From the Savannah newspaper:
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2014-11-12/local-athletes-realize-their-dreams-college-signings
The afternoon started with an emotional signing ceremony at Johnson, where Ijeoma Odimgbe signed to play basketball at Oklahoma and Antwan Maxwell signed to play basketball at Charleston Southern.
Odimgbe, a 6-foot-3 center, was a Savannah Morning News All-Greater Savannah first-team selection last season when she helped lead the Atom Smashers to their first appearance in the Elite Eight by averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.1 blocks per game.
Odimgbe, whose parents are from Nigeria, said her name means “good journey” and she talked about how far she has come in just three years of playing organized basketball. She credited her former coach at Groves, Debra Puckett, for getting her to come out for the team.
“I used to be a cheerleader, but coach Puckett gave me no choice. I had to trade in my skirt for a pair of sneakers,” Odimgbe said. “That’s when the grind began.”
She credited her AAU coach Raheem Roundtree and Johnson coach Brandon Lindsey for helping her develop into one of the top players in the Southeast. Odimgbe transferred from Groves to Johnson after her sophomore year for academic reasons, and she has thrived in the classroom and on the court.
“A lot of people don’t realize EJ (Odimgbe) is still a work in progress as a player, she’s a diamond in the rough,” Lindsey said. “But she has the things you can’t teach — height and work ethic, along with discipline and that’s going to make her an even better player.”
