Amy Nduka: A Conversation with a Rising Basketball Star

D1 offers like University of Maryland, Stanford University, California Berkley, Providence University, and Dartmouth University don’t go out to just anyone, but they are already flowing in for freshman Amy Nduka. Nduka is Top 25 in the country for her class, and she is on an incredible run; the young upstart helped lead the Eastside Catholic Girls Basketball Team to victories over Garfield High School and Eastlake, two incredibly talented teams. The Crusaders won 15 games this past season despite having a losing record last year, and there’s no doubt the addition of Nduka to the team played a role in the Crusaders’ comeback.

With so many NCAA offers, most would wonder what factors Nduka prioritizes when looking at colleges; would it be the education since she is a 4.0 student? Would it be her preference of location? Would it be the type of people that are attending the school? Nduka was quick with her answer,

“Probably the location, making sure it’s a safe environment and just like the coaching staff and making sure I have a strong connection with them, making sure I like the people there,” shared the athlete.

Throughout our conversation it became obvious that connection is very important to Nduka. One of her main priorities when choosing a school is having a great relationship with her coaches. Out of all the schools she has visited, she has connected the most with Stanford due to having five phone calls with the coaching staff before she even met them in person.

Nduka and her team (Eastside Catholic) had an incredible season this year, claiming victories over some of the top teams in the metro league. With all of these accomplishments, most would wonder what Amy is most proud of this season. Was it her individual progress, or was it her team’s progress?

“I am most proud of the us, [EC team]. We did have a rough start this season, coming back as a team and working together I think is what made us so strong,” reflected the freshman.

With the Crusaders rapidly advancing through the season, there was a mountain of stress put on the team. Nduka shared how she deals with stress both on and off the field because she wants to be transparent with the young athletes that look up to her.

“Honestly, I would say my teammates help me deal with a lot of the stress, I am really close with them, so they just really do help me, they help me get through the season. Also staying with God, praying really just helps me,” explained Nduka.

Seattle has a thriving basketball scene, producing multiple superstars at the collegiate and professional level, because of this the high school ball scene is supported by the AAU as well. Since Nduka not only plays for EC but also her AAU club (FBC United), she has to balance friendships and rivalries (or maybe a mix of both) on the court. So, does she feel any animosity on the court towards her friends off it?

“No, I feel like the play is competitive, but I feel like everybody knows it’s just basketball.”

Surrounded by friends who play a variety of sports, it’s fair to wonder if Nduka ever questioned whether she might be better suited for other athletic pursuits over the years. With how rigorous basketball training can be, did she ever wanted to stop playing basketball and wanted to start a new sport?

“I feel like yeah, in the beginning it was very hard to adjust, but I feel like I’ve grown to love it. Obviously, there are sometimes where I want a break, but overall, I really love the sport,” shared the freshman supertsar.

Amy Nduka a very talented player and is a real inspiration to her peers. It will be interesting to see where she is headed next, USC California like her sister, or if she chooses her own path to a different school.