AUSTIN, Texas — Moving to the United States at age 16, Uche Dibiamaka found a sense of familiarity and home on the basketball court.
He fell in love with the sport at the age of 4 and left his home country of Australia to pursue college basketball in the United States.
Dibiamaka has played basketball since he was 4 years old. (Spectrum News 1/ Sunny Tsai)
The transition was not easy for Dibiamaka. In fact, it created a cycle of isolation and negative self-talk.
“I was on my guard. No one could get close to me. I didn’t let anyone in. I feel like the terms ‘soft’ or ‘weak’ get thrown around too much in the world of athletes, so my problem was that I got too good at neglecting my emotions. I would leave my emotions at the door when I got to practice, which is fine, but I got too good and completely lost touch with my emotions,” Dibiamaka said.
The court was always the place where Dibiamaka could escape from reality and relieve stress, until one day it was no longer. During his junior year at UTRGV, his head coach, Lew Hill, passed away.
“When Coach Hill died, it was like I didn’t accept it. It was mid-season, so there was no time to cry, no time to accept my trauma. It was like we could play. We are still in the season so I would put those emotions aside as well,” Dibiamaka said.
Neglecting his mental health affected not only his personal life, but also his relationships and the way he acted on the court.
Dibiamaka had a mental breakdown during his last match at UTRGV and was unable to finish.
Dibiamaka played for Coach Hill at UTRGV before transferring to St. Edwards. (Credit: Uche Dibiamaka)
“It was mental overload because it was like a tornado of emotions in my brain and I didn’t know how to deal with it and it just swamped me during the game to the point where I literally couldn’t play. Not know what to do. I literally walked out of the game and I think at that point I realized there was an issue that needed to be addressed,” Dibiamaka said.
After a turbulent end to the season, Dibiamaka was transferred to play for St. Edwards.
“I was always so intense, always so nervous. Coach Cook said last year that my teammates were on their toes around me just because they didn’t know how to react to me. Hearing how I’m neglecting my emotions is affecting my teammates, in this new school, I didn’t want it to happen again,” Dibiamaka said.
Dibiamaka in practice with his teammates at St. Edwards. (Spectrum News 1/Sunny Tsai)
After much support from his mother and his coach, Dibiamaka decided to try therapy.
“He showed, first of all, this readiness. She left here at the end of COVID, came back to the US and was like, ‘Hmm. I’ve been thinking.’ And during that flight, something really shifted, and he started reaching out and said, ‘Hey, I’m really struggling with this or I’m struggling with it,’” Uche’s mother, Colleen Dibiamaka, said.
Therapy has helped Uche break through the emotional tornado she had been avoiding and verbalize the thoughts in her mind.
“My therapist helped me address all the feelings in my head and helped me let my guard down. I started retraining my mind, reconfiguring my way of thinking and developing psychological flexibility to be able to adapt to the new situation,” said Uche Dibiamaka.
As Dibiamaka embarks on her mental health journey, she launched her own clothing line to document it and raise awareness for other student-athletes.
“The pressure on student-athletes, they go all day. If you come to St. Edwards at 6 in the morning, we have athletes here. If you come here at 9 at night, there are athletes here.” “There’s a strong academic regimen here at St. Edwards. There’s pressure to perform academically, there’s pressure to perform athletically, there’s pressure to perform socially,” said St. Edwards head basketball coach Andre Cook.
Dibiamaka creates his jerseys in the corner of his apartment using a Cricket machine and a heat press. (News from Spectrum 1/ Sunny Tsai)
Dibiamaka’s brand, Optimist Global, which he brought to life through a Cricket machine and heat press in his apartment, is designed for student athletes, reminding them to be aware of their state of mind, as well as their feelings and emotions.
“As an athlete, we’re in the spotlight a lot, and I feel it’s important for athletes to identify themselves. So one thing about my brand, when I created it, I really didn’t expect that… I didn’t think that far ahead, but after a year and a half of the brand, it turned out that I became a mental health advocate, like my brand Optimist Global has become part of my identity, so people who know me will associate my brand with me,” Dibiamaka said.
Even from thousands of miles away, your family can also feel your mental change and growth.
“I’m so proud of him because… he’s had to navigate a lot on his own and with phone and video support from halfway around the world, we’ve seen a change in him and a lot more compassion for other people. , which I think individually, is wonderful to see, much more compassion and empathy that he is then able to share with his teammates,” said Colleen Dibiamaka.
As Uche Dibiamaka wraps up his final season with St. Edwards and prepares to enter the real world, he leaves with much more than just a basketball legacy. He has found his identity and peace in therapy, and he wants to remind other student-athletes that they can do the same.
“Mental toughness is not the ability to leave your emotions at the door and come practice. Mental toughness is the ability to be aware of your emotions, to understand why you feel the way you feel, to be able to control your emotions so that your emotions do not control you, and to be able to perform at a high level,” Dibiamaka said.
Source: news.google.com