Standing Tall

We all see life from a certain perspective, but the view for Oklahoma's freshman center Nancy Mulkey is quite different than most.

While most can walk through the grocery store quietly with little distraction, shop at department stores with relative ease or walk down the sidewalk without incident, Mulkey is accustomed to the opposite. Ever since a growth spurt in the seventh grade boosted Mulkey to 6-7, she's battled through bullies, attempting to fit in and gain acceptance among her peers.

Her family knows exactly what she is going through. Her mom, Dolores, who starred at Georgia Tech as a dominating center in women's basketball from 1985-88, is 6-7. Among her siblings she is the shortest, while her brothers range from 7-0 to 7-4. Not to mention an aunt and an uncle on her mom's side of the family that are 6-7 and 7-0, respectively.

At 6-9 and as OU's tallest player in program history, Mulkey is unique. Not because of her height, but the grace and confidence that she has worked to develop when it comes to battling the stigma of her size. She battles gawking bystanders taking pictures behind her back or strangers that stare blankly for moments before looking back down to avoid awkward eye contact on a daily basis.

Now as a freshman with the Sooners, she is working to make an impact on the basketball court, but it's the acceptance she has felt from her teammates and coaches which has allowed Mulkey to grow as a person and stand taller than ever before.

BACK OF THE LINE

Starting in kindergarten, Mulkey's height was noticeable especially as her young classmates formed a line to head to the school cafeteria for lunch or to walk outside for recess.

“For kindergarten, the teacher would always say 'lets line up shortest to tallest' and I would always be at the back of the line with the boys," Mulkey said. "At the time, I really didn't think about it that much, but when I got to middle school it all changed.”

Living in Bowling Green, Ky., Mulkey skyrocketed to nearly 6-7 in a blink of an eye. At 13, with the pressures of middle school surrounding her, she struggled to find confidence and always searched for acceptance from her peers. The journey was not easy.

"Nancy is a really, really aware basketball player. She has a great sense of herself, really on the floor and off, but she just understands how to move and where to be, and I think that's something that you can't ascertain when you're recruiting a kid. You don't know that. You don't know how they're going to learn, how they're going to adapt to a learning culture."
— Sherri Coale

“I was 6-7 in the seventh grade so I had my growth spurt early on,” she explained. “Being 6-7 and trying to fit in, that was the hardest. Being so young and obviously being tall, it's very difficult to handle something like that.”

Luckily, Nancy's mother, Dolores, knew exactly what her young daughter was going through. Dolores, who along with her twin sister is 6-7, was a constant shoulder for Nancy to lean on and share her experiences with.

But, the constant bullying she faced took its toll. She battled with depression and anxiety about her height. One day after she returned home from middle school, Nancy was tired of fighting the daily battle to fit in.

“I do remember going home one day and telling my mom that I wanted to commit suicide because I was being bullied and that I didn't fit in because I was different,” Nancy explained. “Having my mom by my side and my aunt as well, it has helped me get through it. I still have my insecurities, but I embrace them more than I dawn on them.”

But in today's culture, Nancy faces obstacles other family members never faced growing up.

“My mom and her siblings didn't have cell phones back in those days, so now people can take pictures by grabbing their phone in two seconds. That's the thing that frustrates me the most. You wouldn't take a picture of a normal person walking by you. It's the one thing I hate the most.”

THE ESCAPE

While battling through insecurities, the basketball court was a place that Nancy could turn to at times for success. Coached by Dolores growing up, her basketball skills were evident.

But there were times where team sports and the attention affected her performance. Nancy towered over not only the opposition, but her own team.

She was out in the open for everyone to watch.

“Playing sports helped me, but it brought me down at times,” she said. “People could take pictures and see you, but my mom always told me that once you're out there you have to forget that. Basketball has helped a lot and playing Division I basketball was always a dream of mine.”

"I was 6-7 in the seventh grade so I had my growth spurt early on,” she explained. “Being 6-7 and trying to fit in, that was the hardest. Being so young and obviously being tall, it's very difficult to handle something like that."
— Nancy Mulkey

By the time she reached high school, her ability on the court blossomed. Nancy was a dominant shot blocker and controlled the glass, but it was her mid-range jumper and basketball IQ that caught the eye of Division I coaches.

She gained experience winning two gold medals internationally with USA Basketball. Mulkey also led Cypress Woods (Texas) High School to its first-ever state championship as a junior.

The accolades continued to roll in. Entering her senior season, Nancy was a preseason All-American by USA Today and was selected to the prestigious McDonald's All-American Game.

Not to mention that TV camera crews followed her daily life on TLC's “My Giant Life”.

But at home, college coaches constantly knocked on the front door to visit with the nation's tallest prospect.

For Mulkey, it was time to find a new home.

One that would accept her for more than her height.

ACCEPTED

When it came down to finding a college home for Mulkey, the options were unlimited. Coaches around the country saw a chance to sign the talented center.

But for Mulkey, she wanted a place to fit in that was just far away from her suburban Houston hometown, but where ultimately she could grow on and off the court.

Enter Oklahoma and head coach Sherri Coale.

The Sooners fought for Mulkey's services early in the recruiting process and it was OU's family environment that sold one of the nation's top post prospect. After signing with OU in Nov. 2015, Mulkey arrived on campus in June ready to hit the ground running with her new teammates welcoming her with open arms. Despite an ankle injury early in summer workouts, she recovered quickly to playing OU's nine-day foreign tour in Spain, raising eyebrows of her Spanish competitors with eye-popping blocks and grabbing rebounds close to the rim.

Mulkey is averaging 1.7 blocks per game this season and has caused teams to rethink how they attack the post when she is on the floor.

It's not just her ability that's caught the eye of the Sooners' coaching staff, but its the way she processes the game for a freshman that has Coale excited for her Mulkey's development.

"Nancy is a really, really aware basketball player,” Coale said. “She has a great sense of herself, really on the floor and off, but she just understands how to move and where to be, and I think that's something that you can't ascertain when you're recruiting a kid. You don't know that. You don't know how they're going to learn, how they're going to adapt to a learning culture.”

Spend time around at Oklahoma practice and Mulkey is constantly engaged, learning the ins and outs with a watchful eye from Sooner veteran post player Vionise Pierre-Louis. Mulkey has continued to work on her physical edge, establishing confidence as she battles against Pierre-Louis on a daily basis.

“I didn't really like the contact so I learned to shoot and I've loved it since then,” Mulkey said of her style of play. “I knew that coming (to Oklahoma) would get me out of my comfort zone, which I wanted because obviously if I wanted to become a great player I would have to get out of my comfort zone and do different things besides shooting. Working against (Vionise Pierre-Louis), going into the contact and finishing. It's making those plays that give me more confidence.”

In her first three games, Mulkey has already helped improve OU's shot blocks as the Sooner rank in the top 25 in the country in blocked shots. She dazzled the Lloyd Noble Center crowd in an exhibition win with a rejection on one end of the court followed by a fast-break lay-in on the other.

She's even surprised herself -- by dunking in practice.

When you casually dunk at practice 👀⤵️ https://t.co/GMsfNBoMFE
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) November 15, 2016

But for the freshman, it's the acceptance of her teammates that Mulkey values more than baskets and blocks.

“Basketball has helped a lot. Playing college basketball was always a dream of mine," she said. "I can't describe in words how much it means that my teammates look beyond my height and see what I'm capable of becoming in the near future, it gives me confidence. I just want to get out their and play. I want to make my teammates happy and do anything I can to help us win.”