NGR - Masai’s Big Man Camp begins May 15th

LAGOS (Youth Developmental Programme) -The annual Big Man Camp organised by Masai Ujiri and Godwin Owinje of RadarHoops will hold in Lagos National Stadium from May 15th to 18th. The programme for the especially big sized teenagers has held in the country for the past for years in conjunction with the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).

Masai, a former Nigerian national team player and one of the current coaches for national junior teams programmes told FIBA from his base in Toronto that his commitment to developing the Nigerian players at the right age remains unshaken.

"The kids are getting better and more kids continue to crossover to high school in the states and the track record of high major players continues to grow. Most importantly, they continue to strive in school, using this opportunity as a tool for higher education. And we are really touched by this.

“As you may know 11 out of the 12 kids we sent to BWB (Basketball without Borders) Africa 2007 made the All Star Game. Emmanuel Negedu represented us well at the Hoopsummit game and so did Raphael Akpejiori at the Jordan game. With players like these you are encouraged to do more.

“Our goal remains developing and growing the game of basketball in Nigeria with a lot of concentration on the youth. And that’s why coaches taking their time to come and teach in our camp mean a lot to us and we hope to make their experience a great one,” Masai said.

Masai who the Director of Global Scouting for Toronto Raptors also runs a separate camp for other positions The foreign based coaches for the event are Joe Touomou (NBA), Myke Scholl (Pistons), Rob Jackson ( DC Bluedevils), Will Voight (Spurs), Adam Fillipi (Lakers), Simon Cote ( Nuggets), Willy Chapman (Veritas Sports Academy), Dustin Clark ( Texas A&M) Peter Gash (Lasale University), Patrick Engelbrecht  and Todd Bozeman (Morgan St), Tim Conolley (Wizards).

The Nigerian coaches are Adeka Daudu (Nigeria), Scott Nnaji (Customs), Michael Akuboh (ABU), Alex Owochio (Warriors), Peter Ahmedu (Warriors Academy), Aderemi Adewumi (First Bank, Nigeria) and Emma Odah (Abuja).

The Camp Directors listed include Sam Ahmedu (Grizzles, Nike), Godwin Owinje (Radarhoops), Ugo Udezue (BDA), Isah Umar (Nigeria) and Oliver Johnson (Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria). By Pius Ayinor, FIBA

Pius Ayinor
FIBA