Lowndes Athletic Director Danny Redshaw and Principal LeAnne McCall stand as center Otaifo Esenabhalu sits with her mother Lucy (left) and head coach Antonia Tookes (right) after signing with Longwood University Tuesday in the LHS gymnasium.

VALDOSTA – Lowndes senior two-sport athlete Otaifo Esenabhalu decided on her next move after high school, signing a letter of intent to attend Division I Longwood University Wednesday in the LHS gymnasium.

A standout performer in basketball and volleyball, Esenabhalu said that while she loves playing both sports, she’ll be focusing on continuing her athletic career in basketball at the college level.

In signing with Longwood, Esenabhalu becomes the second Lowndes athlete to sign with a Division I scholarship this year – joining wrestler Dom DiTomasso, who signed with the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga over the summer.

“It means a lot to me. The support and all the love that I’ve gotten today is a blessing within itself,” Esenabhalu said. “Everything that’s coming my way was worked hard for and I’m just very happy to see it all come together.”

The 6-foot-2 center averaged 9.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.7 steals per game en route to a First Team All-Region selection as she helped lead the Vikettes to a 20-8 record and a Region 1-7A championship last season.

After considering offers from Longwood and Division II West Georgia, Esenabhalu ultimately liked her fit at Longwood best.

“Longwood became my No. 1 school because I saw myself being really impactful there,” Esenabhalu said. “It became a family, a home away from home as you’d say. … It’s a big step but as I’ve moved from place to place before, I think I’m ready to move and just focus on the next step.

“They’ve let me know as a center that adding more to their post and adding more longevity to their team will help them more in that area.”

Esenabhalu arrived at Lowndes three years ago, migrating from cold, snowy Minnesota to south Georgia and quickly became a difference maker for the Vikettes.

“Lowndes has been such a big part of my athletic career,” Esenabhalu said. “Moving here from Minnesota two years ago, it’s been a very different culture and different elements. It was hard, but moving here was a blessing in disguise. I wouldn’t be where I’m headed to or where I am now if I didn’t leave Minnesota. … The main difference is definitely the weather and the southern aspect. No snow and things like that…it’s different but I like it.”

Vikettes head coach Antonia Tookes added, “Otaifo came here three years ago and when I first saw her, she was 6-2 and the first question I asked her was, ‘Do you play basketball?’, because I knew she was coming here to play volleyball as well. She said, ‘Yes ma’am. Basketball is pretty much my first sport.’ I got excited from that standpoint because we don’t have a whole lot of height here at Lowndes High School.

“On top of that, I learned that she’s a very good kid so it’s easy to coach Otaifo and I’m going to miss her. I told my athletic director, I wish I had four more years with her. She’s a high-character kid and she still hasn’t reached her full potential yet, so I can’t wait to see what she becomes.”

Heading into her senior year with the Vikettes, Esenabhalu has set humble goals for herself as she tries to lead her team to greater heights this season.

“I hope to be one of the biggest assets for our team,” Esenabhalu said of her goals for the upcoming season. “I’m hoping to win region as well as winning state. I’m hoping to get that under my belt before I move on to collegiate athletics.”

As Tookes mentioned after Esenabhalu’s signing, she feels that her primary defensive anchor and post presence still has another gear she can get to on both ends of the floor.

While Esenabhalu nearly averaged a double-double as a junior, Tookes feels she can double up on her near double-double average.

“For her to reach her peak – right now, she’s a double-double – I would say pretty much still double-double, but more,” Tookes said. “I would say 25-20 a game – 25 points, 20 rebounds a game easily, and about five blocks.”

Esenabhalu certainly has the athleticism, length and activity level to be a factor not just at the prep level, but at the college level.

Tookes is no stranger to coaching Division I-caliber players. While coaching the Pelham Hornets, Tookes coached former Arkansas Razorback Briunna Freeman.

When asked if Esenabhalu is the most athletic player she’s ever coached, Tookes couldn’t help but compare her two most notables D-1 signees.

“I coached Briunna Freeman at Pelham and I’ve always said that Briunna Freeman was probably one of the most athletic kids I’ve ever had, but to do what she does at 6-2 – Freeman was only 5-9 – I think it’s almost like a tie,” Tookes said smiling. “I wouldn’t say one outweighs the other because she does some good things that Freeman didn’t do well. They’d balance each other out. I just wish they could’ve played together [laughs].”

Led by Esenabhalu and others, Tookes’ goal for her team in her fifth season at Lowndes is to build on last year’s breakout.

“We are the reigning region champions right now, so we have four other teams in the region that are gonna be gunning for us,” Tookes said. “Our goal right now is to repeat as region champions and to take it one day at a time for the state playoffs and hopefully, no injuries.”

Once she graduates next May, Esenabhalu will join a Longwood team led by newly-minted head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery, who took the reins of the Lancers this past spring.

Going from Minnesota to Georgia and eventually to Virginia is quite a journey, and while she has taken each move in stride, she admits leaving Lowndes will be far from easy.

“I’ll miss the family I’ve built here,” Esenabhalu said. “I’ll miss the crowds at basketball games and just everybody…all the love.”