Unique Name, Big Game: Northern Iowa's Kwadzo Ahelegbe

His name means "born on Monday," but he's been leaving a few defenders wishing he hadn't been born on any day.

Courtesy Northern Iowa Athletics

Kwadzo Ahelegbe tore the labrum in both shoulders and lost much time on the court, but this year he's been a big contributor for the NIU Panthers.

Northern Iowa plays Illinois State in a key matchup on February 24, 2009. If you're interested in Illinois State as well, read this.

No one gets Kwadzo Ahelegbe's name right on the first try.

"I wait for them to butcher it, and then I come in and say it right," he said. "The common one is I'm the killer dog Cujo. I tell them, 'I'm not Cujo the dog.'"

For the record, his name is pronounced Kuh-JOE, and though he's not technically a killer dog, he has chewed up some defenses this season in Northern Iowa's backcourt, averaging 11.0 points, second best on the Panthers, and a team-leading 3.2 assists.

Ahelegbe's name (pronounced Uh-HEL-ig-buh) does draw curiosity, but his recent past is even more compelling.

His first name means "born on Monday." His parents are originally from Ghana, but gave birth to him in the States. Aside from learning to truly respect his elders, Ahelegbe doesn't believe his childhood was any different than anyone else's in his Minnesota neighborhood.

Where Ahelegbe's life became unordinary was after his freshman season with the Panthers. First, he discovered he was going to be a father. Then during a practice before his sophomore year, he dove for a loose ball, a teammate fell on top of him and his right shoulder labrum was torn. Surgery was needed and his season was over. His spirits were lifted after the birth of his child—he remembers watching St. John vs. Marquette on the hospital television—and as he returned to the basketball court following his shoulder rehab. But just as things were getting good again, he tore his left shoulder labrum during a summer scrimmage. Again, surgery was needed.

"Just the worst luck," Ahelegbe said.

To Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson, the news was bad. It meant his starting point guard might be out for another season. Still, Jacobson had reason to be very optimistic.

"He took it better than I thought he would," Jacobson said. "He really attacked it. He said, 'Coach, I'm going to get through this and I'm going to find a way to be better.'"

Ahelegbe certainly wasn't pleased to have to go through the process again, but his overall outlook had changed since the first injury. There was the birth of his son—Makhi Anthony Kwaku Ahelegbe (Makhi means "message sent from god" and Kwaku means "born on Tuesday").

"Seeing him born, seeing him cry, the little things there made me forget all the hardships," he said.

Jacobson saw how fatherhood impacted him.

"I think it's helped him to have that change in his life," Jacobson said. "The responsibility has helped him grow up. He's taken that responsibility and really run with it. He's embraced it. It's a huge part of his life as it should be."

A few months after becoming a father, his mentor Chris Carr's daughter passed away. Carr, the former NBA player, had worked with Ahelegbe since high school. Ahelegbe took Carr's loss hard. The second shoulder injury seemed a minor nuisance when put in context.

Now healthy again, Ahelegbe has enjoyed a successful and injury-free redshirt sophomore season. If Northern Iowa can win its last two Missouri Valley games, it will have a shot at the program's first-ever regular-season conference title (last season they finished 20-14, dropping the MVC Semis to Illinois State). Ahelegbe really wants to play in the NCAA Tournament.

"I've been getting really excited," he said. "I want to taste it myself."

Maybe there is a little Cujo in him after all.

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