GER – Ademola Okulaja: "Extraordinary day necessary to beat the USA"

HAMBURG (FIBA U17 World Championship) – Former German national team star Ademola Okulaja, who played two FIBA World Championships (2002, 2006) and five Eurobasket (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007) and four years that saw two Final Four appearances with the Tar Heels of North Carolina (1995-1999, together with former Team USA star Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison), is a guest in the Sporthalle Hamburg at the FIBA U17 World Championship.

That was a good opportunity for FIBA.com to talk to him about his impressions of the tournament so far.

FIBA: Ademola, nice to meet you here in the gym. What brings you here?

Okulaja: I´m very interested in seeing the kids play. I want to become a director of sports or a manager so I have to know about the players. It will be interesting to see them again in some years to find out how they developed. My biggest interest is of course in the German players.

FIBA: What are your impressions so far?

Okulaja: There are great players in a lot of teams. With Germany I did not get the best start, because my first game was the defeat against Poland.

But it´s funny to see that the US team is running the same plays that we did with the Tar Heels under Dean Smith in the 1990´s. Some good things they never changes (smile).

On the German side I like their youngest player Malik Müller. It´s great that coach Menz is giving him time on the court. He might be a leader in some years.

The same with Wiggins from Canada, he is also very young, but you can see that he can carry a team some day. But let me have some more days here to find out more about the players.

FIBA: Who can beat the USA? What has to happen that the big favourite can lose a game?

Okulaja: As always, you can only beat a US team by controlling the rhythm of the game. If you run with them you've lost already.

So you have to slow down the speed, force them into set play and see what happens. Either way you need to have an extraordinary day to get a chance against the USA.

So far I can only imagine Poland having such a day.

FIBA