Out of the ashes rises positivity, help, advice for Emmanuel Omogbo.
On Tuesday, Jan. 19 the parents and two-year old twin nieces of Omogbo tragically perished in a house fire in Chillum, MD. It shook the team, which led them to pulling out a win on Wednesday, Jan. 20 in Colorado Springs against Air Force.
Omogbo then took a week off from Colorado State Rams men’s basketball and assistant coach Ross Hodge traveled with the forward back east in his time or mourning. Hodge told me it was “tough” but good to be with the 20-year old man who’s meant so much to his team this season. Hodge is a favorite among the players for his ability to connect with the young men, it shows as he coaches them up before games and during halftime warmups.
On Wednesday, Omogbo made his return to the court, it was another win for the Rams, this time over San Jose State. The crowd gave No. 2 a standing ovation when he entered the game for the first time and cheered loudly when he scored a put-back basket; it was heartwarming, indeed.
As was the GoFundMe account created by Colorado State Athletics, with an aim at assisting him through this time of need. Originally, the campaign was set up to raise $10,000. It surpassed that goal in hours and was eventually raised to a $100,000 goal, which it’s near to hitting, currently at $97,680. (Donate here.) It was helped when Scott Van Pelt — no relation to Bradley Van Pelt — donated $500 early on in the campaign and then talked about Omogbo in length on his ESPN program.
Well, the well-wishes haven’t stopped. Here’s a partial video of NBA legend Kobe Bryant with a personal message for Emmanuel:
Shout out to @kobebryant for reaching out and I appreciate it🐍💯🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/iTYxlKphxI
— Ball Culture (@longmoney_e) January 31, 2016
“Emmanuel, what’s going on? This is Kobe. I just wanted to take the time to let you know I’m thinking about you, you’re in my prayers. And will continue to be in his prayers. Your strength and courage is a true inspiration. Just wanted to tell you, I’m there for you, man. Keep your head up, keep plugging away.”
Class act, Kobe.
