The Olympics are a premeire event that only some athletes get the opportunity to compete in. Joanne Aluka-White, an assistant coach for women’s basketball, was able to participate in the 2004 Olympics by playing basketball with Nigeria.
After beginning her basketball career in middle school, Aluka-White said she “wasn’t very good.” She improved enough to continue playing in high school, but not at the level she aspired to be at.
In the summer between her freshman and sophomore years in high school, her friend Itoro Umoh groomed her into a starting player.
“She picked me up every day over the summer and we went and played basketball.