Gildenbeschreibung » elvin Ejim wasnt playing basketball for a livin

PINEHURST, N.C. - With pigtails and plenty of giggles, Lucy Li just wants to have fun like any 11-year-old girl. Except that shes playing the biggest event in womens golf. Li, a sixth-grader from the Bay Area who doesnt appear to be the least bit overwhelmed by the attention around her, became the youngest qualifier in U.S. Womens Open history when she shot 68 at Half Moon Bay last month to win her sectional by seven shots. She celebrated by having dinner at her favourite restaurant and watching "The Amazing Spiderman 2." Now its time for the amazing Lucy Li show. "She looks so darn cute," said Michelle Wie, who didnt make it to her first Womens Open until she was 13. "I was like, I dont think I looked that cute when I was 11. But she just looks so excited, so wide-eyed. ... And Im just really so excited for her to be out. Its a memory that will last her a lifetime. What other 11-year-old can say that they played in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst? And she got to see the men play, too." Life is moving at warp speed for little Lucy Li. She only became serious about golf four years ago when she set up shop in Miami to work with Jim McLean. Just two months ago, the precocious 11-year-old with a mouth full of braces won her age division in the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National. And now shes at Pinehurst No. 2, ready to take on the course where Martin Kaymer won the U.S. Open on Sunday. "Its awesome, right?" she said. "I mean, Pinehurst and Augusta National in like two months. I mean, thats just amazing. Its mind-blowing for me. Its been awesome, because its been ... I mean, the food is great and its been a lot of fun. Ive made a lot of friends." Theres something about U.S. Womens Open in the North Carolina sandhills that attracts all the kids. Morgan Pressel qualified when she was 12 and had just turned 13 when the Womens Open was down the street at Pine Needles in 2001 (Li wasnt even born then). Lexi Thompson qualified and played at 12 when it returned to Pine Needles in 2007. Too young? Both went on to win major championships. "Look, if youre good enough, youre old enough — or young enough, whichever way you look at it," Laura Davies said. "If you can play the golf and you can qualify, then have a go. Whats the worst that can happen? She shoots a million this week and everyone says, Wasnt it great she was here? So I dont think anything bad can come out of it because shes too young to worry about the pressure. "Shes just having fun. Shes got a week off school. Its perfect." Li looked as if she was having a blast on a broiling day of practice Tuesday. She went nine holes with a local caddie. Then, it was time for a press conference, which drew the largest crowd of the day. Her pigtails in braids, held by clips the shape of hearts, she twirled in her chair waiting for it to start. She giggled before just about every answer, including one about whether her father could beat her. She laughed. She laughed again. And then she moved closer to the microphone and said, "No." But the kid made one thing clear. Shes not out to prove anything. She not out to make history. "The perfect week? I just want to go out there and have fun and play the best I can, and I really dont care about the outcome," Li said. "I want to have fun and learn. I want to learn a lot from these great players." She is not the youngest player in Womens Open history. Beverly Klass was 10 when she played in 1967, before there was qualifying. The youngest player to make the cut was Marlene Hagge, who was 13 in the 1947 Open at Starmount Forest in North Carolina. Among the favourites this week is Lydia Ko, the youngest LPGA Tour winner in history at 15 in the Canadian Womens Open two years ago. Age is becoming irrelevant, though something about the number "11" grabs the attention. "I saw her on the range this morning for the first time and didnt really watch her hit any balls — just how little she was, and the pigtails kind of caught me off guard," Stacy Lewis said. "But Im not a big fan of it. She qualified, so we cant say anything about that. You qualify for an Open, its a great thing. I just like to see kids be successful at every level before they come out here. "When I found out she qualified, I said, Well, where does she go from here? What do you next? I dont know. If it was my kid, I wouldnt let her play in the U.S. Open qualifier at 11. But thats just me." Li played in the U.S. Womens Amateur last year at 10. She was the youngest to qualify for match play at the U.S. Womens Amateur Public Links. The idea to try to qualify for the Womens Open was "mine." "Because I wanted to go out there and get the experience," she said. "Because its 36 holes and I didnt care if I qualified or not. I didnt think about it. I just wanted to go for the experience." 