Ezeigbo works hard on the court and in the classroom

When Chukwuka Ezeigbo was 11 years old, she was not too interested in basketball. So, when she was told that her height would give her an advantage, and she should give the sport a shot, she reluctantly did. Today, basketball is Ezeigbo’s life.

Ezeigbo, a 6 foot , three senior center from Trenton, New Jersey, said the most important aspect of her life is basketball. Her fondest memory of the sport was her AAU’s (Amateur Athletic Union) team winning a championship in New York. However, her most embarrassing memory will never be forgotten.

“I scored on the other team’s goal one game when I was younger,” Ezeigbo said. “That had to have been my most embarrassing moment.”

Ezeigbo, who is of Nigerian descent, listens to music before every game to get warmed up. Although John Legend is her favorite artist, her choice of music reflects her heritage.

“I listen to African music when I am getting ready for a game,” Ezeigbo said. “It really gets me pumped and ready to play.”

Norrisha Victrum, a junior guard from Columbia, South Carolina, has heard Ezeigbo play this music prior to games. She said, in a sense, it gets her pumped up, too.

"Chicka (Ezeigbo) has always played African music before games that I hear from my locker," Victrum said. "I mess with her and start doing African dances, but I like it."

Aside from her heritage, family plays a major role in Ezeigbo’s life. If she were to die and come back as someone, she said she would want to return as her aunt, who is one of the biggest support systems in her life.

“Whenever I needed her, especially after my father’s death, she was always someone I could lean on,” Ezeigbo said. “She also has a strong religious foundation that I admire.”

Ezeigbo talks to her mother everyday. She also makes sure that she is a positive role model for her
siblings.

The death of Ezeigbo's father was a motivating factor in her life. Victrum, who is Ezeigbo's best friend on the team, said that after this event took place, Ezeigbo style of play positively increased.

"I believe that Chicka is more aggressive and focused since her father died," Victrum said. "We all make mistakes, but she is quicker to own up to hers and correct it in whatever way she can, as well."

Ezeigbo has become a leader for the team who helps her teammates in every way that she can. Leah Scott, a senior guard/forward from Detroit, transferred to Marshall last season. She said that Ezeigbo quickly became one of her closest friends on the team.

"As soon as I got to Marshall, Chicka (Ezeigbo) and I clicked," Scott said. "We were both going to play in the post together, so we started off looking for each other to be open and making plays for one another."

Scott said that this is how the two of the gained a friendship. Aside from having her back on the court, she said that Ezeigbo is reliable off of the court, as well.

"If I ever need anything, Chicka is always there for me no matter what time of the day or night it is," Scott said. "She is that one person that I can depend on."

One of the most notable attributes of Ezeigbo is her work ethic. Women basketball’s head coach Matt Daniel said she is one of the hardest workers he has coached.

“Chicka comes to practice every day with a relentless effort,” Daniel said. “No matter what is going on in her life, she takes care of business.”

Her mentality towards work, Ezeigbo said, comes from her parents.

“One thing that my father always taught me is to put 110 percent into everything that I do,” Ezeigbo said. “I try to apply that in everything that I do.”

Ezeigbo's work ethic is enforced in her education, as well. Scott said that Ezeigbo does not say much, but her intelligence speaks volume.

"Chukwuka is quiet the majority of the time," Scott said. "She is also an extremely intelligent person who works hard in the classroom."

The importance of education was stressed in the Ezeigbo household. Ezeigbo is a biology major with a concentration in pre-med, which was influenced by her childhood pediatrician.

“She was able to explain medical things to me at a young age,” Ezeigbo said. “I have always had a fascination with the human body and how it works, so it was the perfect field of study for me.”

Ezeigbo said she likes to view herself as an intellectual. She is a huge fan of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings and has a love for studying. A major goal she has this semester is earning a 4.0 GPA. Being a student-athlete can be difficult, but Ezeigbo has learned to manage.

