Despite dark past in Rwanda, student makes light through football, education

Jean-Luc Nshimiyimana left the war-stricken Rwanda when he was 8.

No offense to Don Cheadle, but forget everything you saw in the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda. University of Texas at Arlington senior Jean-Luc Nshimiyimana is the epitome of what Hotel Rwanda is really about.

Nshimiyimana was born in Rwanda. His father worked for the government in Rwanda. In 1997, his father was assassinated. 

 Nshimiyimana said the movie's representation of the war is weak.

“Back in 1992-93, before the war, it was a beautiful country,” he said. “We had plantations, good agriculture. Back in that time it was peaceful and everything was so nice. And then the war came. It’s nothing like the movie.”

Nshimiyimana said the war was between Tutsi and the Hutu tribes.

Amidst the war and the assassination of his father, Nshimiyimana played soccer as a pastime and a way to ignore the chaos around him. He started playing when he was 7. He played for his first soccer club in the eighth grade.

Nshimiyimana and his family moved to America Sept. 20, 2005. He played soccer till the end of his sophomore year.

He never knew what American football was till he started attending the home games at Abilene Christian high school. He thought the games were comical, how players hardly used their feet even though it’s called football.

“I saw how it was very animated,” he said. “The physique and the hitting and everything, I was like ‘OK, I got to try this for myself one day.’” 

Nshimiyimana tried out for the team during the off season. He said the workouts were like being in a militia. He made the team as a wide receiver.

“I sat down for almost a week, wishing I never joined the team,” he said. “For the first practice of the off season, I didn’t go to school for the next three days. I was so sore; I couldn’t feel any part of my body.”

While Nshimiyimana was getting adjusted to the American sport, his mother almost took him out it.

“She didn’t like it,” he said. “When she went to the first game, she actually tried to pull me off the team the same day she went to the first game. But after a while, she got used to it.”

For the short time that Nshimiyimana was playing football, he was getting letters from universities. The college he wanted to go to was the University of Texas at Austin. That dream never became a reality after he broke his ankle during a volleyball game his senior year.

“I jumped so I could spike the ball, and when I landed, I twisted my ankle and it cracked,” he said. That was the end of sports for me. I got letters from Alabama, Oklahoma but that was too far from home for me. I was looking forward to UT Austin.”

Nshimiyimana hasn’t visited Rwanda in 14 years. He and his family have planned a visit. He said the politics of his country are the main reasons of him not returning.

“I will go back once the system changes,” he said.

Nshimiyimana’s last football game was in 2007. And while he didn’t last long in the sport, the memories last forever.

“Playing receiver there was [phew]… it makes me feel like a king,” he said.

UTA coach goes pro, opportunity overseas

Candice Champion, middle, takes a few pictures with her teammates in Weatherford, Texas.  

She has a great smile and walks with a strut such that at first glance, many would think Candice Champion is a model.

Her name describes her well. During the summer, she’s a head coach for the University of Texas at Arlington’s Upward Bound basketball team. In her third year coaching, Champion’s team has won back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011. When she’s not coaching, she plays pro women’s basketball overseas.

In 2009, Champion played for a team in Portugal and played for a Polish team in 2010. Champion’s experience overseas was a lifestyle adjustment, from seeing chickens cooked live to ordering sneakers from catalogs.

“The way of living was odd,” she said. “From milk in the fridge to milk on the shelf, a whole chicken processed to a furry chicken being cooked in front of you. I couldn’t buy shoes. I had to order all my stuff from Eastbay.”

Champion had a late start in basketball. Though she started playing in the seventh grade, she didn’t pursue basketball full time till the ninth grade at University High School in Waco, Texas. Champion’s first sports were track and volleyball. She said Lisa Leslie inspired her to play basketball. In her collegiate career, she played four years at UTA. In her senior year, she hired an agent. 

