From Rutgers to Miami of Ohio, Antwone Woolfolk brought the hard hat
Miami of Ohio's 'enforcer' on what he learned from Cliff Omoruyi at Rutgers, proving doubters wrong, and taking on Tennessee in March Madness
PHILADELPHIA – A couple of weeks back, as his Miami of Ohio basketball team was tearing through an undefeated regular season, senior center Antwone Woolfolk received a text message from Greece. It came from the guy who taught him how to be “our enforcer,” as RedHawks coach Travis Steele described Woolfolk. “Clifford Omoruyi,” Woolfolk said with a broad smile.
“He told me, ‘Congrats man, keep going. ’ It was great hearing from him. ” The RedHawks were the toast of the nation Wednesday night, when they torched SMU in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four.
They’re a team full of perimeter sharpshooters plus the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Woolfolk, who learned how to man the paint while spending his first two collegiate seasons at Rutgers. And he learned the hard way – on the receiving end of Omoruyi’s elbows. Now playing professionally in Greece, Omoruyi was an All-Big Ten postman for the Scarlet Knights during Woolfolk's two seasons in Piscataway.
“At first it was not good,” Woolfolk said Thursday, as his team prepared for Friday’s Round of 64 game against Tennessee. “In my first practice I got dunked on by him on an offensive rebound. That was a wake-up call.