NGR - Ujiri brings succour to basketball talents in Nigeria

LAGOS (Training camp) - It's five years now that Masai Ujiri and his partner, Godwin Uwinje began their basketball talents hunt programme through RadarHoops International at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, a reknown college in Nigeria known for it's basketball programme that has produced some of the best players for the country.

The interest of Ujiri, an assistant General Manager, international scouting for Toronto Raptors Nigeria talents knows no bound as he also preaches the crusade to other potential talents in Africa through his involvement in the Basketball Without Border (BWA), a programme put together by FIBA, NBA and South Africa Basketball Federation.

Over sixty Nigerian players have benefited from the BWA programme with a chunk of them already in American colleges and those that are not opportuned still learn their trade at home while they study.

"Our philosophy is education with sports. What we are trying to do with the kids is to give them a life time career. Teach them basic skills of the game as well as career talk. That is why yearly, we come with some coaches from the States to share their knowledge with the kids," Ujiri said.

The assistant coach of Nigeria junior national team said one good thing about this year's camp is that only seven kids from the last camp were in attendance while the remaining 53 are crops of new boys.

"The success of the camp was obvious in the Nigeria junior team to the last world championship where 75 percent of the players made the nucleus of the team," he added.

He stressed that the only way to give back to the society that made him is to add value to the youth of the country through the game of basketball.
Aside the camp, Ujiri also donated kits to the Wheelchair Basketball team, as well as shoes, balls and jersies to Babcock University and University of Lagos basketball team.

Among the coaches that participated in the camp were Roy Rana of Ontario Basketball, Simon Cote of Denver Nuggets, Lisanelro Miranda of Dallas Mavericks, Godwin Owinje Milwarkee Bucks and Myke Scholl of Detriot Pistons.

Bimbo ADESINA
FIBA Correspondent in Nigeria