“[In the 9^th grade] I got huge,” she said. “So I took a risk and went to basketball. I played some AAU and got a full ride, and they told me I had a chance to play overseas.”

Being tall and African-American conveyed more attention than Champion expected. She said it was a culture shock for her and the people of Portugal.

“I’m tall and black and they look at you funny,” she said. “After a month they get used to you. My Portugal coach could speak some English so it was cool. But in Poland, I had a translator.”

After her first tour in Portugal, she was sent to a team in Poland. Champion’s experience with the Polish team was a low point. The relationship with her teammates in and out the locker room was dreadful.

“They loved me in Portugal, but Poland I felt displeased, depressed, mentally down,” she said. “Whenever we lost, I was blamed and it was always my fault. The girls would call me a ball hog. I’d have to score over 25 [Points] a game just to have a chance for us to win.”

Chad Jordan, who’s a second year shooting guard for the summer team, said coach Champion is easy to work with.

“There’s no pressure when I work with her,” he said. “It’s real calm. She’ll get on me, but it’s not like there’s any pressure on me.”

Fellow teammate Carl Watson said Champion has helped him expand his guard skills. He credits Champion for improving his court vision and foot work.

“She’s taught me to keep my head up [When taking the ball up the court] and keep good court vision,” he said. “She always pushes us to the next level.”

Champion is going back to Portugal in September. She said she enjoyed her first experience there and the money was good.

Champion plans to get her master’s in business. She wants to open a recreation center after her playing days are done.

“It’s going to be like a Boys & Girls type of rec center,” she said.

North Carolina alumni reps Tar Heels, reveals secret obsession with Duke

Vicki Sapp in her office grading papers. While her father attended and played basketball
at Duke, Sapp went to rival school, North Carolina. 

Everyone has secrets, and Vicki Sapp was no different.

Sapp, an associate professor of English at Tarrant County College, grew up in Durham, North Carolina, home of the Duke Blue Devils. Her father Carl Sapp, attended the university and played basketball there in the 40's.

When it was time for Sapp to go college, she assumed she'd go to Duke but instead went to North Carolina, rival school to the Blue Devils.

She grew up a Blue Devils fan, so when basketball season started, she couldn't tell no one or even show a bit of emotion that she was a Blue Devil at heart.

"The idea of Carolina was just repulsive to me because they were the biggest rival," she said. "Funny isn't it that I ended up graduating from there twice."

Sapp's father Carl, standing outside Duke holding her brother's basketball who died at 13.

 Duke basketball was religion-like in her household. Her family was so invested in the team, she recalled her father being an emotional train wreck every time Duke was eliminated from the tournament.

"We worshiped Duke," she said. "We had a big photo of the chapel in our dining room. I use to joke that we'd have to genuflect in the direction of the chapel five times a day.

"The only time I ever saw my father cry was when Duke lost to, I forgot who, Georgia Tech or something in triple overtime. And he held on to the curtain in the living room and leaned against it and just sobbed."

In what many college hoop fans would consider an act of treason, Sapp became a Tar Heel. For financial reasons, Sapp had to attend the rival university. It was hard adjusting to the university that she loathed for so long.

"Well daddy put it best," she said. "He said, 'Honey, there's Duke in my heart but there's Carolina in my wallet.' Most of my friends went there but it was weird."

Most of Sapp's prejudice ideas at Carolina were gone when she attended the campus. Students called the university "blue heaven." She described Duke's campus being gothic and the students were snooty.

But falling in love with the university wasn't enough for her to root for the Tar Heels. She still had to keep her secret from friends.

"I just don't talk about it," she said. "It's like a civil war is fought every March. You're on one side or the other. I didn't go to any of the basketball games at Carolina. I didn't care about their sports. Duke sports always had my heart."

Sapp has a picture in her office of her father holding a basketball in front of the Duke chapel. The basketball her father is holding belonged to her brother before he died at 13. Sapp said she doesn't like to bring up the subject of her brother's passing.

