Posted: Tue, 4 May 2010 03:56 PM - 8,422 Readers

By: Joe Goddard

Pass the hammer. Adabelle Ekechukwu wants to give one a throw.

Let her try it. The Hinsdale Central senior is among the state's top shot put and discus throwers, having qualified in both field events at last year's Class 2A meet where she was third in the shot.

Ekechukwu will get her chance to try the hammer throw at Harvard University the next four years where she'll be a pre-law student.

"I've always wanted to try the hammer," she said of a heavy ball that is slung for distance on a power cord. "Hey, I'll try anything."

The women's hammer throw is an Olympic event.

"I noticed," Ekechukwu said, chuckling. "That's why I'd like to see how I do."

Ekechukwu does just fine at everything she tries, particularly academics and basketball. She broke Central's season rebounds record this year with more than 300, surpassing the 267 of the late (Kari) Jorgensen (1991) and Justine Koeppen (1982).

"Adabelle is so quick to the ball," coach Lindsey Montgomery told The Doings' Bill Stone. "When she goes up and grabs the ball with two hands, nobody can take it away from her because she's so strong."

Proviso West found out in a December game when Ekechukwu had 17 points and 17 rebounds in a 50-46 victory after Proviso had taken a 12-0 lead.

Ekechukwu's parents Ken, a radiologist, and Ebere, a lawyer, are from Nigeria.

"I've been there twice -- when I was 4 and 11 -- and really had fun with my grandparents, cousins, brothers (LeRoy, Vidal and Damien) and sister (Sarabelle), " Adabelle said. "There sometimes are 50 people in the house at once."