BILBAO (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - The talent pool for Nigeria is so deep that in all parts of the world, there are candidates for the national team selection with a very good chance of making the side.

Head to the Basque Country in northern Spain and you'll find one of them, an imposing center who is making waves in the Liga Endesa named Michael Eric. When he left Lagos as a 16-year-old for America, Eric had not played organized basketball but he is now competing in one of the toughest leagues around.

A player who places a premium on blocking shots, rebounding and out-working his opponents on every possession, the 28-year-old Eric knows all about his country's greatest ever player, too, Hakeem Olajuwon, and not just the Dream on the hardwood but the Dream on the soccer field. Eric has spoken to FIBA.com.

FIBA.com: What about the possibility of playing for Nigeria? Have you considered it?
Michael Eric: Yes, I’ve thought about it a few times, it’s just one of those timing things, timing of getting a job, timing as it relates to having a good summer to rest up after a long season and last year was pretty tough for me but I’ve always thought about it.

FIBA.com: Did national team coach Will Voigt speak to you about playing for D'Tigers?
Michael Eric: Yes, he reached out to me a couple of years ago. But last season, when I reached out to him, he already had his set team (for the Rio Olympics) and he gave more more time to focus on my recovery from a long season playing in the D-League and AEK in Greece.

FIBA.com: It would have been difficult for him to change the roster that won the AfroBasket in Tunisia. Would you consider playing next summer?
Michael Eric: Everything is still up in the air. I always take pride in representing my country wherever I go. I’m from Nigeria, born and raised, so I take pride in that and if that situation comes up and I feel good about it, I’ll probably end up doing it.

FIBA.com: What were your thoughts when you saw them play at the Olympics? Did that fill you with pride?
Michael Eric: Yes, a lot of guys in that team, I was actually in camp with before Coach Will became a coach at one point. I remember I was thinking about becoming an Olympian one day.

FIBA.com: You come from the land of one of the greatest players in the history of basketball, Hakeem Olajuwon.
Michael Eric: Ironically, I do. At one point, he played soccer for my dad. He was a goalie, it’s a small world. It was in the early seventies, mid-seventies, I think. He was young, very young. My dad told me the story, showed me the pictures a few times.

FIBA.com: And Hakeem the basketball player?
Michael Eric: I watched a couple of his (basketball) game tapes and learned some of his moves and it’s been working for me so far.

FIBA.com: The Dream. So playing for your Dad, that was before he started playing basketball?
Michael Eric: Oh yeah, way before. Before he went to the University of Houston.

FIBA.com: What do you think about your future? We know you’re raising a lot of eyebrows in Spain.
Michael Eric: Just to be out here and have a full season in Europe. I’ve knocked on the NBA door a few times, I’ve been right there but not made it. But I’m still the same. I’m working hard, trying to help this team win. If that leads to something big in the future, I’ll be glad because hard work does pay off.

FIBA.com: And you’d like to play for a club in a European competition?
Michael Eric: I’m getting to understand all of that. It would be good to experience that. The goal has always been the NBA but just like in life, you’ve got to find ways to accomplish other things.

Most of the time, you have to look up to find Michael Eric 

FIBA.com: Right now, you live in a beautiful city. Bilbao is fantastic. We were there for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014.
Michael Eric: Yes, it’s really beautiful, the food is great and the people are kind. They welcomed me and a couple of my family (members). 

FIBA.com: You lived in Philadelphia and studied at Temple. The City of Brotherly Love, are there any similarities to Bilbao? Is it as cold in Bilbao as Philadelphia?
Michael Eric: It’s similar, but not the weather. Philadelphia is a unique city. It’s almost a country of its own. Those people are something else. But I love Philadelphia. Compared to Bilbao? Bilbao is much cleaner (laughs). It’s more eco-friendly.

FIBA.com: You were born in Lagos. When did you move to America?
Michael Eric: I was 16. I went to Church Farm School in Exton, Pennsylvania. My high school coach showed me how to start out in basketball at a young age. It was my first time really playing organized basketball. I was lucky enough to raise some eyebrows at university level and I got a lot of offers and didn’t know where I was going to go. I chose Temple, which was like a 20-minute drive from my high school so my teachers, guidance counselors and brother could come and watch my games. 

FIBA.com: You already spoke English coming from Nigeria.
Michael Eric: Yes, Nigeria is a former British colony so we spoke English, a different kind of English (to the USA) with a lot thicker accent but I adapted and became a part of the Temple basketball team. I learned how to switch my accent up a few times (smiles). 

FIBA.com: Have you been to Britain yet?
Michael Eric: I actually have a few times. I have cousins there in East London and North London. I have tons of cousins on my mom’s side. They’re very tall but they don’t play basketball.​

FIBA