Parting gift?

SAN ANTONIO — For all his achievements and accolades, his success in academia and on the basketball court, one goal has eluded Emeka Okafor. He hopes to fix that tonight when Connecticut plays for the national championship at the Alamodome.

“Let’s start preparing for Georgia Tech,” he said yesterday, “and hopefully cut down these nets.”

That would mean a national title for the Huskies, the second for coach Jim Calhoun, who won it in 1999, and first for Okafor, the 6-foot-10 junior center who has been sharpening the scissors all year.

At this point, nothing seems capable of denying him. Not a stress fracture in his back that caused problems and pain earlier in the season, which he said “felt like two steel rods were in my back,” nor a neck injury in the tournament against Alabama that caused numbness in his right shoulder, nor the heavy weight of expectations placed on the best player on what many believe is college basketball’s best team, nor even a quick, aggressive Georgia Tech team that apparently has forgotten how to lose.

“I dream at night about how it would feel to stand center stage at the Final Four in San Antonio as champions,” Okafor said. “And the fact we have a chance to do that, that’s a good feeling.”

It was a good feeling for Okafor and the Huskies late Saturday night after he authored a comeback against Duke in the second national semifinal game. Relegated to the bench with two fouls for nearly the entire first half, Okafor got all of his 18 points, six of his seven rebounds and both his blocked shots after halftime. Trailing 75-67 after Duke’s Chris Duhon made two free throws with 3:28 left, UConn outscored the Blue Devils 12-0 and won 79-78.

Okafor was huge down the stretch. He scored what proved to be the decisive basket. He helped foul out all three of Duke’s main big men. He blocked a couple of shots and altered several others.

In other words, he pretty much did what he’s been doing all year when healthy.

“He’s an incredibly bright young man, obviously,” Calhoun said, “but he was zoned. He was just so focused on winning that basketball game that he took it upon himself.

“He’s awfully special. He’s the best player in America. He’s the best role model in college basketball. I’ve said that before so many times. If you need any more proof, [Saturday night] was another example why he’s so special.”

Okafor is considered the best post defender and shot blocker to come along in years. Some people, notably Calhoun, mention his name in the same sentence with Bill Russell’s. He also has been compared with David Robinson. Okafor was one of two unanimous AP All-American selections, although he lost out to Saint Joseph’s guard Jameer Nelson for player of the year honors. Calhoun, and others, do not agree with that.

Okafor is the only junior in the country with at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. He was named Big East player of the year, defensive player of the year and scholar-athlete of the year. He will graduate next month with a degree in finance — after three years — and a 3.76 grade-point average, according to the school.

It’s no secret Okafor will enter the NBA next season as a certain lottery pick, reportedly putting off plans to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship. Okafor has represented UConn in public-service ads that tout the school’s academic and athletic reputation.

Of his college experience, he said, “It’s kind of like a MasterCard commercial right now. You can’t put a price tag on the experience. Mine is a unique one. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Asked what he sees in Okafor that might elude outsiders to the program, UConn sophomore Rashad Anderson did not mention basketball first.

“The way he helps his teammates, on and off the court,” he said. “I can’t tell you enough about him. He really took me under his wing when I came to Connecticut, talking to me, showing me how to manage my time. As a human being, he’s a great friend. I can’t say enough about him.”

As a player, Okafor “is an extraordinary worker,” Anderson said. “Sometimes when I’m in the gym late at night and I’m leaving, I’ll see him come in there after me. Sometimes I think I’ll beat him to the gym early in the morning. He’s right there.”

Chukwuemeka Noubuisi Okafor was born in Houston. His father, Pius, had earlier left Nigeria, where a civil war was raging. If you think Emeka is diligent with his schoolwork, Pius reportedly has earned a Ph.D in pharmacy, his fourth degree.

Living in Nigeria and trying to make it in a new country was difficult for Okafor’s parents. He is aware of that. He respects it.

“I think it has given me a perspective on everything,” he said. “My dad used to tell me horror stories, and I was like, ’Man, you had it rough. How did you do it?’ My dad’s education was interrupted by a civil war, and they weren’t sure whether they were going to eat the next day, and here I am in the United States wondering what I’m going to get for Christmas.

“As I got older I got a better understanding about what they had been through and the advantages I have. I just understood my advantages and took advantage of them.”