“Communicating with teachers is very important, so I make sure they know what is going on,” Ezeigbo said. “I also put myself on a strict schedule by getting work done before and after practice.”

Ezeigbo’s plans on heading to medical school after she graduates. Scott said that Ezeigbo's choice in becoming a pediatrician is wise because she loves children.

"Chukwuka is extremely good with kids, so she will find success being a pediatrician," Scott said. "I even told her that if she lives in the same area as I do once her career starts, I want her to be my children's doctor."

Ezeigbo’s height, which was the reason why she began to play basketball a decade ago, has worked in her favor. Last season, she was the leading rebounder for the Herd women’s basketball team.

Conference USA hires PR firm to aid Marshall's playoff hopes

The 12 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee left the Thundering Herd out of their rankings, but Marshall is looking to the Los Angeles public relations firm that Conference USA hired to bring attention to its season.

Steve Brener, the president of Brener, Zwikel & Associates, said in an interview that his firm hopes to maximize the visibility of the Herd nationally.

 "We aim to publicize the team and their success, so that the 12 members of the voting committee will be well informed and aware of their success this year," Brener said. “In the end, it will be up to the twelve member to decide the four best teams in the nation.”

Brener said that his team is going to do national radio shows and satellite television tours to get the message out to the public. His firm is also sending information about the Herd's football team to contacts across the country.

The PR firm sent out emails to the media highlighting certain statistics, notes, and facts about the football team as of October 27. The email also included the individual statistics of senior quarterback Rakeem Cato and junior running back Devon Johnson.

Courtney Morrison-Archer, Conference USA's Associate Commissioner, said in an interview that it is not uncommon for the conference to work with an outside consultant agency, especially since they want to bring attention to Marshall's campaign. 

"In this instance, we felt the story of Marshall football was a great one to tell," Morrison-Archer said. "Why not do what we could to tell it the best and most effective way possible?"

Conference USA also hired a public relations firm to bring attention to the conference. Jason Corriher, Marshall's football sports information director, told USA Today that the conference is using the Herd's success for publicity.

"We're the ones that they've used to pursue some publicity for the league because of our national ranking," Corriher said. "It helped our cause and our league."

Ezeigbo's Journey

Chukwuka Ezeigbo, a senior center from Trenton, New Jersey, arrived in Huntington in 2011. Once she got here, she found herself in a cultural shock.

"I am used to being in the (big) city, which is fast paced and busy," Ezeigbo said. "Here in West Virginia, everything is calm, so it was definitely something I had to get accustomed to."

Ezeigbo said that it wasn't too bad adjusting to the West Virginia way of living. As a matter of fact, she has grown to like it.

After 11 seasons at Marshall, Royce Chadwick resigned as head coach of the Herd women's basketball team. Once Matt Daniel took over in 2012, Ezeigbo, who was recruited by Chadwick, was faced with another challenge of adjustment. 

"I came here my freshman year under Chadwick, so I had to get adjusted to Daniel's style of play," Ezeigbo said. "It was challenging at first, but I got used to it and became accustomed to how we play."

Last season, Ezeigbo’s father, Ambrose Ezeigbo, died from stomach and colon cancer at the age of 56. 

"It was hard adjusting to the differences, especially being away from home where my family needed me," Ezeigbo said. "I just had to remember to stay strong mentally.”

Ezeigbo flew to Nigeria and stayed for 18 days in 2013. She was forced to miss four games in the middle of the season after her father's death. Once Ezeigbo returned to Marshall, she took the court by storm. Last season, she contributed to 40 blocks, and was the team's leading offensive rebounder with 3.5 boards per game. Ezeigbo's efforts also led her to become the number five all-time leading blocker in a season at Marshall. 

The star center also takes care of business in the classroom. Ezeigbo is majoring in biology with a concentration in pre-med. She has made the Conference USA Honor Roll twice.

