Melvin Ejim: Mars Bars, Smarties & Ketchup Chips
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AMES, IA–Mars bars, Smarties and Ketchup chips. Our American friends are apparently unfamiliar with these delicious snacks, according to Iowa State Basketball star and Brampton, Ontario product, Melvin Ejim.
When fellow Canadian of Iowa State, Jamie Vanderbeken and Ejim are in conversation, their American teammates draw up a blank, or begin to tease when these “Canadian” terms are used.
“We share the Canadian connection,” Ejim joked, referring to his relationship with Vanderbeken.
While Vanderbeken is currently taking part in various workouts in preperation for the pros, Ejim plans on trumping a spectacular freshman season that saw him register a stat line of 10.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG.
Ejim, the 6’6 explosive forward was ranked 11th in the BIG 12 in rebounding, had the second-most steals on the team with 39, named Big 12 rookie of the week twice, among other accomplishments as a freshman.
However, when asked about personal goals of his for the upcoming season, Ejim couldn’t help but steer toward team victories.
“We have to win more games next season , all I want to do is win,” Ejim tells NPH.
“I wasn’t as confident before but now I know more about BIG 12 basketball.”
The Iowa State Cyclones finished last in an extremely tough conference, where they actually had a mediocre overall record of 16-16. Problem was, the poor conference record of 3-13.
The BIG 12 features power house schools such as Kansas, Texas, Kansas State & Oklahoma State to name a few.
Regardless, the Cyclones will need to compete with the best in order to achieve success, and with Ejim’s built comfort and off season training, you can bet that he will be one of the team’s weapons on both ends of the floor.
“They can lean on me now and I can lean on them…because I’ve gone through it,” said Ejim.
Iowa State will venture off to Italy in August to size up the European competition in preparation for the 2011-2012 NCAA season.
Now that Jamie Vanderbeken has graduated and Ejim is the lone Canadian on the roster…Mars Bars, Smarties and ketchup chips no longer have a place among the ISU family.
Yet none of that matters…as long as the Brampton product is ballin’ out, the Cyclones are in good hands for years to come!
PHOTO COURTESY: GoIowaState.com, Zimbio
