Ibekwe Trades Basketball Shoes for Cleats
by Dennis Georgatos, San Jose Mercury News
June 16, 2006 Antonio Gates, the Pro Bowl tight end for the San Diego Chargers, made the jump to the NFL after not playing football since high school. The 49ers are giving Onye Ibekwe a chance to do the same.
One of six tight ends on the roster -- the group includes No. 1 draft pick Vernon Davis -- Ibekwe is a long shot to make the team. A basketball player at Long Beach State, Ibekwe hasn't played organized football since the 10th grade, but he has gained the attention of Coach Mike Nolan through his work at a May mini-camp and this month's organized team activities.
``Everybody is kind of curious what kind of football player he is,'' Nolan said. ``I think he's got a hunger to do well and prove himself, and that's a great start. When you watch him, you can see football is not there yet but that can come.''
The 49ers became aware of Ibekwe -- his full name is pronounced O-Knee E-beck-way -- in early April when he crashed an NFL workout for Jeremy Bloom in Southern California. Bloom, the Olympic skier who became a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, was an invited guest. Ibekwe was not.
``I just kind of went out there by myself. Nobody invited me. Nobody knew what I was doing,'' Ibekwe said.
``There were about 25 scouts and I asked the one in charge if I could run for them, show my skills. It was like, `Hey, sure.' That's how it all started.''
One of the scouts in attendance was Trent Baalke of the 49ers. Baalke saw a 6-foot-8, 254-pound power forward who maybe could play football.
``He came back to me and said the guy was pretty intriguing as an athlete,'' said Scot McCloughan, the 49ers' vice president of player personnel. ``We didn't draft another tight end after we got Vernon Davis, so we thought, `Let's give it a try.' What he's trying to do is very difficult, but there's the chance for a big upside.''
Ibekwe, the son of Nigerian immigrants, was a scholarship basketball player at Oklahoma State but transferred after two years. At Long Beach State, he averaged 5.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 40 games (23 as a starter), missing the last 12 games of his senior season after fighting with a teammate.
Two of the NFL's best tight ends, Gates and Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs, were college basketball players. Gonzalez also played football at Cal.
Ibekwe last played as a sophomore at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. He then transferred to Crenshaw High School and gave up football to focus on basketball.
Naturally, Gates and Gonzalez are his inspiration.
``Those guys paved the way,'' Ibekwe said. ``I'm thankful. If it wasn't for them, I think it would have been a lot more difficult for me to get into the NFL.''
The big test for Ibekwe will come when training camp -- and full-contact drills -- opens July 28.
``Some people don't like playing after getting hit,'' Nolan noted.
Ibekwe said, as a power forward, he mixed it up regularly under the basket. But he knows this is an entirely different game.
``I'm bracing myself for it,'' he said. ``It's probably going to take me a couple hits to get used to it. But it's part of the game. I'm very physical. I think I can go up with these guys.'' |
