NEW ORLEANS — Kingsley Suamataia has a big Sunday ahead of him.
So, too, does his wife, Nani Falatea.
The couple who hails from Utah each have monumental matchups this Sunday — Suamataia will be with the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, while Falatea and the Oregon women’s basketball team are facing No. 1 UCLA.
“It’s gonna be very hectic that day, but I’m gonna try and watch a little bit of (her game) before we’ve gotta get on the bus and stuff,” Suamataia told the Deseret News this week.
“But we told each other, ‘Man, it’s like we’re both having Super Bowl week.’ That’s their Super Bowl game and this is my Super Bowl game. I’ll be watching that, tuning in to watch my wife play.”
The timing of the two matchups won’t make it any less hectic. Oregon hosts the top-ranked and unbeaten Bruins at Matthew Knight Arena at 2 p.m. MST in Eugene, Oregon, while the Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at 4:30 p.m. MST at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
That busy type of schedule is a bit emblematic of the couple’s first year of marriage. Suamataia and Falatea married last June, and Suamataia headed to Kansas City, while Falatea took off for Oregon after transferring there from BYU.
“Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, man, it’s gonna be hard.’ We keep each other the main thing,” Suamataia said. “My wife’s amazing. This long distance, it’s been hard obviously, but when you’ve got the right person, everything’s pretty easy. It makes life more peaceful so you can go throughout your days.”
“Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, man, it’s gonna be hard.’ We keep each other the main thing. My wife’s amazing. This long distance, it’s been hard obviously, but when you’ve got the right person, everything’s pretty easy. It makes life more peaceful so you can go throughout your days.”
— Kingsley Suamataia
Suamataia is a 22-year-old offensive lineman who played two years at BYU after one season at Oregon and prepping at Orem High. Falatea is a former East High and Herriman High star who played her first two-plus collegiate seasons in Provo before leaving BYU.
Their union is “a blessing,” as Suamataia described it.
“You learn a lot, and you grow a lot as a person. I think especially you know, coming to the league and being young, everybody was like, what are you doing? You’re too young to be in the league and too young to be married,” Suamataia said. “I’m just proving everybody wrong. It’s just a blessing. I have an amazing wife to do it with.”
Two weeks ago, Falatea was able to travel to Kansas City for the AFC championship to support Suamataia, The Oregonian reported, because the Ducks had played two nights earlier and didn’t have another game until the next Thursday.
The pair shared pictures on social media of their chance to celebrate together.
As for Sunday, Kansas City will be trying to take home its third straight Super Bowl title when it faces the Eagles. Suamataia isn’t likely to play more than a few snaps, primarily on special teams, as a first-year lineman.
He earned two starts at left tackle to begin the year before being benched and playing the rest of the year as a reserve behind veteran linemen.
Falatea’s Ducks, who are currently projected as an NCAA tournament team by ESPN, will be sizable underdogs against UCLA, which is 22-0 on the year.
Oregon, which sits at 16-7 and 7-5 in Big Ten play in its first year in the league, beat then-No. 16 Michigan State on Jan. 30, but the Ducks have lost two straight since then.
Falatea is third on the team in scoring, averaging 7.5 points per game to go along with 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists while coming off the bench.
“She’s been killing it. I’m so proud of her. She’s doing so well. You know, her team’s playing really good. They had a good win against Michigan State, and then a little rough run against Michigan, but I know they’ll bounce back,” Suamataia said before Oregon’s loss Thursday against No. 16 Maryland.
“I’m just so proud of my wife through all the obstacles of her journey and her basketball career.”
