Joshua breaks new barriers, Eye Europe

Like his biblical namesake, Joshua Agbonna has set his sight on becoming a resourceful leader on the court playing for Islanders, where he captains Toyin Sonoiki’s young guns and even for teams outside the shores of the country.

Agbonna has always had the talent to be a top kid since his schoolmates at Anwar-ul Islam College, Agege in Lagos, encouraged him to take to the hoops game because of his height. The 6-7 forward heeded the wise counsel and eventually made the grades with Ebun Comets in the 2001 season.

It is a moot point, but the hiatus in the Premier League could have affected Agbonna’s upward trajectory as one of the brightest prospects in the Nigerian game.

When Premier League action returned, first with the abbreviated version in 2005, Agbonna was seen as just one of the players in the championship.

And until two weeks ago, Agbonna’s claim to fame was that he captains Islanders, the former four-peat champions (up to 2001).

Then came a crucial meeting between the coach and his captain, which dwelt on the little impact Agbonna was making in the League.

This runs against the grain of knowledge that the well-built forward should have been a better player with his range of skills.

So, knowing that he could be among the best, Agbonna did a lengthy soul-searching after the frank talk.

It did not take him long after the encounter with Sonoiki for Agbonna to make the decision that would change his basketball life.

“It was just three weeks ago that I decided to concentrate solely on my basketball,” Agbonna says after a terrific outing for Islanders last Sunday in Lagos against Union Bank, leading his team with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Agbonna would not have made that kind of impressive stats a month back. During that period – and in the years before – he would have been hampered by his divided loyalty to basketball, exemplified by the fact that he was working and playing at the same time.

“The job did not pay much and I had to drop it to face basketball,” he says. “When I was on the job, I couldn’t train with the rest of the team, and it affected my performance.

“But since I decided to quit the job, I have been playing a lot better.”

He has indeed been on fire since that momentous decision, and Islanders and basketball have been better for it.

“I want to end my career in Europe,” offers the Ordinary National Diploma degree holder. “I can’t deceive myself that I will make it to the NBA now. My target is Europe.”

In the meantime, he wants the authorities to improve the welfare of players. “Most players dedicate their lives to the sport and it is only proper that they make something out of the sport,” he says. “With the kind of sponsorship Vmobile is throwing into the game, the players should benefit more.”

Who will not agree with him?

Punch Newspaper.