Nwankwo More Than Ready to Begin Anew

Ike Nwankwo is ready to go. Seems as if he has been ready, with nowhere to go, for as long as he can remember.

He’s so ready, in fact, that he feels like a kid the day before Christmas--a really big kid.

So when the Long Beach State men’s basketball team began practicing Oct. 15, no one was more pleased, or eager, than the senior center. Watching a career fade isn’t much fun, and Nwankwo knows.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Nwankwo said. “It just feels good to get going and start working. I’m excited. I kind of feel like a freshman in some ways.”

Actually, Nwankwo doesn’t have much more experience than an incoming freshman.

A transfer from UCLA, Nwankwo played sparingly as a Bruin, which is why he’s now a 49er. He spent four years in Westwood wondering when, or if, his big break would come.

Nwankwo gave up hoping last spring and decided to enroll at Long Beach, burning a year of eligibility in the process. So far, so good.

“I like everything I’m hearing,” Nwankwo said. “I’ve been playing with the guys in pickup games the last few weeks and that’s really been encouraging. We’re getting used to each other on and off the court.”

Nwankwo, a redshirt as a freshman at UCLA, is close to completing the 24 units he needs to become eligible at Long Beach under NCAA rules. He will miss the 49ers’ first six games and can begin playing Dec. 20, just in time for a Dec. 21 nonconference game at Montana.

“[Waiting to become eligible] is going to be very difficult because I’ve waited so long to actually play,” he said. “But I guess it’s not going to kill me to wait [six] more games after sitting out for about three years.

“I guess it’s not that much longer of a wait.”

At 6 feet 11 and 255 pounds, Nwankwo is the largest 49er. Until he becomes eligible, first-year Coach Wayne Morgan is likely to use a combination of forwards Brian Yankelevitz (6-8, 245) and Marcus Johnson (6-9, 210) in the post.

That’s the same duo that played out of position last season and at times struggled. Nwankwo will be counted on for rebounding and a tough defensive presence near the basket.

Not so long ago, Long Beach accepted another transfer center who had only one season of eligibility left: Joe McNaull. During the 1994-95 season, McNaull led Long Beach to the Big West Conference tournament title and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

McNaull was a more polished player offensively than Nwankwo. Long Beach should have enough scorers for Nwankwo not to have to worry about his offense, but he is already feeling the weight of expectations.

“To be honest, I’m kind of worried about it,” Nwankwo said. “I’m going to be counted on for a lot, so that does kind of make me nervous because I’ve never really been in that type of a role before.

“I haven’t played that much, and a lot of the guys who are here probably have more experience than me. I’ll just watch the guys in the preseason games and hopefully that will give me a chance to acclimate myself to the system and define what my role should be when I do get a chance to play.”

His wait is almost up.

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New dimension: Point guard Tommie Davis is the 49ers’ other high-profile transfer. Davis, a standout at Los Angeles Crenshaw High, was selected to the All-Southwest Conference freshman team at Houston two seasons ago.

Davis, who averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 assists in his only season as a Cougar, possesses the ball handling and decision-making skills needed to lead the up-tempo offense Morgan said he plans to use.

Moreover, Davis is a “true” point guard, unlike Rasul Salahuddin, last season’s starter. Salahuddin, whose eligibility ended last season, was a converted shooting guard who learned the position on the job.

Davis’ innate ability will provide Long Beach with a new, exciting look, according to James Cotton, Davis’ probable back-court co-starter.

“Rasul played [the other guard spot] all his life, and he did a tremendous job playing point guard,” Cotton said. “But point guards like Tommie Davis are born--you can’t teach someone to be like Tommie.”

Cotton and Salahuddin were each selected first-team all-conference last season. Despite leading the conference in scoring, Cotton believes he could have done more if he had played with a more experienced point guard.

“I don’t think Rasul hurt my game, he was doing all he knew,” Cotton said. “But I think my game will benefit in different aspects with Tommie at the point guard spot.”

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Nice meeting you: Nearing the start of the NBA season, the Lakers trimmed their roster Monday. Former 49er-fan favorite Juaquin Hawkins, a free-agent forward, was among those cut.

Hawkins, 23, appeared in four preseason games, averaging 1.3 points in 3.8 minutes. His stats weren’t eye-opening, but Hawkins’ experience with the Lakers was memorable.

“Just being around those guys, Nick [Van Exel], Cedric [Ceballos], Eddie [Jones], Shaq[uille O’Neal], all of them, it was a pleasure to be on the same team with them,” Hawkins said. “I just enjoyed the moment. A lot of my family and friends came to see me play, and that’s kind of what it boils down to. I wanted my mom and my sister to see me play, and they’re proud of me even though I was on the bench.

“I used it as a learning experience. I learned from the pros and at least I now know I can play with them. I’m walking away from this with a lot of confidence.”

Hawkins said his agent has been contacted about several possible opportunities for him in the CBA and overseas.

“We’re just going to wait and see what happens,” Hawkins said. “I know I’ll be playing basketball next year, it’s just a question of where.”