Freshman Nnamaka already making mark

Continuing the trend of impressive Swedish players who have taken their games to Tech, freshman Chioma Nnamaka feels right at home in Atlanta despite the lack of fjords and the absence of the cold weather of her native Sweden.

Softspoken off the court, Nnamaka is anything but quiet on the court. She has spoken volumes with her impressive game, which has been even better during ACC play.

Averaging a cool 15 points a game in the ACC, her scoring has pulled the Lady Jackets to a multitude of ACC wins this season, such as their ACC opener at Tallahassee against Florida State where Nnamaka shot 63 percent from the floor on her way to scoring 30 points and adding seven rebounds in the tough road test.

She points out that particular game as her best individual performance of the season. "That game I was really calm and relaxed, and I didn't rush anything like I always do, like I am always so crunked," Nnamaka said.

Pronounced SHOW-muh NAH-mah-kah, the Swedish star grew up in the small suburban town of Uppsala, which is only a 40-minute drive from the capital city of Stockholm. A city known for its plethora of gothic cathedrals and bicycles as the primary means of transportation, Uppsala also housed one of the Sweden's most talented female basketball players in Nnamaka, the youngest of four siblings in a basketball-oriented family.

Nnamaka was born to a Swedish mom and a Nigerian dad, who Nnamaka said was set up to meet her mom. "A Swedish man in Nigeria, a professor of some kind I think, brought my dad up from Nigeria to Sweden to meet my mom. And yeah, our family has been in Sweden since then," Nnamaka said. Nnamaka's favorite thing to eat is Nigerian food prepared by her father.

Nnamaka started playing basketball at an early age. She first started playing after attending a sister's practice in which the coach wished for her to practice along with the team. Afterwards, Nnamaka never turned back.

Nicknamed the "Scania Queen," Nnamaka progressed and played against Sweden's most elite competition, the Damligan League, by the age of 15. Despite being a freshman, she was one of the top players on the team, garnering major playing time. Before leaving Sweden, Nnamaka played in the Nordic Championship in 2003, a tournament that features the very best male and female amateurs around Scandinavia. It was there that she earned the reputation that elevated her to basketball royalty.

Nnamaka was not done making her impact on the courts in Sweden. From her hometown of Uppsala to Stockholm, she led three different teams, all different age groups, to capture the Swedish Championship three years in a row.

Toward the end of her short career in the Damligan, she was voted the MVP of the Swedish Championship game the same year that she was nominated to the all-star game in the Damligan League for the first time.

"From losing every game, we started winning because they were one of the top teams in the league already," Nnamaka said. "They won the Swedish Championship two years before. From losing to winning, it felt great."

Nnamaka now laughs looking back to winning the Swedish Championship as she recalls a specific moment.

"I played against my sister, who was in the league as well, and beat her and it felt great. I felt sorry for her because she was crying, but she won it the year before so I guess it was my turn," Nnamaka said.

The Swedes were not the only ones who saw the potential of young Nnamaka. Before deciding to take her skills to the friendly confines of Tech, Nnamaka was recruited by Minnesota, Miami, Pittsburgh and Southern University. One of the primary reasons she chose Tech was because of Coach MaChelle Joseph.

"Coach Jo came to Sweden, and Minnesota came, too, but it wasn't the head coach. I loved Coach Jo when I met her, I connected with her and Tech, and it felt good," Nnamaka said.

Nnamaka is not the first Swedish player to compete for the Jackets. In fact, Tech's previous Swedish stars had an impact in her decision.

"There are two Swedish players here, Nina Barlin and Jasmina Pacariz, and when Jasmina was about to graduate they were joking about how they were not going to have any Swedish players left anymore. I know Jasmina and she was also a friend of my sister's and Jasmina told them about me and they started recruiting me," Nnamaka said.

At Tech, Nnamaka looks up to Jessica Williams and the role she plays for the Jackets. "She leads the team; she takes a lot of responsibility, and she teaches how to be [a leader]," Nnamaka said.

Tech basketball looks to be in good shape with Nnamaka in the backcourt. She is the team's leading scorer as a freshman and also rebounds exceptionally well for a guard.

Nnamaka has started to look towards the future, where she says that her first goal is to keep playing basketball after graduation. She wishes to play in the WNBA, the pinnacle of women's basketball. If that cannot happen, she will move back with her sisters in Sweden and play there.

Majoring in International Affairs, Nnamaka has dreamed of being part of the police force one day since her childhood.

"After my basketball career, I want to be part of the police. I don't know why, but I would like to be a detective," Nnamaka said.