Before playing ball at Duke, her father served four years in the military during World War II. He had a full basketball scholarship to play for Wake Forest but left to serve in the military as a naval pilot and moved up to Navy officer at 20.

He returned to the U.S. at 23, and was offered a scholarship to play for Duke along with his GI bill.

"He got home from Japan and like two days later his old coach from Broughton high school called him and said 'Carl, what you doing tomorrow?'" she said. "Daddy said 'Nothing.' The coach asked him to come to Duke and scrimmage a little.

"Well after that scrimmage they asked him to come by tomorrow and take an admissions test. Well after he took the test they called him and said 'They offered you a full scholarship to play basketball at Duke.' Daddy had thought he'd go back to Wake Forest but this was Duke."

Carl Sapp played with the former Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop and now a color commentator for the Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team Dick Groat at Duke.

At 6 feet 4 inches, he's listed as a guard/small forward but said he could do anything on the court.

"I could play post, I could shoot and I could play guard," he said. "Back then, most players shot with both hands. I could do it all when they needed me to."

Carl Sapp doesn't follow the NBA like he did when he was younger. He'll pick up a newspaper to see the standings in the NBA but his heart still pumps blue blood.

When asked about his thoughts on the game today, he quickly says that Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players ever and said he admires Lebron James. He said players play a more physical game today and said the game during his time was more about finesse.

His blood boils when asked about the one-and-done trend that currently runs college hoops.

"I'm glad that John Wall didn't go to Duke," he said. "He got all this attention and he only stayed at Kentucky for a year. At Duke, you really get to learn the game under coach K and get a fine education. I get a little full of the pros."

Sapp reminisced about some of his most competitive games. He said New York University once had a good basketball team. He felt blessed to play with the multi-talented Groat.

"Back then we rode the train to our away games," he said. "I remember when we played NYU in Madison Square Garden. At that time, Dick led the nation in scoring his senior year."

Sapp took a sip from his cocktail and smirked. The former Blue Devil went to war in Japan, came home and went to war with the Tar Heels. He said he wouldn't have it any other way.

"We just eight miles apart," he said. "Amazing rivalry."

            

Players try to escape the Barkley Zone

Jordan's Bulls sent Barkley's Suns home in the 1993 Finals.

 It's the 2011 playoffs and we're in what I like to call, "The Barkley zone."

The Barkley zone is for players who've either won an MVP award, played in multiple all-star games and earned various accolades but never won a championship.


Why is it called the Barkley zone? Why not?


When Barkley was drafted to the Sixers, he was on a talented but older team. Julius Irving was 34 when Barkley was a rookie. He was traded to the Suns in 1992 and played Michael Jordan's Bulls in the 1993 Finals and lost. By the time he was traded to Houston, Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon were out of their prime.


Fantastic player, but could never get the big one.

Two players who can get out of the Barkley zone right now are Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. Kidd and Nowitzki combined, have been to three NBA Finals. They've dethrone the Lakers and will either face the Thunder or the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals.

If Nowitzki can get back to the Finals and get 2006-2007 meltdown out of his mind, he'll finally shed the "soft" and choke-artist labels that's so undeserved.

Players in the Barkley Zone: Asterisk is for those currently playing.


Reggie Miller-Lost to the Lakers in the 2000 Finals in six games.


*Dirk Nowitzki-Lost to the Miami Heat in the 2006 Finals in six games.


*Jason Kidd-Lost to the Lakers in the 2002 Finals in four and lost to the Spurs in the 2003 finals in six games.


Karl Malone-Lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1998 Finals in six games.


Allen Iverson-Lost to the Lakers in the 2001 Finals in five games.


*LeBron James-Lost to the Spurs in four games in the 2007 Finals.


*Dwight Howard-Lost to the Lakers in five games in the 2009 Finals.


Patrick Ewing-Lost to the Rockets in the 1994 Finals in seven games and lost to the Spurs in the 1999 Finals in five games.