June 23, 1998
by Cara Stockham
College Park Magazine
Like a scene from a movie, the scored was tied with 35.2 seconds remaining on the clock and the big man with a mere 67 percent free throw average was at the line. The team that won this game would go on, the loser would go home.
This scene was unfolding in the final minute of the Maryland-Illinois game in the second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Junior center Obinna Ekezie made both ends of a one-and-one situation to put the Terps ahead. And then with 15.6 seconds left he was fouled again, and again he made both shots -- this time putting the game out of Illinois' reach.
It was a performance not many would have expected from the 6-foot-10 Nigerian when he first arrived at Maryland in 1995, out of shape and very raw. But Ekezie has worked hard at improving his game, and as his weight dropped, his averages went up.
Weighing in at 290 pounds as a high school senior, Ekezie is now a svelte 262. His average points per game improved from 4.5 as a freshman to 12.8 last season. His average rebounds per game also increased significantly over that period from 3.7 to 6.5.
An honorable mention selection to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team last season, Ekezie had 51 total assists and 37 blocks. His 90 career blocks place him seventh in Maryland history.
"If you want to improve, you have to play a lot of basketball," says Ekezie, who practices against local NBA stars in the off-season.
Not bad for a guy who had never even played basketball before he came to the United States. His father, an electrical engineer, sent him to the United States for his last two years of high school because of the riots and strikes disrupting Nigerian schools.
Education has always been a priority in the family -- Ekezies two sisters also attend Maryland. And though he was offered scholarships at several schools, Ekezie chose Maryland as much for its unique Total Quality program, as for its basketball program.
"You're playing in the best conference in the country, plus youre getting a very good education," Ekezie says of his decision to attend Maryland. "I couldnt ask for more."
The TQ program focuses on teamwork and problem solving. Ekezie recently finished the business part of his degree and is concentrating on the engineering part.
Engineering is a difficult major, especially with the added stress of playing Division I basketball. Ekezie says he keeps up with his studies by staying in constant contact with his professors and taking his books on the road with him.
"I do my work when I have to," he says. "I just don't put it off like other students who have the luxury of having a lot of time on their hands. "
For now Ekezie and his teammates have a little more time on their hands with classes recessed until the fall, but each is keeping his mind on the teams goal of going to the Final Four in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. Ekezie is also working hard toward more personal goals.
"My father really put a lot of pressure on me and never loosened the grip," he says. "He taught me to work hard, that nothing was going to come easy."
Ekezie says he expects to graduate within the next two years and hopes to go on to the NBA -- after which he would find a job as an engineer. Oh, and he also wants to be the best big man in the NCAA this year. Its a tall order, but Ekezie seems to have the right stuff to make it happen.
