NGR – Nigeria’s Kuso: ‘If I do one tenth of what Hakeem did, I’ll be a happy man’

SUMY (Superleague/FIBA Africa) - When USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo recently offered the opinion to FIBA.com that Africa would have “one or two very, very good teams in the next decade”, he may as well have named Nigeria because they have a very deep talent pool.

Virtual unknown Abdullahi Kuso is evidence of that.

Kuso, who turns 25 on February 17, is in his first professional season in Ukraine with BC Sumykhimprom after a solid collegiate career at Gonzaga.

Born in Kaduna, Nigeria, the 2.07m Kusa is blossoming into a wonderful powerful forward.

He averaged 13.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 10 EuroChallenge games. Kuso could hardly have made a more impressive Ukraine Superleague debut, in fact, with Sumy against Mykolaiv.

Kuso had 14 pts and 20 rebounds!

He is averaging 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds after 16 games in the Superleague.

Kuso gave this interview to FIBA.com after a 15-point, 12-rebound performance in Sumykhimprom’s recent Cup of Ukraine defeat against Pulsar, an 85-69 second-leg loss that prevented Sumy from reaching the Final Four.

FIBA: Abdullahi, your team needed an eight-point win to make it to the Final Four and you were up by 10 midway through the third quarter. What happened at that point?

Kuso: As you can see our lineup is depleted. We only played with seven men and one of our key players was in foul trouble early and we really got stretched the whole game. Pulsar had the home crowd behind them and they played a really good game.

FIBA: But you had the necessary lead, which you only needed to hold on to. What prevented Sumy from doing this?

Kuso: Man, I think we ran out of steam a little bit. And they executed, especially down the stretch. They are a good team, especially at home.

FIBA: Did you expect the Superleague experience to be what it is so far?

Kuso: As you know, this is my first season playing as a professional. I just came in with an open mind just to see how it’ll go, but it’s very tough and competitive. And I like the fact the number eight team will play as hard as the number one team every day, so you can’t give a half-hearted effort. You have to bring it in every day in order to win. I really like that about the Superleague.

FIBA: You came into this league and made a statement with a 14-point 20-rebound performance in your first game…

Kuso: Oh yeah!!! It was a home game and we didn’t want to start off with a loss. It was Mykolaiv and they were up, I think, eight in the fourth quarter and we had to pull it out. At the end our coach told me I had 20 rebounds. I didn’t even know that. I was just trying so hard not to lose that game.

FIBA: Rebounding seems so easy for you. How do you know where the ball is going to drop?

Kuso: I think I have a nose for the ball. But my teammates usually box out and this allows the highest jumper to go and get it, so it’s a team effort.

FIBA: The 20-rebound game set you atop the rebounding competition and you had been up there until Milutin Aleksic joined the league and slightly (8.7 rebounds per contest but just seven games so far) overcame you. What does being up there mean to you?

Kuso: It will mean a lot if I do win the rebounding title, but at the end of the day I want to make a mark. I hope our team wins a lot more games and we do well in the playoffs because nobody remembers the guy that leads the team in rebounds. They remember who won the championship, so that’s kind of what I want to do.

FIBA: What is the limit for you?

Kuso: I don’t know. I just started! I am just having fun. Hopefully someday playing in the Euroleague is what I want to do, but you know, one step at a time.

FIBA: You were on the Nigeria national team in 2007. How was that experience?

Kuso: Oh, it was the All-African games. They just picked a bunch of guys that played college basketball in the US for the team and I was fortunate to be one of them. It wasn’t the senior national team, but hopefully this summer I’ll get a chance to work out with them. I am in touch with the Federation. They are following me here.

FIBA: There have been a number of big-name players to come out of Nigeria and make it to the NBA, Hakeem Olajuwon being one of them. Do you draw inspiration from them?

Kuso: Well, I look up to Olajuwon. If I do one tenth of what he did in his basketball career, I’ll be a happy man at the end of the day. I mean, I watch his clips on YouTube every day – he’s really my idol. I look up to him a lot.

FIBA: What exactly then are you trying to learn from him?

Kuso: I played center most of my life in basketball. Olajuwon was a little bigger, he was seven feet tall. Eventually I want to become a power forward, so I look at his composure, his ability to step out and shoot the ball, guard the paint. There are just so many things about him that I admire, so it would be great to get close to that.

FIBA: Who is it most difficult to play against here in Ukraine and who is it most difficult to guard.

Kuso: The most difficult guy to play? I’ll have to say… the big guy from Kyiv… Jovo Stanojevic. He’s so heavy and has really soft hands. And the most difficult to guard would be the Khimik big man [Ukraine international Andrei] Agafonov. He’s not the most athletic guy, but he’s very smart. He’s just been giving me trouble every time I played him.

FIBA: What is the highlight of the season so far?

Kuso: I wish we’d beat Kyiv at home [they suffered a 61:60 loss, with Kyiv scoring a three with one second left], that would have been the highlight. You know, the season is halfway done and maybe if I meet you again at the end of the season I’ll tell you that.

FIBA