Success in Basketball, Success in Life – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
In Nigeria, “Ugonaa” means father’s eagle or father’s pride. The name is more than appropriate for junior guard Ugo Nwankwo. A biology/pre-medicine major and second year walkon, Nwankwo’s dedication and success in both athletics and academics truly reflect where hard work and focus can take a student-athlete.
As the prospect of college entered Nwankwo’s life, the Ann Arbor, Mich., native decided he would only attend a Division I state school, turning down offers from Division II and III universities that guaranteed playing time.
“I didn’t know much about Ohio State at the time and never fully realized how deep the rivalry (with Michigan) was,” Nwankwo said. “But I applied to Ohio State and they were the quickest to respond, offered the greatest benefits and allowed me not to stay too close to home.”
Once he decided to attend Ohio State, Nwankwo told his mother, Hilda Nwankwo, that he wanted to play basketball for the Buckeyes.
“I was surprised since he had not been recruited by Ohio State,” Hilda said. “But he made a prediction and set a goal for himself.”
The Buckeyes, returning from a surprise third-place finish in the Big Ten and an NCAA tournament appearance in the 2001 season, did not add any walkons to the team Nwankwo’s freshman year at Ohio State.
Leaving the court following the tryouts with his head up and his goal still intact, Nwankwo returned to basketball tryouts his sophomore year and was recruited by the team as a walkon.
“I would have been discouraged, but no one else was chosen that year from tryouts,” Nwankwo said. “I kept playing at the recreational centers on campus throughout the year, working on different aspects of my game. I improved on passing the ball, rebounding, (scoring) and playing smart defense.
“Coming into my freshman tryouts, I tried getting mostly shots in because I thought that was what the coaches were looking for. I changed my whole outlook on the game after freshmen tryouts and maintained my training for the next season.” With senior guards BobanSavovic, BrianBrown and WillDudley graduating after the 2002 season, Nwankwo came prepared and ready to prove his talents at tryouts for the 2002-03 team. He found a place on the Buckeye roster as a 6-foot-2-inch, 185-pound guard who could back up the team and assist in practice with the team’s three-guard offense.
“I was happy then and am still happy now to have made the team,” Nwankwo said. “In high school, all the work and effort I put into basketball was shadowed by the guys I played with and now it seemed someone was recognizing what I could do.
“My goal was to only settle for the best and I played my best to make the team. That’s how I like to think I would do anything in my life.”
Dr. Francis Nwankwo, Nwankwo’s father, said he expected his son to focus and do his best at whatever challenges took on.
“When Ugo sets his eyes on a prize, he will not give up until he gets it,” Dr. Nwankwo said. “He is focused and will give it his best at all times.”
From a young age, Nwankwo’s parents encouraged him and his three brothers to participate in sports.
“We always believed that sports promoted a good work ethic, built character and instilled a spirit of competitiveness,” Dr. Nwankwo said. “People with or without talent can go a long way with a lot of hard work, something that sports can always teach.”
With his parents backing him and a seemingly natural ability to play sports, Ugo began playing basketball around the age of 5.
“We always had a hoop up in our driveway, so we always had a chance to play,” Ugo said. “Around fifth grade, I started playing on organized basketball teams and kept it up until today.”
Ugo brought a recreational basketball application home from school one day and decided to sign up, his mother said.
“I moved through recreational teams, the middle school team and eventually the high school team,” Ugo said.
Enjoying other sports throughout his childhood, he also took up soccer, football, track and whatever other sports were available.
Ugo still uses that natural ability, claiming to be able to play almost any sport.
“My freshman year in high school I played on the football team and wanted to really pursue soccer, but that sport wasn’t available at my school,” he said.
Ugo transferred to Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Mich., for the second half of his freshman year. The school is a basketball powerhouse in Michigan. Along with running track for two seasons, Nwankwo played varsity basketball his junior and senior years.
During the summer of his junior year, Nwankwo stepped up his training and began a work out program to increase the strength of his legs, the results of which were seen early in the season.
