The Making of Coach Erinfolami

Though he was born in Lagos, Nigeria in the late sixty but this basketball icon cut his basketball teeth in Philadelphia in the United States of America as a teenager and upon his return from the USA in the mid-eighties the 6 feet 5 inch tall player teamed up with the then Leventis Buffalo and from there to the country’s foremost basketball club, Ebun Comets basketball club of Akure had a brief stint in Lebanon between 1994 and 1997 before returning to the country and rejoined the Comets where he was until his retirement in 2001.

He began his coaching career as coach/player with the Comets and later assistant coach before pitching his tent with oil rich Delta Force basketball club of Asaba where his wealth of experience on the basketball court has greatly robbed off on the players especially the female team.

His work started yielding dividend at the Kano 2003 national division-one championship where his rookies girls defeated a more experienced Customs of Lagos to place second behind First Bank basketball club of Lagos, this laudable achievement was followed with a gold medal at the 14th national sports festival in Abuja this year where the Delta girls against defeated high flying Lagos state twice to win the festival gold medal for the first time.

The victory over Lagos was enough to usher the Ogun State-born basketball tactician as a force to be reckoned with in the slamin’ ‘N’ dunkin’ game but instead received cold shoulder from officials of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF who against popular demand named Andrew Isokpehi as head coach of the national U-18 team to an international friendly in Niger Republic earlier this year where the team failed to make an appreciable impact.

Coach Latua’s deep understanding of the could not, however, be ignored further when he led his girls out against notable teams to snashed victory against First Bank basketball and Dolphins basketball clubs of Lagos at the just concluded Metro league in Port Harcourt the Rivers State capital and the NBBF officials this time around had no choice than to saddled the ebullient coach with a national assignment as assistant to Isopkehi.

Basketball analysts faulted the rationale behind the motive of making Erinfolami to work with Isokpehi who has no coached any club in the last two seasons, but were quick to add that it is better to be ignored and charged the former national team and Comets captain to put in his best as the federation officials that spotted him in Port Harcourt will soon realized that he can single handedly lead any of the national teams out and get good results.

The ultimate aim of the former Tadamon Zuck basketball club of Lebanon is to be a big hit in coaching as he was as a player and at least equal what he achieved playing where he won the local league a record six time back-to-back with the Comets, an African Cup of Nations and All Africa Games bronze medals, won the most valuable player award more than any player at the local scene and a second placing of the now rested African Club winners cup (ASHRY CUP) competition with the Comets in Dakar, Senegal in 2001.