Olivia Nelson-Ododa was content building sand castles in the long-jump pit, oblivious to her mom and big brother running laps on the track.And then she wasnt.Barefoot, the 8-year-old Olivia ditched the sand castles to run with her mom, Heather, and Alonzo, who was 15. Of course, she couldnt keep pace.She lapped us more than once, said Heather, still amazed by the memory. She just came out of nowhere and passed us by. Pretty soon, [Alonzo] got tired, but she kept sprinting.Her brother, by the way, is 6-foot-9 and 235 pounds. He just finished his collegiate basketball career at the University of Pittsburgh.Their father, Sebastian, who is 6-7?, is a native of Kenya who played basketball for Huntington University and for the Kenyan national team.We attributed Olivias ability to run fast and barefoot to Sebastian being from Kenya, Heather said.Kenya has a proud tradition in long-distance running. Sebastian attributed it to Olivia eating Ugali (a cornmeal-based dish popular in Kenya and other African nations).Seven years after that day on the track, Olivia, 15, is still leaving her competition in the dust, although its now on the basketball court.She is in Zaragoza, Spain, representing Team USA in the U17 world championships.Playing for Team USA means everything to me, Nelson-Ododa said from Spain, her first trip abroad. Ive worked really hard for this opportunity. And now that its here, Im so excited.A 6-foot-4 forward, Nelson-Ododa is the No. 13 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Terrific 25 for the 2018 class. She averaged 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks as a sophomore this past season for Winder-Barrow (Winder, Georgia), making first-team Class 5A All-State.She can handle the ball like a guard -- right hand, left hand, between the legs, behind the back, Winder-Barrow coach Brandon Thomas said. She has amazing agility and skill level for someone her size.That was evident in a state semifinal this past season against Brunswick. Nelson-Ododa had 29 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks, leading Winder-Barrow to a 65-52 win and the first girls basketball state final in the 60-year history of the school.The Bulldogs lost the state final 49-48 to powerhouse Southwest DeKalb. Nelson-Ododa had 13 points and 19 rebounds. Her team was doomed by 27 turnovers, but the Bulldogs graduated just one senior from their rotation.This was the Bulldogs first trip to the 32-team state tournament in 22 years, and Nelson-Ododas carefree spirit helped define their run.On the morning of their first game, assistant coach Kimberly Garren went to get Nelson-Ododa, only to find her star player shooting 3-pointers in the school gym wearing a Snuggie adorned with a bears head.And when Garren laughed and snapped a quick photo, the teams third ritual was born.A spaghetti dinner the night before games, new T-shirts made up before each round and a goofy photo of Nelson-Ododa (the selections include one on a swing, another in a bumper car and another in a 4-foot-tall dollhouse).Nelson-Ododas mother said she could barely stop laughing when she saw the first photo of her daughter in a Snuggie that fit three years ago but now only came up to her knees.She said she wanted to be comfortable for the three-hour bus ride [to the game], Heather said. For her to be so relaxed and self-assured before a big game was great.Then again, sports have always come easy to Nelson-Ododa -- no need to stress.Track and field was never a serious consideration, although she did win an eighth-grade county championship, with little practice, in the high jump.When she was 6, she attended a University of Georgia womens basketball game with her family. Her parents had no idea she was absorbing the game so thoroughly until they found out she had memorized all the players names and positions.The next year, she asked for season tickets for Christmas.Basketball has always been her passion. And although she has that goofy side -- she once used a toe-print instead of a fingerprint to access her phone -- Nelson-Ododa is fiercely serious about her sport.For six weeks prior to USA Basketball trials in Colorado Springs, Nelson-Ododa took her training to new heights. Among other things, she trained with an elevation mask that restricted her oxygen intake and prepared her for Colorados thin air.Matt Huddleston, her AAU coach, also brought in training partner Kelley Cain, a 6-6, 220-pound professional center who played in Poland this past season and has appeared in the WNBA, as well as leagues in Italy, South Korea and Turkey.Cain, who is 12 years older and 70 pounds heavier than Nelson-Ododa, said she was impressed.As good as she is now, she has potential to get even better, Cain said. Whenever we showed her something, she picked it up in one second.She doesnt realize she is decently strong, and she still hasnt figured out how to use her height. I looked her dead in the eyes, and Im 6-6, so I think shes taller than 6-4.Nelson-Ododa, who has a 3.8 GPA and aspires to be a surgeon, hasnt come up with a list of college