DePaul University of Athletics, Chicago, U.S. published on their website on Sunday, the induction of Mfon Udoka, former captain of the female national team, D’Tigress and other professionals, into their hall of fame.
Udoka, a product of DePaul University, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2017 in Chicago on February. 25.
Udoka, born June 16, 1976 is a Nigerian American former professional basketball player and the new assistant coach of the Nigerian women’s national basketball team, the Lady Tigers.
Born in Portland, Oregon, she graduated from Benson Polytechnic High School (1994) in Portland, before attending DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois from 1994 to 1998. She is the sister of NBA player, Ime Udok.
After leaving DePaul in 1998, Udoka signed with the Detroit Shock of the WNBA. With Detroit, she appeared in three games. Udoka left the U.S. following the 1998 season, moving to Portugal for the 1998/99 season.
She returned to school to complete her degree in Communications in 2000, and also rehabilitated her ankle injury she suffered in the summer of 1999.
In 2001, she slowly resumed her basketball career with the Birmingham Power of the National Women’s Basketball League.
Following the end of the 2001 NWBL season, Udoka again left the U.S., moving to Israel, where she played briefly with Electra Ramat HaSharon, before moving to compete with Harbin in China for the 2002 season.
For the 2003 season, Udoka went back to Harbin before playing with the Chicago Blaze, again of the NWBL in 2003, where she was invited to the Houston Comets training camp and made the roster as a free agent.
Udoka led the Nigeria women’s national basketball team to the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the Olympics, she was second in the tournament in scoring and rebounding but Nigeria finished 11th out of 12 teams.
The Nigerian team became the first African team to ever win a game at the Olympics. Udoka also led Nigeria at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women, where Nigeria finished last (16th) place.
In 2003, Udoka’s role will always be remembered as she helped the First Bank Basketball Club of Lagos to defeat Primeiro de Augusto of Mozambique, 55-54 to win the club’s and the nation’s first ever FIBA Africa Club champions cup.
In May 2011, Udoka was named as the new Assistant Coach for the Nigeria Lady Tigresses, ahead of the African Nations Cup in Mali and the All Africa Games.
Nigeria came third in the competition, claiming the bronze medal and picked the pre-qualification ticket for the 2016 Olympics.
Udoka will be inducted alongside Bobby Simmons, a former NBA player, who had a 10 year successful playing career.
Other inductees are track and field All-American Carey Ryan, Nives Milosevic Horacek of women’s tennis, who graduated as the all-time leader in wins, and boxer Henry Radcliffe.
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