By FRED JETER 
Published: January 22, 2009

    St. Catherine's Christelle Ndongo has joined brother Franck, a player at VCU, in Richmond with the hope of earning a college degree. With a one-way ticket, Christelle Ndongo arrived in Richmond via a silver jet.
    She's hoping her sharp mind, engaging smile and an eye-catching jump shot, can enable her to continue her journey.
    "I don't want to go home," the native of the African Republic of Cameroon said, "until I have a college degree.
    Ndongo, 18, is a 5-11 senior at St. Catherine's School, where she resides in the home of Upper School Director Cathy McGehee.
    Christelle's 6-7 brother, Franck, 20, is in his third year as a VCU basketball forward and finance major.
    "I listened to Franck's story," Christelle said. "I followed him."
    Franck, recuperating from knee surgery, says this of his and Christelle's flight to America: "Anytime you leave home, it's a risk. But when you're from Cameroon, you take the chance. Our country is very poor. Many go barefoot. Some families don't have enough to eat."
    Reunited: Christelle and Franck Ndongo (pronounced Don-go) hail from the Cameroon capital of Yaounde, a mostly French-speaking city of 1.4 million. Three years apart, the siblings made their initial stop at Montverde Academy near Orlando, Fla.
    Their relocation was aided by a foreign-exchange program, Basketball Without Borders.
    Out of Montverde, Franck signed a basketball scholarship with then VCU coach Jeff Capel.
    Christelle's stay at Montverde was awkward and lonely. Frequently, she was reduced tears in long-distance phone chats with Franck. No need for a medical diploma here: diagnosis -- homesickness.
    That's when Franck, living in an apartment/dorm off Broad Street, became proactive.
    "I became father, mother, brother and friend -- all of that, to my sister," he said.
    Wanting her nearby, Franck scouted the area for schools, earned an audience with St. Catherine's officials and pleaded his sister's case.
    Academically, she was solid. Athletically, enticing. Need-based grants would cover school expenses.
    The remaining question: Where would she live? That's when an unlikely hero popped up.
    "I was telling my daughter [St. Catherine's senior Eliza] about Christelle," McGehee said. "We needed to find her a home. Eliza came right out and said, 'Why can't she stay with us?'"
    With that goal in mind, Franck had been pinching pennies -- much of it coming from his summer scholarship food stipend.
    Breaking his piggy bank, he purchased a ticket from Orlando to Richmond . . . but only one way.
    Athlete: A beneficiary of Christelle's arrival at St. Catherine's was basketball coach Ed Sherod, a former VCU great.
    "She's got a nice little jump shot," Sherod said. "All that's holding Christelle back is lack of experience. If she'd been playing basketball all along, like the others, it would be ridiculous."
    The newcomer with the thick braids averages 17 points and 12 rebounds. She dominates at times with her strength and leaping ability.
    She also played fall volleyball (joining housemate Eliza) and plans to make a go of track and soccer in the spring.    
    At Montverde, she was third in the Florida Private Schools meet with a 35-5 in the shot put. She also ran the 400 in 1:02 while laying off her best events -- the jumps -- due to a tender knee that's now 100 percent.
    Next? Christelle has applied to VCU and Longwood, hopeful suitors will come calling with scholarships in tow.
    College need-based grants can be slippery commodities for non-U.S. citizens.
    "I need a scholarship to go to college," she said.

Contact Fred Jeter at (804) 739-2219 or fjeter@timesdispatch.com.