finalists yet, but she said she likes South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia Tech and Georgia so far.Cain said Nelson-Ododa is one of the sweetest girls you will ever meet, but she is competitive, too.I blocked her shot a few times, Cain said. That was to help her learn that there are women out there who are her size. But it also taught her that if she can score on me, she can score on just about anyone.In addition to having her work against Cain, Huddleston also brought in a 5-9, ultra-quick male player to give Nelson-Ododa experience at defending a skilled perimeter scorer.The young man we brought in to work with her has been on the mens practice squad for the [WNBA] Atlanta Dream. He pushed Olivia to work on her ball handling and her ability to attack the rim from the perimeter.All of that work has paid off. Through Team USAs first five games, Nelson-Ododa is averaging 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds. She is shooting a team-high 56 percent from the field. Team USA plays Australia Friday in the semifinals. The medal games are scheduled for Saturday.Shes a walking legend in our school, Garren said. Shes the best player ever on our campus. Yet shes very humble, and her teammates love her.We were in a summer tournament [last week] in South Carolina, traveling in a van, and every time I looked up, the girls were Face-timing Olivia from Spain.The girls are very happy for Olivia. And Olivia deserves this -- she has worked her butt off. Alex English Jersey . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Moses Malone Jersey . 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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State basketball is looking for its lost respect.Preseason polls are peppered with Big Ten teams. But not the Buckeyes. Hardly anybody was talking about Thad Mattas team at the Big Ten media day earlier this month. Attendance at Value City Arena is sliding.Three seasons removed from winning the 2013 Big Ten Tournament and four consecutive top-2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, Ohio State has become an also receiving votes team.The 21-14 overall record belied the disappointment that was last season. The Buckeyes failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008. Relegated to the NIT, they were bounced by Florida in the second round .However, Ohio State does have its top six performers returning from last years young team , and they will attempt to -- as guard Kam Williams puts it -- reset an elite level.I think the message for these guys has kind of been pretty basic, just in terms of weve got to get back to doing things the right way, Matta said.NOT A GOOD SIGNFirst thing was to get past the mass exodus . After the season, three members of last seasons freshman class announced they would transfer, joining another member of that 2015 recruiting class who transferred out in December.No doubt about it, the departures of those freshmen -- Austin Grandstaff (DePaul), Daniel Giddens (Alabama), Mickey Mitchell (UC Santa Barbara) and A.J. Harris (New Mexico State) -- left some holes. The excuse was the same in every case -- Ohio State just wasnt the right fit.CORE OF TALENT RETURNSForward Marc Loving, the lone senior, was the top scorer last season, averaging 14 points and 5.3 rebounds. Forwards Keita Bates-Diop (11.8 points per game, 6.4 rebounds) and JaeSean Tate (11.7, 6.4), who is now healthy after shoulder surgery, also are back. Outstannding guard JaQuan Lyle (11.dddddddddddd2, 4.7) returns, along with guard Williams (8.3, 1.8) and 7-foot center Trevor Thompson (6.5, 5.1), who tested the NBA waters but didnt make the leap.I think thats a pretty good nucleus in todays day and age of college basketball -- to have six guys back, Matta said.GROWING UP FASTAfter the loss of four-fifths of last years recruiting class, the Buckeyes will need immediate production from first-year players. They include 6-foot-9 forward Derek Funderburk, 6-foot-6 forward Andre Wesson, junior-college transfer C.J. Jackson, a 6-foot-2 guard; and 6-foot-9 Micah Potter, a four-star prospect who is expected to contribute right away as the No. 2 center.TURNING IT AROUNDNobody in the program is putting the blame for the down season all on the guys who transferred out. The pat answer is that it was a variety of factors, and thats probably true. But some also are quick to say that this years squad seems to be pulling together, when some of the players last year might have been pulling in their own directions.Its a different chemistry, Tate said. That team last year, it was close. Those guys are still my brothers. But I feel that everybody is on the same page this year, everybody wants the same goal and there arent hidden agendas.A lot of the stuff that happened last year, it just made us hungrier, he said. I mean, nobody wants to go to the NIT. We had a lot of bad losses by a lot of points. A piece of humble pie. Thats one of the big things this year, we dont want that feeling.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy ' ' '
