Adaora Elonu

Classroom

Elonu graduated in just three years from Texas A&M with a bachelor’s degree in allied health in August 2011. She carried a 3.56 GPA across the stage. She is currently working towards a master’s degree in health education and has career aspirations of becoming a doctor or physical therapist. Elonu is a two-time member of the Academic All-Big 12 Team and has been listed on the Big 12 Commissioner’s honor roll every semester possible.

Character

A three-year captain, Elonu leads her team off the court as much as she does on it. She is very active with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and for the past two years has been a member of the FCA Leadership Council where she is in charge of outreach for women’s basketball. This involves extending a welcoming hand and inviting teammates and other student-athletes to FCA.  Elonu is also active in FCA Gameday, where she spends time with local children before home football games and teaches them about the importance of faith and how it can contribute to success in sports. Her leadership extends to the classroom where she leads by example with her work ethic and grades. She has also found time to attend a seminar presenting medical research on Alzheimer’s and helps others overcome obstacles by assisting at the Sports, Back and Pain Management Clinic in Bryan, Texas.

Community

Elonu is one of the most community-involved student-athletes at Texas A&M. For four years, Elonu has volunteered with Aggies Can, a student-run food drive that raises over $25,000 for the Brazos Valley Food Bank. With her teammates, Elonu has volunteered with Special Olympics of Bryan/College Station and twice-a-year hosted Junior Aggie Clinics - free basketball clinics for children of the community. Every Christmas, each player adopts a child from the community’s angel tree to provide a gift for them on Christmas morning and Elonu and her teammates visit local elementary schools to speak to the children about the importance of education. She has also volunteered with Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, Atria Senior Living in Houston, Kappa Alpha Psi, Sports for Kids FunFest, Student Research Week and her local church.

Competition

Elonu, who started 34 of 38 games last season, led her team to its first national championship in program history in its first-ever trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four. She averaged 5.9 rebounds as the team’s second-leading rebounder and 8.4 points, tallying three double-doubles. Elonu reached double figures 14 times and led the team in rebounding eight times. She was named to the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic and the San Diego Surf ‘N Slam Classic All-Tournament Teams early in the season and became the 22nd A&M player to reach 500 career rebounds late in the season. Named “Ms. Consistency” by head coach Gary Blair, Elonu has played in all but one game (as a freshman) in her collegiate career. Deemed a captain as a sophomore, Elonu was a three-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week in her first season.