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Jon Casey Stars Jersey .C. -- Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe is resigning after 13 seasons at the school.There are no guarantees in this life, but in a world where everything bigger, newer and shinier gets the most attention, a young man silently plies his trade on fine hardwood courts throughout the heartland of America in hope of realizing a grand dream. This young man was once Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, a four-year player under the radar of many scouts and the average college basketball fan, doing work at tiny Weber State in Utah. Undeterred, despite the presence of other more high visibility draft picks, Lillard went on to earn the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and is now an All-Star in his second year in the Association. Now the names changed, but the aims the same. Brampton, Ontarios Melvin Ejim, a senior small forward for Iowa State Cyclones, may be next. With all of the hoopla in college basketball going to freshmen, a couple of whom play in his conference (Kansass Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid,) as well as a sophomore who many thought would enter the NBA Draft last year in Marcus Smart, Melvin Ejim is standing out as the leading scorer on one of the best teams in the Big 12. I had the chance to catch up with Ejim earlier this week. Whats the secret to your success? Its just a lot of hard work and dedication. Those guys [Wiggins, Embiid and Smart] are great players and have the big names in our conference. But were competing. Im playing hard and doing the best I can do to help my team win. Why choose Iowa State? They were the first to recruit me. They treated me well. I felt comfortable from the start with them. I wasnt this heavily recruited guy. They told me I had a chance to come in right away and play…make an impact and I did. Iowa State allowed me to grow and help change the culture here. This being my last semester, I dont carry a heavy class load now. I get to spend a lot more time in the gym, working on my game, getting better. Its pretty typical: breakfast, class, gym, study… What has been the biggest change in how people perceive you now vs. your first 3 years? Ive grown a lot. When I first got here, I was kind of rowdy…my game was unrefined…rough. Some people doubted that I could play at this level. Honestly, I questioned it at times, too. I turned the corner in my junior year wwhen I knew not only could I play and be successful at this level, but also started thinking about what I could do to be successful at the next level.dddddddddddd How has coach Fred “The Mayor” Hoiberg helped you and the development of your game? Its been great with Coach Fred. Hes been a friend and a mentor, on and off the court. I mean, he was a star here at Iowa State and played 10 years in the NBA, so he knows what it takes to be successful in college and the pros. Ive grown so much watching him here and how he handles things. Coach is so cool, calm and collected. Watching him helped me to shape my on-court demeanor, where Ive been able to control my emotions when necessary and show them at the right times. What team in the NBA do you see as best fit for Melvin Ejim next season? Really, it doesnt matter. To make it to the NBA is a dream…Id be happy! Any team that is willing to take a chance on me, Id be happy to be a part of. Any team that values an all-around player wholl work hard, comes in with a winning attitude from a winning culture may like a player like me. If Melvin Ejim wasnt playing basketball for a living somewhere next year, what would he be doing? Id be in law school. I want to help people…help society. Thats definitely a goal of mine. Congratulations on being the inaugural Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2013, but which would mean more to you: being named NCAA Scholar Athlete of The Year 2014 or being a Naismith Award winner as the best college basketball player in the country? Oh, thats easy. Its a no brainer, really - the Naismith. I knew I wouldnt have any issues with my schooling. That was going to be handled, regardless. While its be great to be an Academic All-American, to be recognized as the best player in college basketball would be a great feeling. It would be a great accomplishment. What helps your draft stock more: dropping the Big 12 scoring record (48 point with 18 rebounds vs. TCU) or winning the Big 12 and eventually a national title, even if you dont play well? Winning is everything to me. Thats my attitude. While hitting 48 definitely got me some recognition in certain places, Id trade that 48 any day to win the conference and win the NCAA title. Winning matters to me. ' ' '