Storm rookie will honor dad for his foresight

LOS ANGELES – Ify Ibekwe’s face lights up with the thought.

The Storm rookie will be able to honor her dad on Father’s Day by playing the game he pushed her to pursue. Well, maybe she won’t actually play.

Ibekwe, a second-round draft pick, has appeared in only two of Seattle’s three games for a combined three minutes. Still, she has her father to thank for even the mere chance to warm up on the Staples Center court with veterans Ibekwe admires as Seattle (2-1) prepares to face Los Angeles (2-1) today.

“He was the one that pushed me to play basketball,” said Ibekwe, a native Californian, of her father, Austine, who was skilled in soccer. “I wanted to act, I wanted to dance, I wanted to run track. I wanted to do a lot of stuff, but he was like, ‘No, really, your talent is basketball. You’ve got to stick with it.’ He was always at my games and my cheerleader.”

Ibekwe’s early aversion to the game is a little odd since all three of her siblings played college hoops and encouraged her in the game. Her brother Ekene even played for NBA summer leagues and is currently a pro in Germany.

But it took some tugging for Ibekwe to realize her potential. Her father placed her in Narbonne High, a noted school, to develop his youngest daughter’s game. And she signed to play at Arizona under then-coach Joan Bonvicini, who helped develop solid post players in Adia Barnes and Shawntinice Polk.

“I practice with a bunch of great girls,” said Ibekwe of the Storm roster. “Their passion and intensity they give every day, the commitment and competitiveness – that’s where I want to be.”