“Around the fourth or fifth game of the season my junior year, I took a fast break and just jumped with the ball,” Nwankwo said. “It was my first dunk during a game and nobody in the crowd expected it.
“Everyone went wild and I just walked back to the team, not really realizing what I had done until the end of the game.”
Ugo’s father brought a camera to every game, always jokingly promising a reward to whoever dunked during a game.
“He said the first person to dunk during a game would get a prize,” Ugo said. “My younger brother dunked first, so he would have gotten any reward if there was any actually involved.”
“After that game, I just kind walked away and when it finally set in, I eventually said to myself, ‘hey, I just dunked.'”
With strong support and involvement, Nwankwo’s parents instilled in their children strong values and a work ethic that could break through any challenge and exceed any goal.
“When my dad saw my brother Ije and I were dedicated and wanted to play basketball, he would drive or fly to as many of our games as he could,” Ugo said.
Nwankwo’s brother, Ije, is a 6-foot-7-inch freshman forward at Purdue.
“My father flew to Hawaii when we played in Maui this year and from Maui, flew to Alaska to see Purdue play,” Ugo said. “When we needed things like money for recreational teams or money for basketball shoes, my father was always willing to give it to us and make sacrifices for us to be able to play basketball.”
Nwankwo and his brother will play against each other for the first time on different teams Jan. 31 in West Lafayette, Ind.
“There’s no taunting or anything like that between us,” Nwankwo said. “We are pretty honest on where our teams stand and can only foresee a problem for our parents at that game.”
Nwankwo’s parents said they plan to attend the Ohio State vs. Purdue game, but are considering options such as combining both jerseys into one.
“It will be nice to be able to see both of them play at the same game,” Dr. Nwankwo said. “It means less travel for us.”
Hilda Nwankwo said she plans on doing something special for the game.
“We are not sure exactly what, but we do know we’ll be cheering for everybody,” she said.
A successful physician, Nwankwo’s father also stressed the importance of academics in his sons’ lives.
“Basketball was never allowed to interfere with our studies,” Ugo said. “In high school, I always had to balance the A.P. classes, projects, tests and studying with basketball.”
Though Ohio State actively accommodates student-athlete academic needs, it is up to the disciplined person to balance academic and athletic responsibilities.
“Basketball and classes conflict in the fall because I get my schedule before I know when practice is each year,” Nwankwo said. “Fall quarter, there was a class I needed to miss, but I always made up the work. It is sometimes difficult to do the work alone and communicate with the professor outside of the classroom, but the professors are generally good about helping me out.”
Nwankwo has been in the Ohio State honors program since his freshman year and has maintained a high grade-point average throughout his collegiate career.
Dr. Nwankwo influenced his son beyond athleticism and sportsmanship, motivating him to pursue his dreams and coincidentally prompt him to take the pre-medicine route at Ohio State.
“He’s a physician and that’s what I want to be,” Ugo said. “As a role model, I see him as a person who has gotten a lot of things done out of nothing. As an immigrant out of Africa, he has done things that people here don’t and can’t do.”
With many of the sciences coming easily him, Nwankwo’s mother said he had spoken of becoming a doctor since age 5 as well.
“He has the natural ability to become a doctor and is up to the task,” Hilda Nwankwo said. “He has made our family very proud and is a blessing to all he comes in contact with.”
Nwankwo worked at a medical supply company this past summer and has shadowed his father in the hospital and while visiting patients at their homes.
“I grew up with it,” Ugo said.
As for going into coaching, Nwankwo worries his dedication to the game may get the best of him.
“I don’t know if I could ever be a coach,” Nwankwo said. “If I would see kids who don’t care or who aren’t trying, I wouldn’t understand that and get mad.”
Nwankwo said he is always looking do to things that can help other people.
“Whether it’s directly as a physician or social worker, or indirectly, like having a job that makes a lot of money but allows me to spend that money to help other people, I wouldn’t be disappointed,” Nwankwo said. “I just want to make it better for everyone around me. That’s my ultimate goal.
“Its kind of funny with me following my dad. I guess things just worked out that way.”
