met,” Okafor said. “But he came in, talked about the situation. I decided to roll the dice and go to UConn.”
Okafor has steadily progressed with the Huskies, going from a freshman who averaged eight points and barely drew a defender, to an inside force who can completely control a game.
In the semifinals against Duke, he got into early foul trouble and sat on the bench for the last 16 minutes of the first half. In the second half, he scored all 17 of his points and grabbed seven of his eight rebounds. That, plus the defense he played by swatting away shots with his long arms, was the difference in a 79-78 win.
“He was just so focused into winning that basketball game that he took it upon himself,” Calhoun said.
Of course, Okafor is only one of the stars at UConn, and the men’s team is only half of perhaps the best one-two basketball combo in the country.
Led by Diana Taurasi, the Connecticut women gave the Huskies a good chance to become the first program to win men’s and women’s championships in the same season. Both teams were ranked No. 1 going into the season.
If the men pull it off, it’s almost certain Okafor will be a big part of it.
“You can’t really put a price tag on the experience,” he said. “Mine is a unique one. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. For me, it’s one of the best times of my life.’