Portland State Magazine Fall 2021

16 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME Former Viking Ime Udoka named head coach of the Boston Celtics THE WIDTH of a continent was not enough to hold all the pride felt in the Portland State Athletic Department when basketball alum Ime Udoka (pronounced EE-may you-DOKE-uh) was named the new head coach of the Boston Celtics this summer. “This is an incredible opportunity and accomplishment for Coach Udoka to be the head coach of such a historic NBA franchise,” said men’s basketball head coach Jase Coburn. “It really gives our student athletes motivation to know that they too can succeed in life after college as a former Portland State student athlete.The opportunities are endless!” Udoka, a Portland native who starred for the Vikings during the 1999-2000 season, has traveled the world as a player and a coach over the past two decades to achieve his dream of being an NBA head coach—the first ever to come out of the Park Blocks.The only alum with a comparable achievement in the world of sports is PSU Hall of Famer June Jones, head coach of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons from 1994 to 1996. And though he will be coaching 3,000 miles away, Udoka will no doubt maintain the interest of many on campus. A graduate of Portland’s Jefferson High School, Udoka played college basketball in Utah and California before he found his way back home to Portland State. He made the most of it, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors and Big Sky Newcomer of the Year for the Vikings in 1999-2000. The 6-foot-6-inch forward averaged 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals that season. Few expected what came next, or more accurately, six years later, with his hometown Portland Trail- blazers. After short stints with the Los Angeles Lakers (four games in 2003-04) and the New York Knicks (eight games in 2005-06), Udoka was given a chance in the Blazer preseason camp before the 2006-07 season. His first appearance as a Blazer was supposed to be Oct. 17, but that day his father, Vitalis Udoka, died suddenly. (He started a PSU Athletics scholarship in his father’s name for students on the basketball team.) Despite the shock, he took to the court a few days later, showing the spark that Blazers coach Nate McMillan sought.The solid play continued throughout the pre-season to the point that his teammates lobbied the coaches and front office to keep Udoka on the team as a member of the regular season roster. But Udoka did more than just “make the team.” He started 75 games for the Portland Trailblazers in 2006-07, averaging 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He anchored the small forward position for the season, playing good defense and team-oriented, intelligent basketball, making few mistakes and hitting enough shots to be respected by the opposition. After that season, Udoka moved on to play for the San Antonio Spurs and also spent time with the Sacramento Kings, playing seven NBA seasons in all. Getting to the NBA included lengthy time in the NBA’s Developmental League and playing overseas. He also competed for Nigeria, his father’s country of birth, in the World Basketball Championships. Udoka’s quest to become a head coach began immediately after his playing career ended with the Spurs. He served as an assistant under the legendary Gregg Popovich—the coach with the most wins in NBA history—for seven seasons, winning an NBA title in 2013-14. Udoka then moved on to a stint with the athletics Ime Udoka drives against the Utah Jazz as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2006-07 season.