Flames are seen through the windows and coming out under the eaves of this house fire. This was a training fire event with the fire set and controlled by a fire department on a house that was donated for the purpose of being used to train local volunteer fire fighters.
The Gonzaga senior’s Head Coach Lisa Fortier and her team have reaped the benefits of their best player also being their hardest worker. High octane and achievement oriented.
But for the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, Ejim’s drive is not limited to basketball. And her impact is not felt only on the hardwood.
“Yvonne is part of our Student Athlete Advisory Council leadership team and many of our other student-athletes lean on her for guidance as they prepare to move on in life,” says Deputy Athletic Director Shannon Strahl. “She is goal-oriented in everything she does. It is not about ‘her.’ It is how her contributions can impact the whole. And she is so easy to be around.”
During her second-to-last home game in the McCarthey Athletic Center, Ejim was the last player to be introduced as the starting lineup was read aloud. It was preceded by a montage of great plays by the senior and just before her name was called a graphic was overlaid the video board that read, “I’m Coming Back.”
The near-packed Kennel crowd, already on its feet, gave the fan favorite the loudest and most prolonged ovation this writer has ever witnessed there, and I have seen most of the games played on that court, men and women, since the doors opened in 2004.
“It was so very heartwarming to hear all those people cheering me on after seeing the announcement on the big screen,” Ejim says. “It made me proud of the player I have become, not only to the Gonzaga community, but to myself. I may have teared up a little because I knew that ovation meant I was at least doing a pretty good job.
“I just hope I continue that into next year,” Ejim adds. “I built something very special here with my team and the community, and I wanted to continue being here in this environment growing and learning more from the people around me.”
