By BILLY HEYEN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Before the pandemic-shortened 2021 basketball season, Gates Chili head coach Rachel Leonard spoke with senior Miriam Ibezim about milestones. Even with a lesser schedule, Leonard thought 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds were still in reach for Ibezim.
“(Ibezim) said, ‘Yeah, that’s really great, but I really want to make sure our team wins,’” Leonard said Saturday. “I cannot say enough about just what a great, great young woman she is.”
Ibezim checked two boxes Saturday, another win to go with the 1,000th point of her Gates Chili career. After forcing the issue on a few early possessions, Ibezim ran the floor for a right-handed finish for the two points needed to hit the mark.
“Miriam is so special and talented,” Leonard said. “… She can really run the floor for a 6-foot-1 kid. It is very fitting that when we couldn’t get her the ball early, she was just like, I’m gonna do it for myself. That makes her so special and such a strong young lady.”
First bucket of the game for Miriam Ibezim gives her 1,000 career points. @PickinSplinters @gcsdspartans @LSpartanshoops pic.twitter.com/ZqvMDZKIxT
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 27, 2021
The 6-foot-1 Ibezim, an Oakland University commit, double-doubled with 14 points and 15 rebounds as Gates Chili beat Hilton on Saturday, 65-39. She was joined in double figures by Paris Anthony (20 points) and Terah Echols (18 points). Together, that trio took what was a two-point halftime advantage to the final comfortable scoreline that meant Ibezim’s historic day ended with a win.
“We really wanted to give Miriam a good game,” Leonard said. “She can look back and say not only did my team love me and celebrate me, but we got a win, too.”
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When Leonard first saw Ibezim as a seventh grader, she recognized tons of potential. The Division I athlete that Ibezim is now already showed in how she ran and leaped.
By her freshman year, Ibezim had a double-digit scoring average at the varsity level but the Spartans were 10-11. The following season, with a few older players departed, Gates Chili’s record dropped to 7-13.
But Ibezim, Anthony and Echols came into their own together as the Spartans’ big three, and in 2019-20, they went 18-3. That meant as much to Ibezim as any statistics.
“That’s unheard of,” Ibezim said. “That’s hard work. Always in the weight room, always in the gym to get better. We got no new players, no new coaches, just together as a team we just grinded. A lot of other teams always had a good program. Gates Chili worked for it.”
Along the way, Ibezim piled up points and rebounds as frequently the most dominant post player on the floor. Her relentless pursuit on the offensive glass coupled with a willingness to sprint in transition gets Ibezim plenty of easy buckets, to go along with a solid post game.
Saturday, after the milestone hoop, Ibezim scored on the right block and then took a rebound coast-to-coast for a finish in the lane.
“If I know I can beat everyone down the court, being my size, I think that’s something that stood out for college recruiters and something that stands out for me as a player,” Ibezim said. “I do enjoy showing that off. It is always cool to beat the fast guards down the court and just score the layup. I think that’s something that’s really unique about my game.”
Coast to coast for @IbezimMiriam , who has 6. @PickinSplinters @LSpartanshoops pic.twitter.com/aBAKvnOFqz
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 27, 2021
Gates Chili only led 20-18 at halftime, though. Leonard’s talk kept it simple at the break: “Hey, it’s time to go.”
In the third, the Spartans pulled away. Echols scored seven in the quarter, and Anthony and Ibezim each added six. From a two-point margin came a 27-8 Gates Chili run to set up a straightforward final frame.
“We’re gonna come at you with the one, two and three punch,” Ibezim said. “I think that’s amazing.”
3 more for Paris Anthony pic.twitter.com/5G4lga9uUf
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 27, 2021
By the end of this season, Ibezim will likely have reached 1,000 rebounds in her career, too. Then she’ll head off to Oakland, a Horizon League school located in Rochester, Michigan, where Ibezim will play Division I basketball and start on a collegiate path toward her goal of becoming a doctor.
Leonard called Ibezim one of those players who she expects has another level to be reached in college.
“I actually think she is just starting to fully come into her own,” Leonard said. “… She still has some of her best basketball in front of her. That’s not always the case, and for her, it definitely is.”
Gates Chili will return Anthony and Echols next winter, a dynamic duo that will surely keep the Spartans on a winning track. But the program’s turnaround began, in many ways, with Ibezim. Saturday’s milestone was just one of many ways she’s cemented her legacy.
“I feel like that’s some sort of history that I’m going to be remembered for,” Ibezim said. “It’s a happy moment for me because it’s something me and my whole team have really worked on since I was in middle school on varsity. I just thank my coaches and team for making it happen for me.”
Scoring totals
Gates Chili: Paris Anthony (20), Terah Echols (18), Miriam Ibezim (14), McKenzie Clifton (5), Emily McManus (3), Faith Roberts (2), Rebekah Pye (2), Maylee Kerns (1)
Hilton: Sydney Carpenter (14), Mallory Heise (6), Ella Clark (6), Leah Thompson (5), Maddie Manetta (4), Maddie Johnson (4)
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