Strange names

In a seven-school prep hoops coverage area:

Boys First Names: Johannesburg, Gadiel, Akio

Girls: T'aira, Shamyiah, Breshawna, Zacchea, Chantilia, Santana ... and these three on one team: Zakayshia, Shahrazad, Quavisha (not to mention full name Sky Greathouse).

 

Hard-core basketball people will know this one.

There was once a prospect from Italy who was sort of a contemporary in Euro-ball of Kukoc, Divac and that bunch (a bit younger, he may still be playing somewhere but he'd be pushing 40 now). He was considered an NBA prospect, one of those guys who stood a good chance of being your stereotypical Euro 7-footer who banged around inside and hit jump shots like a small forward. He was never entered in the draft, but several times as he got older, there was talk of him signing with an NBA team as a free agent. I think he was at one time considered the top player in Europe around 2000 or so.

But there was a cultural thing that held him back from coming here. He had a name that did not translate in a flattering way in English-speaking countries like the U.S.

The Name?:
Gregor Fucka.

He went ahead and stayed in Europe. Can't say the name was the only reason, but can't say it wasn't a reason either.

 

I can't recall whether it was Alabama State or Alabama A&M, but one of those schools recently had a center named Chief Kickingstallionsims.

 

Psssh....bunch o' amateurs
http://www.newbabynews.net/hospitals/stf33/public/stf33birthannouncement.pl?babyID=h33-440

 

T'was Alabama State. And he was actually Grlenntys Chief Kickingstallionsims Jr.

http://bamastatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=62&path=mbball

And who can forget this legendary North Carolina wrestler?:

http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/wang_long00.html

 

Let's not forget this player for the Charlotte 49ers.

 

Around the time I covered Miracle Fingers and Fabulous Flournoy, the latter was on the same team as Alvydas Pazdrazdis.



Heh. Saw this long after the fact and realized the one word I misspelled on this post was "team."

 

North Alabama had a Japanese kicker a few years back named Yuda Fukuda - pronounced Fa-Koo-da. I made the comment "thank goodness I only have to write that and not say it because with my accent it's coming our Fuck You da."

Not a strange name but a strange choice of names - area high school girl with the first name Tequila. I guess we know her folks' favorite beverage.

 

Or what her parents were influenced by when she was conceived.

 

We had a local badminton doubles team of Wells and Hung. It showed up in stories and agate as Wells-Hung.

 

A local team this year has a girl named Dynasty Champion... and two girls named Justice.

My all-time favorite was a kid named D'Jario Slappy. And a few years back there was a kid who played for a high school team near Chicago named William Bills.

 

Another "Shithead" (in her case, Sha-thee-ed) in Georgia, where my friend teaches Spanish.

She's also had a "Vagina" on the books; the girl went by "Gina."

Poor kids' birth certificates should be used as child abuse evidence No. 1.