Opposing players, and yes, sometimes even opposing coaches come into Evanston and often mispronounce the name of Northwestern center Alex Olah as “Alex Olaf.” It happens all the time. Olah is an imposing big who seems to play his best college basketball against the top competition.
He is not an animated snowman who likes warm hugs. He is also not St. Olaf, a deified 11th century Norwegian King. The prevalence of the mispronunciation has, as one would expect, coincided with the surging popularity of Disney’s “Frozen.”
The 3-D animated film based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” fairy tale is the highest grossing animated film of all time. It’s also the eighth highest grossing film of all time and it was the highest grossing movie of 2013.
So it’s an EXTREMELY popular movie; and during the past two years Alex Olah has become “Alex Olaf.”
“No that’s not good,” Olah joked at Big Ten Media Day.
“I’ve heard it a couple times, not too much. Usually, people on the team call me Alex, or my nickname Oli, O-L-I, but I think this started last year when we played at Brown, they made a reference to my name with the movie ‘Frozen.’
Not everybody has seen Frozen though; Olah is one guy who has not.
“I haven’t seen the movie, crazy, I know,” Olah said.
The Olaf conversation with Olah was by far the highlight of Big Ten Media Day (at least in my opinion). It’s a misnomer that Media Days are about actual news, or at least serve the purpose of providing actual news. Have you ever read a “highlights of Big Ten Media Day” article?
Yawn.
Or even worse, a “best quotes of (insert any team/conference) Media Day” compliation? Sooooooooooooo boring. Like Elsa sang “let it go, let it go” with that horribly hackneyed format.
That’s why soft news like this “Olaf” exclusive is actually the best way to approach a Media Day. Like Kent Brockman says “news has never been softer.”
What’s not soft though is Olah’s game. The big man from Timisoara, Romania may have some NBA Draft stock. Olah played some of his best college basketball against former Indiana Hoosiers forward Noah Vonleh, who went on to be selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Draft lottery. And Olah’s career high in scoring came against the Wisconsin Badgers, who have been the premier program in the Big Ten these past couple years.
“Looking at where Alex Olah is as player, knowing that he’s been hurt, and be battling like that is really something to see,” said IU Coach Tom Crean.
“That kid’s going to be a major league player.”
Crean called him “Olah” too. He did not call him “Olaf.” Olah discussed balling at his best when taking on superior competition.
“I actually like to be the underdog. I don’t care who I play against, I just try to beat them,” he said.
“I’m not scared of anybody. My whole life I’ve played against centers rated higher than I was.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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