Nicky Anosike's blog

She won two NCAA titles with Candace Parker at Tennessee, went on to the WNBA where she made the All-Rookie Team and now she's here in Ramla, looking to win another title. Nicky Anosike is going to be one of the best players in the league and basketball's not the only thing she's good at, in this blog you could get to know her personally and it's not a chance you'd want to miss. So Far So Good 12/17/2008 Hi fans, it’s me Nicky again, dropping in to let you know how things have been going for me lately. To sum it up its all going really well. We have not lost a game since three weeks ago on November 24th when we played Ramat Hasharon. When I think about the last three weeks two games really stick out: number one, the win over Portugal by 17 points which was really important, and number two, the win over Ashdod. If you remember correctly Ashdod is the team that we lost to in the first game of the season. This made us really hungry for a win on December 15th. I guess we all needed redemption, especially me because I didn’t get to play in the first game. You see I was sick and felt so helpless when I saw my team out there working hard, I wanted to be out there helping them. Ever since then, the loss has been on my mind, and winning on Monday made me feel so much better. Before my entry comes to an end I must tell you about two new players we have added to the team. Their names are Adia and Katya and they are both pretty cool. Adia is an all around player who can score and play defense on any position, while Katya is really tall and will be able to help us in the paint. We have a really important week ahead of us as we fight to win all of our cup games, and I’m sure they will make us a better team. I am confident that we can come out on top, but I know it will not be easy. I will write back soon. Hopefully next time it will still be true that we have not lost a game since November 24th. Sincerely, Nicky Comments (13) | Add comment Preparing for Big December 12/04/2008 Hi Fans! Unfortunately since the last time I wrote to you guys we have lost the second game this season. I was really upset about the loss to our rival Ramat Hasharon and the way I played in the game but have since been able to bounce back. We won the last two games one against Red Star a team from Serbia and another team here in Israel that was undefeated until they played us on December 1st. These two wins have really helped me and my teammates to regain our confidence, which we will really need in order to be successful in our quest to be champions. Also, our team has finished 6-0 in our EuroCup group, and number six overall. This means that we will be traveling to Potugal to play in the first round. This is a huge month for us as a basketball team and we know that we must be very focused. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on how everything goes. Talk to soon, Nicky Comments (12) | Add comment Winning Streak Continues 11/21/2008 Hi fans! It’s me Nicky again. I hope you were touched by my last entry, which I shared in order to remind you of something that I sometimes forget to remind myself. It is the message that, even during times of hardship we must try to see the positive side of life. On the surface this young mans situation seems full of so much more sorrow than joy. But after reading his story we see that this terrible tragedy has allowed him to emerge as a hero. Since the last time I wrote, we have played several games, all of which we won. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for my former college team, and back-to-back National Champions the Tennessee Lady Vols. As, I checked my e-mails after returning from Madrid I received a letter explaining that they were defeated by No. 16 Virginia on Monday by one point in overtime. Though I know that Tennessee fans are disappointed, we must all continue to have faith in them as they each fight to live up to the standard of excellence. On Monday we play our arch rival Ramat Hasharon, and from what I hear it will be a very intense game, with hundreds of fans screaming and cheering. I hope all goes well in the game and we leave with the victory. I will be sure to write to you guys after the game to give you some inside information on what happens!! I’ll write back soon, Nicky Comments (14) | Add comment True Hero 11/05/2008 Hi fans, I’m back! Sorry I haven’t written to you in a while but I’ve been very busy with practice and games. Fortunately, we won our game on October 30th against Spain, and our game on November 3rd against Hapoel Tel-Aviv. I played decent in both, but I know I have to play a lot better in order for my team to go all the way (which we will). I received word from a few people that said they would like to read my Woman of the Year statement, but I found something more important to share with you guys. On March 31st I received a letter from a young boy that really inspired me and I hope it will do the same for you. Here it is: Dear Nicky, Congratulations on an awesome season and a great career at Tennessee! My name is ______, I am 16 years old and a huge fan of yours! It was my dream to play baseball at Tennessee but I was diagnosed with Leukemia last year and I don’t think I will ever be able to play again. I’m going through chemotherapy right now which is really miserable and I’ll need to have bone marrow transplants in the near future which my oncologist says is my best chance to beat this. Its been really hard for me because this disease has taken so much out of me both physically and mentally that some days I just want to quit trying to fight it. Those days are tough not just for me but on my family too so I try not to let it show. On my worst days with this disease you’ve been an inspiration to me, you play with such a great level of intensity every minute of every game, you never quit and that’s inspired me to fight this disease with the same intensity I see from you on the court. It’s really helped me a lot Nicky and I thank you for that! You are the kind of player that every athlete wants as a teammate regardless of the sport. I’m so looking forward to seeing you in the WNBA. I really enjoy watching you play, I think you’re the best defensive player in the NCAA and have been for the last few seasons. I don’t think you get the recognition you deserve for your outstanding defense. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Sincerely, _________ Wow, I get emotional everytime I read this letter. I may have one Woman of the Year, but this young man exemplifies the true definition of a hero. I’ll write back soon, Nicky Comments (7) | Add comment The Power of Giving 10/21/2008 Hi fans it’s Nicky again! Hope you enjoyed my last blog, however this one is a bit more special to me. As some of you may know I was chosen to be the 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year. This honor is arguably the most meaningful award one can receive in all of women’s college sports. It serves as a reminder to all of us that no matter how exceptional one’s talents and abilities may be, they will only bring true fulfillment if they are used to help others. Generosity is a vital component needed to attain real wealth and a huge source of empowerment that many have not yet tapped into. Please get out into your communities and help, trust me you are needed. The ceremony where they announced the winner was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on October 19th. I was not able to attend because we played Ashdod the same day. Unfortunately we lost and I wasn’t able to play because I had a 103 degree fever. Yea it was miserable, but I feel a lot better now!!! Though I did not make it to the ceremony, two people who helped me become the person I am today accepted the award on my behalf, my mother Ngozi Anosike and my college coach Pat Summitt. Well that’s enough about me! I’ll write back soon, Nicky P.S. I am thinking about putting the statement that I had to write for the nomination process of the award on the blog. What do you guys think? Comments (19) | Add comment Explosive Start 10/16/2008 Hi fans, this is Nicky Anosike! I decided to write to you guys so that you can get a chance to know me personally. So many people look at me and think I’m mean or too serious which is the farthest thing from the truth once you get to know me. As you know I am an American player who just graduated from college in May, which means that it is taking me a while to get used to life in another country. Unfortunately, living on my own has been quite a struggle. Just the other day I caused a huge explosion in my kitchen. You see, while I was cooking I went to take the pot off the stove and my towel caught on fire. So I figured maybe I should place the glass cover on top of the fire this way I could put the pot on top of it so that the fire would no longer be exposed. It seemed like a great idea, until BOOM! A huge explosion of scorching hot glass flew all over my kitchen and living room. Sooooooo embarassing!!!!!!!! On the other side of things basketball has been getting better and better, and I really enjoy my teammates. They’re all funny and entertaining in different ways, which makes practice go by really fast. And the people who work for the team are all really nice, which also makes it fun. The other day our assistant coach Noa took us to the Dead Sea which was a great experience, especially when we got to put mud all over ourselves! Hopefully, it was the first of many great experiences that I will have here in Israel, and hopefully the kitchen incident will be the last of my explosions! I’ll write back soon! Nicky Comments (17) | Add comment