She thinks she's Russell Westbrook, but Elizabeth Balogun barely made it through her first basketball practice in the United States.
Balogun, who arrived in Tennessee from Nigeria in eighth grade, had just finished the Hamilton Heights "smile mile" in the required amount of time. She was changing back into her regular shoes and packing up for the day when her teammates stopped her in her tracks.
"The other girls told her, 'No. What are you doing? That was just the beginning,' " coach Keisha Hunt said. "She thought the warm-up was all the practice would be."
Other than Balogun's presence, nothing about that one-hour session stands out for Hunt. It was the typical stuff: drills, shooting, defense, strategy.
"I was like, 'Oh, my gosh,' " Balogun said. "I started crying. I was like, 'No. I can't do it. I don't think I'm going to make it.' ... The one-hour workouts felt like four days of workouts."
Balogun persevered, and today the 6-foot guard is the No. 15 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2018 class. The junior averages 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.1 assists for Hamilton Heights (Chattanooga, Tennessee), which is ranked No. 10 in the espnW 25 Power Rankings and going for a title this week at the NACA nationals.
Talk about a quick turnaround.
"It wouldn't do her any good to come over here and goof off and be on a field trip," Hunt said. "The sacrifices she's made are too important for her to do that. She's really focused on what she wants to do."
Back home
Balogun moved in with Hunt, a single mom and teacher, when she arrived from Lagos. In her new room, she keeps handwritten goals, Bible passages and notes that remind her of her mom, Justine, who died of breast cancer a year before Balogun left for America. She hasn't seen her dad, Mark, a basketball coach and police officer, since she arrived. They typically talk on Skype for three to four hours at a time when the Internet connection's good.
Balogun's older brother, Ezekiel, also played for Hamilton Heights and is now a freshman at The Citadel in South Carolina. She rarely gets to see him. Her younger sister, Ruth, a freshman at Hamilton Heights, also lives in Hunt's house.
Elizabeth is determined to do well academically for her mom, who emphasized a "school-first, basketball-second" approach. Her mom didn't discover the cancer, which she fought for two years, until late in the process. Her memory inspires Balogun every day.
"She used it as a motivation to do everything in her power to be the best she could be," Ezekiel said. "That's really fueled her to where she is today -- to make our mom proud."
Balogun is grateful for Hunt's unwavering support.
"Without Keisha, I don't know where I would be right now, for real," she said. "She's like my rock here. She's the backbone for me. She's always there for me."
Ready to hop in and help.
Take the time Hunt's daughters left a stuffed animal frog in Balogun's doorway. The cuddly creature caught her off guard and left her terrified.
That same frog later popped up in her backpack before school one day.
"I didn't come out of my room for like a week straight," Balogun laughed. "I thought it was real."
What is real is Balogun's love for cooking. Nigerian-style scrambled eggs are her specialty.
"The house always smells so good," Hunt said. "I love it when she cooks."
Balogun also has a habit of abbreviating words in text messages. When she texts Hunt, she sends -- yes, ma -- omitting the end of ma'am. That makes Hunt smile.
"I've told her, I don't want to take the place of her mom in her heart because nobody can do that, but I'll be there for her forever," Hunt said. "Not just when she leaves here, but also when she goes to college."
Nigeria to Tennessee to ... ?
Balogun, who received her first scholarship as a freshman, wants to major in business in college. More specifically, she'd like to own a big hotel, perhaps with a mall attached.
She doesn't yet have a definitive list, but Hunt said Balogun is in touch with South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Baylor and Rutgers most frequently. She will wait until the fall to commit. She's looking for a program that mirrors what she's found in Chattanooga.
"It wouldn't do her any good to come over here and goof off and be on a field trip. The sacrifices she's made are too important for her to do that." Keisha Hunt
"I want somewhere that's a family environment," Balogun said. "And a coach that's going to push me. ... I want a coach that loves me for me."
Turns out most college coaches already love her game.
"They're really excited about her versatility," said Alfred Motton, coach at FBC Southeast Elite AAU. "She can play all over the floor. She can post up. She can shoot the ball. She's a big-time defender. She just does so much."
Balogun and her dad will make the final decision together, Hunt said. Some college coaches have successfully reached him in Nigeria, despite an unpredictable Internet connection.
"With her not being from here, she's having a really hard time making a decision," Hunt said. "She wants to know about schools before she either eliminates them or considers them."
Wherever she lands, Balogun won't settle. Not when it comes to her aspirations, anyway.
"I've reached some of my goals, but not my highest goals -- some but not everything," Balogun said. "I put a lot of things on my wall to remind me of how far I've come."