The years 2016-2020 were a legendary era for City High women’s basketball. Led by point guard Rose Nkumu, the Little Hawks made four consecutive state tournament appearances at Wells Fargo arena. Nkumu, known for her shiftiness and advanced skill set averaged 14.2 PPG and led the team in assists, with 5.6 APG. The Little Hawks had quite the talented roster during this period. Stars such as Paige Rocca, Aubrey Jones, and Paige Rocca surrounded Nkumu during her historic high school career. During Nkumu’s senior season, the all-star team scored an average of 72 points per game. After three straight state tournament appearances, Nkumu says they “had one more shot to do it” during her senior season.
“We made it back, and ended up losing again, and falling short. It wasn’t the perfect high school career of capitalizing on getting one of those state championships. But, nonetheless, it was still very successful.” Nkumu said with a smile.
Though falling short of her goal of being a state champion, Nkumu will always appreciate her time as a Little Hawk.
“I met such great people and great teammates, and made lifelong relationships.” Nkumu said.
If Nkumu could give a piece of advice to the female athletes at City High looking to have a successful high school career, she says it would be to “hone in on your craft as much as possible when you have time. Try to invest as much as possible into your team, because you only get four years. It passes by quick, so take advantage of those opportunities.”
Throughout high school, Nkumu was recruited by a plethora of schools. The one she chose, though, was Marquette University, due to the education and basketball program there.
“Obviously Marquette is a great academic school, and they’re very well known for the people that come out of there for education, but they’re also a well known basketball school. I also wanted to be a part of a school that prioritized not only basketball, but women’s sports as well.”
Nkumu became much more than just a “part” of the school and program. She was a crucial member of the team, as her leadership skills carried over with her to the collegiate level. Nkumu went on to play all four years at Marquette, while majoring in Digital Media. Over her career, she averaged 4.1 PPG and 2.6 APG. It was not her scoring or assists that made her such an impactful presence on the floor, though. She was what many would refer to as a “floor general,” always directing traffic and staying calm under immense pressure. Nkumu led her team to many wins, but says her sweetest victory was beating Texas University her junior year.
“We went to the Bahamas for a Thanksgiving tournament. We beat Texas in the opening game, and a lot of people had counted us out, and we just went in there, and thought: we’re just gonna play our best and see what happens.” Nkumu and the Golden Eagles knocked off No. 3 ranked Texas, making it the highest seed in history Marquette has beaten.
Now, after a successful collegiate career, Nkumu has returned to her old stomping grounds at City High School. With her master’s in digital communication and undergrad in digital media, Nkumu is currently the athletic secretary At City High.
“I think everything for me is about timing. I have connections here at City High and I think it was just the right timing, right place. They had a new position that they were going to have open, and they thought of me.” Said Nkumu.
Nkumu’s goal is to give Little Hawk athletes the opportunity to commemorate their time at City High, by giving them the platform to do it. Though her official title is Athletic Secretary, Nkumu’s main goal is to “support athletes and teams through social media and content.”
As for the future, Nkumu says she plans to let everything play out. “Whether I’m here for five years, two years, or 10 years, I’m just going to do as much as I possibly can to have an impact. I just want to give back to the athletes and support them through their journey here.”
