Out of Nigeria and on to Pitt: Md. high-school standout overcomes homesickness, father’s death

From homesick to standout, Nigerian heads for Pitt

FORESTVILLE, Md. — Take out a teenage boy out of Nigeria and place him in an affluent private school in the Washington, D.C., suburbs with no friends or family from back home, and certain things are inevitable.

Culture shock. Homesickness.

For Talib Zanna, that was just the start. His arrival at Bishop McNamara High School in his sophomore year coincided with Ramadan so, as a devout Muslim, he was having to fast during the day while mustering the strength for rigorous practices on the court and an even more rigorous curriculum in the classrooms.

Then, after a handful of games, he broke his ankle. So much for that season.

“I was real homesick,” Zanna said. “I got here, I was like, ‘Coach, I need to go back home. I can’t do this no more.’ My Dad called me and he told me, ‘You have to be strong,’ so I’m strong. I stay strong.”

A few years later, the soft-spoken Zanna was strolling the halls with confidence, ruling with the court with his all-around game and setting up a bright future. The highly recruited 6-foot-9 forward has chosen to attend Pittsburgh this fall, another success story for the growing pipeline of Nigerian prospects to the United States.

“He’s a phenomenal young man — to leave his family, come over here for the last three years and do what he’s doing,” Bishop McNamara coach Marty Keithline said.

Zanna is among a generation of Nigerians inspired by countryman Hakeem Olajuwon, the NBA great whose career spawned a sports revolution of sorts in his native country. Zanna was diverted from soccer to basketball as he grew taller in his hometown of Kuduna, started playing for local clubs and soon was getting invitations to major camps throughout Africa.

It was in Lagos, at a big man camp run former Georgetown player Godwin Owinje, that Zanna met Keithline, who was part of a contingent of high school and junior college coaches invited to run drills for the 75 or so Nigerian youngsters.

“We talked extensively for about five months after I went over there,” Keithline said, “trying to get him a visa, trying to get everything settled with immigration and making sure the paperwork was straight.”

Zanna’s talent was never in question. He posted 17 points and 16 rebounds in his first game on U.S. soil. He averaged 14.6 points and 11.8 rebounds as a senior. He added about 30 pounds of muscle in his 2½ years at Bishop McNamara, benefiting from a better diet and the school’s weightlifting program.

“When I came over to America, all I do is block shots, rebound, that’s all I want to do,” Zanna said. “But coach Keithline worked hard with me and he made him an offensive player, defensive player, good rebounder.”

Zanna has developed a reliable outside shot, which he demonstrated in a drill with Keithline after an interview at the school’s gym.

“I need to work on my shooting more and my ball-handling because I love to get a 3, yeah,” he said, flashing a smile.

The personal transition was more challenging. Because of visa and financial issues, Zanna has not been home since his arrival as a sophomore, and his family has never visited him in the United States. He uses e-mail and phone calls to stay in touch and lives with a host family from Guyana. Keithline said the host family pays the nearly $10,000 annually for books and tuition at the private school.

The arrangement has worked so well that Zanna calls his host mother “Mom.” Fortunately he had already learned to speak English in Nigeria.

“It’s hard for teenagers to leave your parents. You don’t know nobody, coming to a different place, trying to learn a new culture and trying to learn the way they lead their lives, the way they act,” Zanna said. “When I was back home, I just go to school, get back home, take like three hours break, take a nap and go play basketball. In America, you make use of the time all the time. You don’t have the spare time. You go to school, do the work, go to practice, when you got home finish your homework, go to bed, so no time for you.”

Not long after Zanna committed to Pittsburgh, his father died. Zanna wasn’t able to make it home for the funeral, although he does plan to return to Nigeria this summer to finally see his family again.

“He passed away, and that was the saddest moment I’ve ever had,” Zanna said. “It really touched me. I was playing this game because of him and (trying) to make him proud of me.”

Even now, Zanna talks about his father in the present tense. He plans to study international business at Pitt, following in Dad’s footsteps.

“He’s a successful businessman. He’s a real hardworking man, and he wants the best for his kids,” Zanna said. “When I told him I have the love and passion for basketball, he told me if you want to be a basketball player and a successful man like me, go ahead — you can go do what you want.”