Nigerian basketball needs urgent attention - Ujiri

To the followers of basketball in Nigeria, the name, MASAI UJIRI, rings a bell. The former international has brought his good nature to bear on the game in the country. Through his yearly programmes, he has contributed immensely to the discovery and nurturing of talents and development of the game. He told ADEYINKA ADEDIPE during the Big Man Camp that the fortunes of the game would nose-dive unless drastic and urgent efforts were taken.

FIVE years ago, Ujiri conceptualised the idea of organising two camps in a year for budding talents in the country. Through his RadarHoops organisation, the idea came into fruition and then began the move to repackage the country's basketball at the youth level. The idea also got the blessing of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), with sponsors also identifying with the programme over the years.

"Working with the kids over the last five years has been challenging, " he said. "Five years ago, we had a plan to develop youth basketball in the country and we started doing two camps in a year - the Big Man Camp in May and the Top 50 in September. In the Big Man Camp, we work with taller kids who are 6 ft 5 inches and above and teach them the fundamentals of the game. We also get good American coaches involved and use the good ones here in Nigeria.

"There has been great improvement, as participants get younger every year. Like you can see this year, there are many young kids involved. And we are teaching them the basics of the game. There is plenty of progress, as the kids go from here to the Basketball Without Borders programme in South Africa and some have eventually made it to the United States and are doing well."

As the assistant coach of the Under-18 team that conquered Africa two years ago in South Africa, Ujiri believes that Nigeria has the ability to retain the title but he is appalled that nothing is being done in the area of preparation. He said: "We can win the title again based on the availability of talents but we have not done much in preparing a team for the championship.

"Players that can do the country proud abound but it is good we prepare well for the tournament because the rest of the teams in the continent are also getting better."

For the former national team player, the driving force has been the need to give opportunities to kids who want to use basketball as a platform to develop themselves. Looking at the scenario, he said: "I was a youth like them; I dreamt like them and I know the feeling.

"Some journalists, coaches and NBBF members were players and they had dreams when they were playing. The kids want an opportunity to be able to get guidance, shoes and right jerseys to play with and this is an opportunity to give them what they need to excel. So, that is the main driving force for me.

"Also, I always want to come back and give back to the society, hoping that some of the kids will realise their dreams by becoming players in the NBA, scouts or medical doctors or professionals in other fields. In future, the kids will also realise the need to give back to the society, having benefited from programmes like this. So, it's a chain one hopes will continue."

Despite the stringent conditions for securing visas, the national junior team coach revealed that some kids have made it to the United States (U.S.) and are doing well: "I must say that the kids need determination to excel," he explained. "We follow the British system here and I think the American system is slightly easier and the kids can make the transition well enough. Those that have gone have done very well. They are doing well in the NCAA League."

However, he noted that the idea behind staging the camps is not necessarily to ship talents to the U.S., stressing: "We want to ensure that the camps concentrate on the development of the game in the country and not necessarily taking the players to the U.S. And I told the players that the American dream is not certain but if they are good enough, they can get the chance to move abroad.

"Basically, the camps are to develop the participants and the game in the country. If there is an opportunity for any player from the camps to play in Nigerian universities or clubs and develop himself, it will be very good. And if you are good enough you will play the game to any level."

The country's inability to translate her dominance in the junior level into the senior level, according Ujiri, has to do with inconsistency with preparation for major tourneys and poor organisation. He said: "I think a lot of our success is based on talent and the determination of the players. We are also lucky that we are a big country. The team that played at the All Africa Games in Algiers last year was not the same that played at the Nations Cup a month later.

"About nine regular players did not show up at those competitions. It means that we can put three national teams together and also shows how inconsistent we are with our preparations and organisation, which we have to get under control. Until we do this, we will be stagnant.

He continued: "We have to be consistent with coaches, players and competitions. I have never seen a coach that has been with the national team for five years. What we need do is get a coach to be with the national team for a long period, tell him what his responsibilities are and he would be held responsible for whatever happened to the team. He must also get the necessary support by getting approval for his programmes."

To him, the collaboration between the basketball world governing body, FIBA, and NBA is a welcome development: "Basketball is global now," he said. "And I have always told people that the unfortunate thing that has happened to basketball in Africa is that not many people know who Akeem Olajuwon is. And until we get a superstar like that, the spotlight may never be on Africa.

"It is unfortunate that cable television was not in vogue and there was no Internet facility when Olajuwon was making waves in the NBA. There are only two Chinese players in the NBA. Yi just joined Milwakee Bucks but there is one main player, Yao Min. He is a superstar in China and Asia. We need that kind of figure in the country to attract individuals and corporate organisations that would help develop the game in the country.

"FIBA and NBA are doing a lot to encourage the growth of the game worldwide. Look at what the NBA is doing with Basketball without Borders in Africa. Coming together does nothing but good to the game. Anybody now has a chance anywhere and that is because the game has gone global.

"I remember when I used to follow soccer in the early 1980s, there weren't too many African players plying their trades in Europe. Those who found their way to Europe played in lower divisions in countries such as Belgium. But any top club in Europe now has three to four top African players and about five or six in their squad. One day, I hope that basketball can be like that.

"Also, the state of our facilities is very poor in the country. And I am surprised that we haven't done more. It is even funny that we are hoping to host the African championship next year without doing anything to elevate the standard of the facilities. I don't think we have the right facilities and the organisational ability to host the event.

"The kind of facilities available in Angola at the last championship was fantastic and the games were equally good. There, you see people putting their best into the game and taking responsibilities for what they do. It is a surprise that we have officials and people that have actually played the game and are not looking at ways of supporting it. I think everyone, including me, should take the blame for the current state of the game."

Ujiri is excited that Basketball Without Borders, which was widely criticised when it began, has produced many stars that took part at the Nations Cup. He recalled: "At last year's African championship, we had 24 players that have participated in the Basketball Without Border in the last five years. It was an event we were criticised for, with some saying that NBA brought it because of money and show. But we had 24 players from the programme who contributed immensely to their teams in Angola.

"And that shows that when you put efforts into training the youths, it leads to development. Two Nigerian players, who were also in Angola, were products of the programme, which means that it is getting better. I know with planning and good organisation, the game will develop in Nigeria."

Ujiri predicts that the next programme, the Top 50, coming up in September would be one of the best in recent times. According to him, "the Top 50 camp will be a little special because it's Milo's 10th anniversary. They partner us for this event, so we want to make it special. We are still coming up with different ideas because we want the event to be entertaining, special and good for basketball in the country."

He also gave an insight into his career, saying: "I started playing in Zaria at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) under the legendary American coach, OBJ, and he gave me the courage to play basketball. I did enough to move to the U.S. to play in the high school and college. I think what the kids should realise is using basketball as a tool to move up in life. It's about using the game to acquire knowledge that would be useful in later life.

"We've been doing this camp for five years and there hasn't been one player who has made it to the NBA. What this tells you is that the chances of getting into the NBA are slim. They should use this opportunity to acquire education and be better persons. So, growing up and playing basketball in ABU was good because it is an educational institution, which also encourages students to take active part in sports.

His message for the youths is simply, "nothing works like hard work. If you want to become successful in life, you have to work very hard."

The Guardian