Levance Fields is Norbit

Anyone out there familiar with the Eddie Murphy movie Norbit? You know, the one about the small guy and the full-figured gal who fall in love? Well, as I learned from Ron Cook today, there's a Norbit situation going on underneath our noses here in Pittsburgh.

Marcedes Walker is a fascinating female basketball player. She's the face of the Pitt women's team, she's a Kodak/WBCA District I All-American, and she's averaged 17.5 points and 11.6 rebounds in her last 10 games. She's a dominating presence, more intimidating to opponents than Aaron Gray. She's also 6'3". And if I knew her weight, I would publish it, but I guess that's not privileged information in the world of women's basketball.

Levance Fields is a key component to the success of Pitt's men's team, averaging 9.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. Yes, he's the same guy that missed two free throws on Saturday that would've iced VCU and prevented overtime. But he was able to block that out of his memory, hit a big shot in OT, and thump his chest in exuberance as he helped the Panthers advance to the Sugary 16. As far as his physical stature, Fields stands 5'10" and weighs in at 195 pounds.

Why is this relevant, you ask? Because as Mr. Cook tells us, Fields and Walker, despite the size difference, have quite the campus romance. In fact, they've been dating for a year. It turns out that Walker is the answer to the question we've all asked at one time or another: "Who braids Levance Fields' hair?"

If Fields and Walker ever decide to have kids, their offspring could be the basketball equivalent of the Agassi-Graf brood. I'm not saying there's pressure on Jaden Agassi to be a tennis star, but there's pressure on Jaden Agassi to be a tennis star.

Even though Pitt's women's team was eliminated on Tuesday night by Tennessee, Walker and her teammates did something no other women's team could do: they interested me enough to watch a women's game. Fields will certainly have his hands full with UCLA on Thursday night, and will hopefully fare a little better. I know one thing: regardless of his mental state for the game, Fields' braids will be tight and ready for prime time.