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In eighth grade, Adaora Elonu had no intention of playing basketball.
Her older brother Chinemelu, now a junior center for the Aggie men's basketball team, failed to make the junior high basketball team after his first tryout.
However their priorities have changed now that they are keys to the success of the 2008-2009 A&M basketball teams.
Chinemelu was born in Nigeria in 1987. He was the first of five Elonu children and the only Elonu child to be born in Nigeria. Each of his other siblings, Chibuzo, 19, Adaora 18, Adaeze, 16, and Akunna, 14, were born in the U.S.
Even though Chinemelu started the basketball trend in his family, it was not always his first choice.
"Our parents always had us involved in sports," Chinemelu said. "I always played soccer. Local recreational teams, YMCA stuff, that kind of thing. But then I really started to get big, so here came basketball."
Adaora, now a freshman forward for the A&M women's team, also struggled to see basketball in her future.
"My mom had to force me into it," Adaora said. "She made me do a summer league after eighth grade, then said I had to be involved with it in high school too. It was a great decision by her."
As a freshman, Adaora made the varsity team at Alief Elsik High School in Houston. She was selected to the first team all-district team all four years in high school, and also to the second team all-state after her junior season.
As a senior, she was ranked the No. 49 recruiting prospect nationally by the All-Star Girls Basketball Report.
Meanwhile Chinemelu was growing. The 6-foot-10-inch junior is one of the tallest members of the A&M men's basketball team. Chinemelu said he grew the most during eighth grade.
He spent most of his freshman season on the junior varsity squad but was promoted to the varsity squad for the final two games of the season. As a sophomore, he was an integral part of the starting varsity squad.
After averaging 15 points a game as a senior at Alief Elsik, Chinemelu was recruited by several colleges, including Texas, Connecticut and Georgia Tech. However, Chinemelu liked the coaching staff and players in College Station and decided to become a part of the Texas A&M basketball program.
"I saw what coach [Billy] Gillespie was doing with the up and coming program," Chinemelu said. "I wanted to be a part of something like that."
Men's Head Coach Mark Turgeon said Chinemelu is one of the hardest working players he works with on and off the court.
"Chin's been just doing what he does," Turgeon said. "He's been playing extremely hard in practice and going to the boards."
Off the court Chinemelu has excelled in academics. In 2007-2008 he was named to the academic All-Big 12 basketball team for having a grade point average above 3.2 and standing out on the basketball court.
Chinemelu could have graduated after the fall semester, but is working on his master's and holding off graduation so his parents can return from a trip out of the country.
Chinemelu redshirted as a freshman in 2006-2007 but has since earned the starting center job in his junior season. However, Adaora is starting as a freshman.
"It will take someone pretty special to beat her out of [her] position," said women's Head Coach Gary Blair. "From day one, she's had that position pretty locked up."
Adaora is a key to the Aggie women's record-breaking 14-2 start to the 2008-2009 season. She was named the Big 12 freshman of the week twice and starts for Blair on a regular basis.
In the classroom, Adaora said she plans to use Chinemelu's academic success as motivation to do better than him.
"The academics here are fun but challenging," Adaora said. "I'm proud of my brother, but I definitely want to show him that I mean business too."
Though Chinemelu and Adaora are separated by nine inches in height, they do face off in a game of one-on-one on occasion.
"Well, if he isn't too busy fouling me, he can have a nice chance to see my jump shot going through the net," Adaora said.
"I usually spot her a few points," said Chinemelu, who is averaging 10.3 points a game in 2008-2009. "She might be a better shooter than me, but I know she can't play against my paint game."
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