NGR - Udoka writes a new chapter

MURCIA (Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - UCAM Murcia raised many an eyebrow in January when they announced the signing of Ime Udoka, a member of Nigeria’s national team.

A veteran shooting guard with several years of NBA experience, Udoka had a reputation as a solid, all-round player.

He could connect from behind the arc, handle the ball well, defend and show plenty of poise.

For a team that's battling against relegation, poise was needed in abundance.

Udoka, who has had stops in Los Angeles with the Lakers, New York, Portland, San Antonio and Sacramento, was looking for a club after the NBA Lockout and when nothing materialized, he elected to return to Spain, where he’d played for Gran Canaria in the 2004-05 campaign.

"It's been different,” Udoka said to FIBA.com, when asked about his return.

“Obviously, playing in the NBA for the last five or six years, you get accustomed to that basketball and that's where you want to be and it's your dream.

“But life takes you to different stages and this is where I am right now, a veteran player to help this team stay in the top division.

“You take a leadership role and take all your past experiences on the court and try to help out.”

Having been in Spain’s top flight before made his move to Murcia easier.

“Knowing how nice Spain is, that's one reason why I came back,” he said.

Since arriving in January, the 34-year-old Udoka has been as good as advertised.

His presence has instilled confidence in his teammates and brought tranquility to the club.

Udoka has averaged 11.5 points, two assists and 4.7 rebounds in 25 minutes per game.

Murcia are just one place above the drop zone but two and a half games clear of second-bottom Estudiantes.

Udoka and Nigeria

Udoka was an all-tournament selection at last year's Afrobasket.

That was deserved recognition for a player who was Nigeria’s best player in Madagascar.

Udoka says that playing for the African country has been meant a lot to him.

"Definitely,” he said.

“My father telling us about it when I was growing up and my sister playing with the Nigerian team first (Mfon Udoka played at Athens Olympics for Nigeria) and her telling me about how great it was.

“Both of those things are very important.”

At the Afrobasket, though, Nigeria once again did not reach the top of the podium.

They had to settle for a bronze medal, which at least clinched a spot in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela.

Three places for the London Games will be up for grabs at the 12-team OQT, but sadly for Nigeria fans, Udoka doesn’t sound as if he will be there.

"Probably not,” he said.

“A lot of things play into it.

“I have a child, a four-month old baby that I haven't seen in a few months.

“A lot depends on my future decisions with basketball, so we'll see.”

Udoka’s son was born in November and lives in Los Angeles with his mother.

A native of Portland, Udoka is desperate to return to the United States to spend time with his son.

Past frustrations with Nigeria’s national team will make it easier for him to say no to participating this summer.

Udoka says Nigeria have as much talent as any team in Africa but have never made the most of it.

"No question,” he said.

“But, we never get the right talent together.

“That's part of the reason I'm hesitant.

“I feel like we shouldn't even be in the position to go to the qualifying tournament if we had gotten the right people to Africa last summer.”

Udoka says poor organization has been a constant problem for Nigeria.

“The talent is there,” he said.

“It's just a matter of getting it all together and having the preparation time.

“We usually meet for a week and then go and play a tournament.

“That's never going to work against teams that prepare for a long time - even though we're the most talented and can win a lot of games on talent alone.

“In the long run, the teams like Angola (Afrobasket 2011 silver medalists) and Tunisia (2011 champions) that play together and prepare together are the ones that are going to win."

The next big step

Once his playing career ends, Udoka has a very good idea of what he will do.

“Coaching, for sure,” he said.

“Probably the NBA - strictly basketball.

“There are a lot of different avenues.

“The part about it that really got me thinking about it was that all of the coaches I played for mentioned that they want me to coach with them when I'm done. So coach (Gregg) Popovich (San Antonio), Nate McMillan (former Portland coach), Isaiah Thomas (former New York coach) was the first to say it.

“I've been doing coaching clinics for the past three summers with the NBA Players' Association so I've been kind of preparing myself for it. I've built some good relationships so it should be an easier transition.”

Udoka is a perfect candidate to be a coach.

He is a player that has made the most of his abilities and worked under some bright tacticians.

"My knowledge of the game - the way I play, I'm not the most athletic, not the fastest,” he said.

“So I have to think the game and that's the approach I've always taken so I can take that into coaching, I think."

FIBA