CSU Rams basketball team member Emmanuel Omogbo reportedly plans to play in the squad's game at 7 p.m. tonight versus the Air Force Academy.
Ordinarily, such a decision wouldn't be all that newsworthy.
But Omogbo is still reeling from a horrific tragedy.
Early yesterday morning, his parents, as well as his niece and nephew, a set of two-year-old twins, were killed in a Maryland house fire.
Omogbo is new to the Rams this season, having transferred to Colorado from South Plains College in Texas — a decision celebrated on the CSU basketball team's Twitter account.
He certainly made an impression at South Plains College.
YouTube features clips of several spectacular Omogbo plays, including this one:
For more details, here's his CSU bio:
2014-15 (SOPHOMORE)But hoops pale in importance next to what happened at the Omogbo residence in Prince George's County.
Selected as a preseason junior college All-American by the Sporting News, and earned second-team JuCo All-America following the season from the NJCAA...Also selected as the NJCAA All-Star Game MVP in Las Vegas, Nev., and was tabbed as the Texas JuCo Player of the Year and Region V Player of the Year...Played in 29 games with 27 starts for the Texas...Led South Plains College to a 29-7 record, and and a runner-up finish in the NJCAA National Touranment...Ranked first on the team in both scoring and rebounding, pouring in 17.0 points per game to go along with 10.1 rebounds per contest...Shot 60.7 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range, while connecting at a clip of 61.2 percent from the free-throw line...Scored career-highs of 30 points on two occasions, and posted a double-double with a team-leading 21 points, and 10 rebounds in the NJCAA title game...Notched 14 contests with 10 or more rebounds, including a a career-high 18 boards on two occasions.
2013-14 (FRESHMAN)
Helped South Plains College to a 29-6 record, and an appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament quarterfinals as a true freshman in 2013-14...Appeared in 35 games with five starts, averaging 16.2 minutes per contest...Posted 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 57.5 percent from the floor.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Princeton Day Academy in Lanham, Md., for one season, graduating in 2013...Also attended Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School...Lettered for four seasons in basketball, and also competed in soccer during his high school career...During his lone season at Princeton Day, averaged 14.2 points per game.
PERSONAL
Born May 28, 1995 in Nigeria and raised in Hyattsville, Md. ...Son of Samson and Caroline Omogbo...Has two brothers, Samuel and Gabriel and three sisters, Blessing, Ruth and Christian...Majoring in Communications, with a minor in Business at Colorado State...Originally committed to Robert Morris out of high school before attending South Plains College in Levelland, Texas ...Chose Colorado State over scholarship offers from East Carolina, La Salle, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana Lafayette, Southern Miss, Towson and Wichita State.
At around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, January 19, according to WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., local firefighters responded to the home, located on the 6700 block of Knollbrook Drive.
Upon their arrival, heavy flames had already engulfed the first and second floor of the structure.
Pronounced dead at the scene were Samson and Caroline Omogbo, Emmanuel's parents. They were 63 and 55, respectively. Emergency personnel pronounced them dead at the scene.
Emmanuel's sister, Elizabeth, survived the fire by jumping from a second-story window.
But her adorable two-year-old twins succumbed to their injuries at a nearby hospital.
Here's a Facebook photo of them.
Two other people in the home at the time the fire broke out got away without injury.
Thus far, there's been no formal determination of what caused the blaze.
However, fire officials say the home didn't have any smoke alarms.
As such, firefighters planned to knock on doors in the neighborhood to encourage others in the area to install and maintain such devices.
After the news reached Colorado, Rams coach Larry Eustachy released a statement that reads:
"This is absolutely heartbreaking for Emmanuel, his family and for all of us that know him. There are no words to describe how it felt to hear this terrible news earlier today. They were a beautiful family that I enjoyed getting to know. The entire Colorado State men's basketball team, athletic program and university will be there to support and help Emmanuel in any way we can through this incredibly tough time in his life."Our sincere condolences to Emmanuel, as well as his friends, family and loved ones, for their unimaginable loss.
Look below to see a WJLA report, followed by a CSU video in which Omogbo is introduced to the media prior to his first game with the Rams.
