Watch Nneka soar

Devoted Cardinal fan Warren Grimes advises:

I have read that money spent on building memories brings more long term satisfaction than money spent on material things. With that in mind, I have a modest suggestion. Go to a Stanford women’s game this season, or go to all of them. But make sure that for at least one game, you have a court-side seat. Get it any way you can. Buy it, trade for it, or beg or steal if necessary. Even an end-court obstructed view seat will do.

A nose-bleed seat in the upper deck won’t do it. For those with fat wallets who have season tickets 20 rows up at center court, that won’t cut it either. Buying a high quality 60 inch HD television to watch the games – that’s not going to work either -- most television cameras are at a high angle. You have to be at court level – or at least within a few rows of court level. Because it’s only at that angle that you can truly appreciate Nneka Ogwumike’s definitive destruction of Newtonian physics. Watching Nneka soar is a memory that will endure – it will inspire you to reach beyond everyday limits, or at least to appreciate those who can.

Last year, I watched Nneka play in a number of games from good seats, maybe 20 rows up. And I watched her play even more games on television. Everyone talked and wrote about her uncanny leaps. And I could see it happening before me as she leaped, boarded, and made amazing put-backs before returning to earth. But I’m sorry – you can’t really appreciate the soaring until you are at ground level. During the Pac-10 tournament, I was fortunate to have a second row seat – my jaw dropped, and so did those of everyone around me. I won’t forget.

Nneka Ogwumike had a solid freshman season, averaging 6.1 rebounds (third on the team) and 10.6 points (fourth on the team). She did this primarily as a reserve. In press conferences, Nneka comes across as a modest and unassuming team player. But she has amazing talents, and as the season neared its end, Nneka was suddenly a starter. I believe Coach Van Derveer said she couldn’t keep Ogwumike off the court. Ogwumike’s knowledge of the game and her confidence level had grown steadily. In the post season, she was a FORCE.

At the Pac-10 tournament, Nneka scored 44 points, the best on the team. She had 24 boards, second only to Kayla Pedersen’s 25. In the NCAA tournament, Ogwumike had a career day against San Diego State, with 27 points and 13 rebounds. She did this at the perfect time, because Jayne Appel had limited minutes because of fouls. Overall, for the 5 NCAA games, Nneka averaged 15 points and 9.4 boards, second only to Jayne Appel. Nneka did this despite playing limited minutes (only 15 minutes against Iowa State, 26 minutes against U Conn, and 27 minutes against Ohio State). Against U Conn, Ogwumike used her limited minutes to score 13 points and lead the team with 12 boards (Tina Charles had 12 boards, but was on the court 5 minutes longer than Ogwumike).

If there is any doubt that Nneka Ogwumike has arrived, look at what she did in the FIBA U19 world championships. Nneka led her gold-medal winning team with 13.6 points and 9.9 boards per game. In the Gold Medal match against Spain, the tension was high because Spain had defeated the US in the opening round game. Nneka came to play. She had a “twenty” double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in 36 minutes on the floor. Yup, Skylar Diggins and Samantha Prahalis were there too, but it was Nneka who led the way.

All of this creates a problem for opposing coaches, who may be lobbying for a new handicapping rule – all players with hang time in excess of three seconds would wear 20-pound weights on each ankle. But that is not your problem. Just indulge your flying fantasies. This season, watch at least one game from court-side. You will remember. And you will smile each time you think of Nneka Ogwumike soaring above it all. I do.