The role model – proud to represent the Norwegian basket
Posted by kjekle
&ball;July 2, 2022
For Chris-Ebou Ndow (28), being a good role model is extra important. Growing up in Stavanger, he missed stars who could be role models for a young boy who dreamed of becoming a professional. Now he gives back through his basketball school – Swish, and not least impressive games with the national team.
Ndow was just five years old when he started playing basket, newly moved to Stavanger from Bodø.
– It was Dad, Michael Jordan and Space Jam that were big for me, and I have not identified myself with. Thus, it had to be basketball, he says with a smile. He was promising early on – technically good and tall. It made basketball more fun than football, even though all the buddies were playing on the same team.
– It’s fun when you master something, but I was the only one at school who played basketball, and at that age you really just want to fit in. It got easier as I got older, says Ndow who commuted to Bergen from the age of 14 to play matches for Gimle.
That is the end of a reason he wants to be a role model. This year is the fourth year he arranges Swish basketball school for children in Stavanger.
– I had so much motivation to get up and forward. I want to help create interest in basketball, and show the children that it is possible to reach far in the sport in Norway as well, he says.
Ndow is actually one of the few Norwegians who has won the NCAA championship. It happened with Northwest Missouri State University in division 2. After college, he made the trip to Kongsberg Miners here at home in Norway with a playoff winner, before it became a professional game in France, and then Spanish Coruna. Here he has had a strong season with 11 points and 5 rebounds on average.
– Chris is an athletic, tough and “competitive” player. He has won a lot where he has been, and thus brings a winning mentality to the team, sums up coach Mathias Eckhoff.
At the training session with the national team before the important European Championship qualifier against Denmark on Sunday, there is a good atmosphere, and an increasingly sharpened team.
– There is a great bunch on the national team now. We know each other well, and have followed each other over the years on age-specific national teams, says Ndow.
– We have several in each position who add something to the team. I feel confident that we can go very far. There is a lot of trust in each other and we want each other well. In addition, we have a great coach, he says and brags about coach Eckhoff.
– He has a lot of basketball knowledge, and is really a coach who cares about his players, Ndow says.
The 28-year-old points out that the rest of the team in the match against Denmark will be a difficult match for Norway.
– It will be very good. The biggest challenges with Denmark will be their size and physique, without a doubt. We have to play on our strengths – the structure we have in the team, the unity, and the many players who can be pressed on their guards so that the big players have to move, he says.
With 4000 tickets sold for the national match at Jordal Amfi, the pressure to perform also comes. Men pressure is a privilege the guard believes.
– It’s so cool that basketball has gained so much momentum that we can get so many people in action. I am proud of the opportunity to represent the Norwegian basket, he concludes.
Facts: Chris-Ebou Ndow (28)
Club: Basket Coruna
Previous clubs: Stavanger Basket, Gimle, Frøya Basket, Northwest Missouri State University (USA), Kongsberg Miners, Boulazac (FRA) Denain (FRA)
Three quick:
Ritual before the game:
Hit 5 threes in a row at 5 spots. 10 free throws in a row. Stretch and stretch. 3-5 minutes meditation / visualization. The rest different.
Favorite player: Lebron James and Luka Doncic
Favorite team: the Norwegian national team 😉