Veronica Chika Iweanya is a lot of joy to be with. Always smiling and full of emotion, the 24-year-old shared some incredible stories about her life during an Instagram Live session. Currently based in Lille, in the north of France, the Nigerian basketball star has come a long way in both her career and her sports.
After graduating with a BA First Class in electrical and electronic engineering from the prestigious Covenant University, Ota Ogun state of Nigeria, in 2017, traveled to France for his master’s degree in 2019 and continued his love affair with basketball. Standing 6 feet (183 cm) tall, the Lagos-born basketball player shared her love for the game. A game that she developed a passion for due to the desire of players and coaches to help her develop the skills necessary to excel in the sport.
A defining moment in her basketball career would be at the 2018 Africa Giants international camp where she was selected as part of the top 50 girls to attend her first girls’ camp in Nigeria. The Masai Ujiri initiative sponsored by Nike and the president of the Toronto Raptors brought in the best coaches from around the world who guided the campers in both basketball and life skills. She says that Masai always told children to dream big. But what stuck with her was the mantra “I’m a giant!” that was repeated throughout the camp. She to date, she says that she still says it as a mantra before every match, tryout, interview, etc.
In the ease of combining her studies and sports activities, Veronica Chika Iweanya confessed how difficult it was for her to adjust initially. The French language was a serious obstacle for her to get settled. It was so difficult to settle down with her basketball team since all of her classmates and peers spoke French. She was forced to learn French and her basketball coach quickly came to her rescue, devoting an hour before each training day to that purpose. ‘The amazing support system that I found around me made me adapt easily so quickly’
As he learned the French language, things began to pick up a bit, as did his performance on the basketball court. An added incentive was when she came into contact with Nigerian national basketball player Evelyn Akhator, who coincidentally signed for the French basketball team Flammes Carolo. The Ardennes-based team signed the exciting centre-forward in 2019. Veronica, whose ambition is to play for The D’Tigress, has since developed a professional relationship with Evelyn Akhator. She sees her as a mentor and a person who has paid her her due in the game.
Sport has received its fair share of racism and Veronica confirmed from her personal experience that she has been lucky not to experience it in France. Interestingly, during away games with her basketball team (she found herself fouling more often than when they played at home) she gets fouled more often than when they play at home.
When asked about the contentious issue of equal pay between male and female athletes, she expressed disgust at the disparity because if female basketball players are expected to dunk, for example, then they should be paid the same as their male counterparts. She sees no reason why male athletes should be paid higher, as women even have to traverse more difficult terrain in their careers and sports.
On the plans of the French government to ease the confinement from Monday May 11 and the possibility of sports activities returning to normal, Veronica expressed her honest opinion and said that she would have preferred that the pandemic had completely cleared Call before of such movements are implemented. Sports like basketball are based on contact and the level of risk is high, so it would be good, for safety reasons, to ensure that players are not exposed to such a high risk.
It is easy to name his favorite player, especially when that player has been a great model for you. Evelyn Akhator is the favorite player of it (with the fans of her 10 points and 10 rebounds) in every game, Veronica confessed that she greatly influenced the style of play of her since she also averaged double-doubles in his career university. She also mentioned the resilience and mental strength of her as she admired key skills of Nigerian basketball star. while the female Nigerian national team, The D’Tigress, remains her favorite team. She remembered stories of her during the student years her, making her all her office where inside Tigress Game is seen during office hours where Sarah Ogoke hit a triple to win in the final seconds of the Tournament Afrobasket Some years!
Currently playing with Stade Roubaix Basketball That Is competing in the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), he happily shared the news about the completion of his master’s program at the EDHEC Business School in Lille, France. The journey has not been easy, to post to her fans, she expressed optimism about achieving her goals to play for the Nigerian women’s national team: The D’Tigress, I felt reflected in the fact that she has the potential. to excel at the highest level in running and sports.
An amazing fact about this talented basketball star is that she would have chosen football if she hadn’t fallen for her first love. You may be wondering what position she will take on a soccer field. Defense, of course, was the answer. It’s not hard to figure out how attackers would be contending with a 6ft powerful stalwart defenseman weighing in at 67kg. Not the most exciting prospect, even for the most ambitious attacker. For now, the love affair between Veronica and basketball continues. Tomorrow is full of possibilities and hopefully one will get to see Veronica Chika Iweanya put on the beautiful green white jersey of the D’Tigresa!