Early in the season, Marist coach Jordan Vidovic said prized outside hitter Nyherowo Omene could be an Olympic-caliber player down the road.
A lot can happen between now and then, when the 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, but the 6-foot-8 Omene lived up to the hype as a senior.
The 2021 Daily Southtown Boys Volleyball Player of the Year put together an Olympic-sized season with 302 kills, 73 blocks, 175 digs and 38 aces.
The South Holland resident also was named the East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year for the RedHawks (25-3). He earned first team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association and was named to the USA Volleyball U-19 national training team.
That doesn’t guarantee he’ll make the Olympics, but he’s on the radar screen of some pretty important people.
“He has become not just one of the most physical players around,” Vidovic said, “but one of the best all-around players in the country.”
Before he takes on the world, though, Omene wants to reign in America. His Sports Performance club team went 5-0 during pool play Sunday and Monday in the 18 Open Division of the USAV Junior National Championship in Kansas City.
Two years ago, Omene helped Marist win the state championship as a sophomore middle hitter. After the Illinois High School Association canceled the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, Vidovic moved Omene to the outside.
“Nyherowo put an incredible amount of individual work in at Marist to transition into a new position,” Vidovic said. “What is more impressive is how he became a true leader in the circumstances we faced and how he embodied everything our program is all about every day.”
About that year off because of the pandemic …
Omene said the thing he loves most about volleyball is the thinking part of the game. He’s intrigued by the strategy and development of each play, even as it happens.
It turns out he loves the thinking part of the game even when he’s not playing.
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When his junior season was wiped out, like most players, he stayed in shape physically. There was, however, no substitute for game action.
Omene said he tried his best to simulate that by watching as much video as he could. He would visualize himself on the court while plays were developing on his screen.
“I was able to think about how I would react in certain situations,” he said. “It was like muscle memory. It helped a lot. I don’t think I fell behind because of missing games last year.”
College recruiting, however, became an adventure.
Omene was particular about where he wanted to go. He wanted a school with a strong men’s volleyball program and a high standard of academics.
While the sport is exploding on the NCAA Division III level, there are less than 25 Division I teams. It’s a small pool from which to chose.
When Stanford and Princeton showed interest, he had a tough choice to make.
He chose Stanford last July, days before the university made the shocking announcement it would cut several sports, including men’s volleyball.
Luckily, he said he still had a great relationship with Princeton, which accepted him with open arms.
He said he’s looking forward to heading to the Ivy League school, even though Stanford officials announced in May that the men’s volleyball program has been saved.
“I never thought about decommitting,” Omene said. “For me, commitment is a big deal and I take that seriously. I am not the type of person to go back and forth, especially when I made an agreement.
“I’m fully committed to Princeton.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown