Arundel All-Metro basketball standout Simone Egwu was Sunday's Anne Arundel profile and after talking with her last week, I left impressed and enlightened. Egwu maintains an impressive 4.3 weighted grade-point average; is good for a double-double every time she takes the court (16 points, 12 rebounds per game) as the Wildcats' captain; and her future is unlimited. She has earned a basketball scholarshp at Virginia and wants to get into politics with ambitions of becoming a senator and maybe even president. She has my vote. Here's some leftovers from last week's conversation.

* Do you feel a greater sense of urgency being a senior this year?
Yes! This is the last chance to get a state title and I really want to make a mark and leave something behind.

* How do you prepare for a game?
I think the most important thing for me, because I am very analytical and can psyche myself out, is just to be relaxed and have fun. So my pre-game ritual is to just put on my iPod and sort of dance around and have fun because if I think about it too much, I get nervous and overthink.

*What sold you on attending Virginia?
I would say the biggest factor was the acedemic reputation of the school. I take school very seriously and the fact that basketball can help me get the degree that I need is a big plus because it's something I love to do.

* What are the key ingredients to being a strong leader?
I think the most important thing is setting a good example. You can't tell people to do one thing and act another way. And then, be confident in yourself and be sure that what you're doing is the best thing for everybody and not just yourself. people can see that in you and then sense you're someone to follow.

Glenn Graham