After six years, Nigerian mother and son will reunite — at the Final Four

By Daily Sports on March 31, 2018

Udoka Azubuike left his native Nigeria six years ago, first to go to prep school in the US and then to attend college and play basketball at the University of Kansas.

He hasn’t seen his mother, Florence Azuonuwu, since he left Nigeria. But thanks to his winning ways on the basketball court, a change in NCAA rules a few years ago, and the intervention of a Republican member of Congress from Kansas, the pair are set for a reunion this weekend in San Antonio.

“She put a Bible in my hand. She said, ‘Don’t forget this. Always keep this in your mind and allow God to guide you’,” Azubuike told The Kansas City Star of the last time he saw her. Azubuike still has the Bible.

Since 2015, the NCAA has paid either $3,000 or $4,000 — depending on whether a player’s team wins and advances to the national championship — to the families of players on Final Four teams, to offset the cost of attending games. But money wasn’t Azubuike’s family’s only obstacle. Getting a visa to come to the US is typically a time-consuming, cumbersome process for someone from Nigeria. Up until Thursday, Kansas coach Bill Self said the team wasn’t overly hopeful a visa would come through in time.

Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder, a University of Kansas graduate himself, worked with the university and the State Department to expedite the visa process.

Visa in hand, that stipend will allow Azuonuwu to have her first reunion with her son since she gave him that Bible. She was due to arrive in San Antonio Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, back in Nigeria, basketball fans will be staying up late into Sunday morning to watch Azubuike’s Kansas Jayhawks attempt to beat Villanova. Tip-off is set for 8:49 ET on Saturday night — which is 1:49 a.m. in Lagos, Nigeria.

“Basketball in Nigeria is really huge. Basketball in recent times has really grown leaps and bounds,” said Nigerian sports reporter Femi Adefeso. “Apart from the fact that we have a few Nigerian stars in the NBA and in Europe, national teams have been giving us lots of joy.”

He added that while soccer is still the No. 1 sport in Nigeria, basketball is a close second. He said both the men's and women's teams are well-followed.

While Azubuike was known for his shot-blocking abilities in Nigeria, Adefeso said he’s definitely grown and improved since he came to the US.

“I call him the baby Shaquille O’Neal. He’s in the paint. He always wants to go up strong, score buckets. He has what it takes to really dominate,” he said.

Of course, Azubuike isn’t the only foreign player who will be featured in this weekend’s Final Four. In fact, he’s not even the only one who will start on the Jayhawk team.

The Jayhawks also start Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk at guard, and Silvio De Sousa, of Angola, comes off the bench — often in place of Azubuike. The early game, between the University of Michigan and Loyola University Chicago will also feature an international star: Moritz Wagner of Germany leads Michigan in scoring. (PRI)

•Photo shows Azubuike Udoka driving with the ball in a basketball contest.

Source Daily Sports

Posted March 31, 2018


 

You may also like...
AFCON Qualifiers: Cameroon Held At Home By Cape...

Naomi Osaka books Chinese Open Quarter Final Place...

Lagos City Marathon 2018: LASTMA announces traffic diversion...

Fury proposes tag-team fight against Joshua, Usyk

Chelsea Plots Double Raid On City For Jesus,...

Why Ndidi Is Irreplaceable At Leicester — Rodgers...

 

Latest News Nigeria beat Cameroon to reach IHF final 27 schools for Doregos Basketball Championship Super Falcons to play France’s Les Bleues in friendly SWAN suspends ban on coverage of Anambra FA activities Joshua among boxing’s top three earners in 2024 Oshoala makes history with Bay FC Nnamani hails team over IHF bright start Flamingos lift U-17 W’Cup Fair Play Trophy Rangers Intl, SWAN partner on sports collaboration in SE LAGOS SWAN CELEBRATES AIG ZONE 2 ON HIS BIRTHDAY AND 30 DAYS IN OFFICE Traders Cup: Upholstery Soccer Team Secured 2nd Win To Advance To Round Two Lagos SWAN Celebrates Oba Akiolu, Iyaloja General, AIG Fayoade

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,142 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,269 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,350 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (43,991 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (43,932 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (43,879 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (43,718 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,289 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,333 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,036 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,489 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (38,916 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media