North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: A Shining Light for Wolfpack Women
12/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BY TIM PEELER
Until someone mentions the name of his daughter, NC State senior forward Khadijah Whittington.
Then there is a spark of life in his weary body, stilled for all of Whittington’s collegiate basketball career by the ravages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the debilitating neurological disorder better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
There is no cure, and there is little chance that Mohammed will ever leave the hospital, let alone see his daughter play for the Wolfpack in her final season or graduate from NC State in May with a degree in sports management. All she needs to become the first person in her immediate family to earn a college degree is to complete a semester-long internship related to her major.
“For the most part, he is non-responsive now,” Whittington says. “But my family who visits him tells me that when he hears my name, it’s like he starts to shine a little bit.”
Whittington has always been her father’s shining light. She was the only one of his children who showed an interest following his footsteps while growing up in
Always a role player floating under the radar behind a large class in front of her, Whittington has turned up her game several notches over the last 12 months. Her performance down the stretch last season helped the Wolfpack beat No. 2 ranked
This year, Whittington is the Wolfpack’s lone senior and has taken on the unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable role of team leader. She has grown into her responsibilities, an amazing transformation for a young player who grew up surrounded by difficult circumstances and an uncertain future.
Whittington has needed guidance during her career at NC State, and Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow has always been there to provide it, even though she has spent the better part of three years fighting her recurrence of breast cancer. But they two shared a different bond, as Yow went through the painful process of moving her father, Hilton, into a nursing home in
“Our fathers have both been in situations where they possibly might not make it much longer,” Yow says. “It’s been important to give her support as she goes through that. She has been through so much in her lifetime that she has developed the skill to deal with adversity in a positive way. Most people who have been through all that she has wouldn’t be in college. God has really blessed her with the qualities that she needs to success and to survive.”
Before this season began, Whittington found her true focus and her inspiration. She visited her father and promised that she would try to win the ACC Player of the Year Award, a bold goal for an undersized forward who has frequently played out of her natural position and has never made better than third-team all-conference.
But heading into a pair of weekend games at Reynolds Coliseum, Whittington is the ACC’s leading scorer (19.8 points per game) and top rebounder (12.4 rpg). She and
She leads the league in minutes played (34.4) and defensive rebounds (8.5) and is third in steals (3.3) and offensive rebounds (4.9), seventh in blocked shots (1.4) and field goal percentage (56.9 percent).
“I think that she is finally bringing her total game to the court,” Yow says. “She has always given such great effort. She plays hard on defense and she goes to the boards extremely well. The part that was always missing was the lack of consistency in scoring. This year, she has that part of her game going.”
In short, as the non-conference season winds down, Whittington’s credentials would put her on the short list of Player of the Year candidates.
“I think she has to get a look,” Yow says. “Obviously, it will depend on how our team ends up doing in ACC competition. Sometimes, you can be limited by how your team performs. But there are those players who are so outstanding that you have to give them a look no matter what, and I think she is going to be one of them.”
First, however, Whittington must get through a difficult Christmas day at the hospital. She plans to have breakfast and dinner with her family in the
“I have no idea is my father know how I am doing so far this year,” Whittington said. “He can’t communicate any more and he hasn’t been able to watch any games on television. Last year, he could watch the games and recognize me. Sometimes, my cousin (Darryl Moore) would hold the phone to his ear and I could talk to him. He used to like that a lot.
“The only thing I can do is to try to fulfill the promise I made to him the last time I saw him to get the ACC Player of the Year Award. I am just really motivated right now. I have a lot that I am playing for.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
