Emeka Okafor spent enough time in the Arizona State pool taking care of his chronically sore back during the Phoenix Regional that somebody finally told the Connecticut center he was a regular Mark Spitz.
At long last, the Academic All-American who turned down an opportunity to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship was stumped.
"Forgive me," he said later, furrowing his brow and still uncertain. "Spitz?"
Considering Okafor wasn't born until 1982, a decade after Spitz won seven gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics, the gap in his knowledge is understandable.
"The Michael Jordan of swimming," someone told Okafor, and he repeated the phrase, unlikely to need prompting again.
Because he is the son of Nigerian immigrants and was born in Houston, it's natural for people to draw comparisons between Okafor and Hakeem Olajuwon, who spent all but one year of his college and pro career playing in Houston.
But Okafor is much more David Robinson, a tremendous shot blocker with an increasingly effective offensive game, a princely manner, unusual intelligence and a toothpaste-commercial smile.
"That guy's an MVP, an NBA champion," Okafor said of Robinson. "I have a ways to catch up to him, but I'm honored to be compared to him."
It is not only Okafor's unpredictable back injury that has caused Connecticut concern going into the Final Four. (He sat out two games in the Big East tournament because of back spasms related to a stress fracture, but said his back has been "fine" during the NCAA tournament.)
He also suffered a shoulder "stinger," or minor nerve injury, during the regional final against Alabama on Saturday.
Connecticut received good news Monday when results of an MRI exam on Okafor's neck and right shoulder came back normal, and he was cleared to practice today.
For Okafor, there will be something very final about this Final Four. It will mark the end of his college career.
Only a junior, he'll graduate in May with a degree in finance and a grade-point average close to 3.8.
The plan to turn pro after graduating in three years has been in place since he arrived at Connecticut, and Coach Jim Calhoun has been behind him all the way.
Okafor has done so well, though, that Calhoun and Ted Taigen, an associate professor of biology who is the team's faculty advisor, were among those who encouraged Okafor to apply to be a Rhodes Scholar, the prestigious fellowship Bill Bradley won after an All-America basketball career at Princeton.