"In 5 to 10 years, I see myself in medical school," Ezeigbo said. "I want to be a general medicine pediatrician, so that is what I am working towards right now."

Ezeigbo is the only senior this year who has been at Marshall all for years. Head coach Daniel said that her ambitious attitude will allow her to do great after college.

"I did not recruit Chukwuka, but I am glad she is here," Daniel said. "She is a strong, ambitious young woman, and I think she will do great things in her community wherever she decides to go."

Daniel also said that he is not looking forward to Ezeigbo's departure, and that he will miss her.

Ezeigbo's main focus going into her last season at Marshall is allowing her teammates to view her as a go-to person throughout games. 

"I would love for my teammates to see me as a leader on the court," Ezeigbo said. "I want to be someone that can be dependable when the team needs a lift."

There is no place like home

Marshall men’s basketball team is 349-110 since 1981 when playing at the Cam Henderson Center, and for the past few seasons, the Herd has found it easier to win at home than on the road.

In the 2009-2010 season, the Herd won 24 times, and 15 of those came from games played at home. The following season, Marshall won 14 games in Huntington and only 6 on the road. The 2011-2012 season was another year that the team struggled to win games on the road. At home, the Herd had a record of 13-4. On the road, however, Marshall only took home 5 of 13 regular season games played on the road.

The past two seasons have been the worst for the Herd when it comes to taking home road wins. Marshall has played 28 games away from Huntington since 2012 and has only won 5 of those games.

In the world of sports, many view the advantage of playing at home as a motivating factor that helps teams win. 

Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Phil Jackson, in a 2010 Los Angeles Times blog article listed home court advantage as the biggest priority of his team. 

"What's important," Jackson said, "is getting out ahead of the rest of the pack and somehow or other putting them in the back so that you have that home court advantage that looms important at certain times in the playoffs."

Indiana Pacers guard Paul George favors home-court advantage, as well. In an interview with Jim Rome on Jim Rome is Burning in January, George was asked if he believed the Heat would beat the Pacers in Indiana four times if they had home-court advantage. His response was simple:

"We don't," George said. "We know how well we play at home. We're one of the best teams in the postseason last year defending our home court."

George went on to stress the importance of home-court advantage, which seems to be a major reason why Marshall wins at the Cam Henderson Center, and loses frequently on the road. 

In the 16 games that were played in Huntington during the 2012-2013 season, the Cam saw an average of 5,587 fans per game. In the 16 home games that were played in the season after, an average of 4,713 fans were in attendance each game. 

The Herd lost 11 games away from home in the 2012-2013 season. When the team was in Huntington, however, they had a record of 11-5. In the same season, it also added to the total of years winning at least 10 games at the Cam Henderson Center, which is 22 out of the 33 years the Herd has played in that building. That season was the sixth consecutive time the Herd was able to do so.

The 2013-2014 season was not Marshall's year on the road, either. The Herd saw action away from Huntington 14 times and only won 2 of those games. 

Marshall's struggles on the road these past two seasons has carried over into postseason play in Conference USA, as well. Both seasons, the Herd found themselves on the losing end in tournament play within the first two rounds. The last time the team was able to make it to a Conference USA championship game was in 2011. 

DeVince Boykins, a senior guard from Forest City, North Carolina, said the Herd needs to play harder on the road to win.

"On the road, it is all about grinding it out because a lot of games go down to the wire," Boykins said. "At the end of the day, we've got to start finishing games out."

Boykins also said the team needs to play smarter basketball fundamentally when it is away.

"We've got to make free throws, reduce turnovers, and stop making mistakes," Boykins said. "Pretty much all we have to do is take care of the ball. 

Marshall men’s basketball wins at home and loses away: 2009-2014

      Year               Home Wins      Road Loses        +/-

2009-2010	15	4	+11
2010-2011	14	7	+7
2011-2012	13	8	+5
2012-2013	11	11	even
2013-2014	8	12	-4

Source: herdzone.com