NGR - Umeh: “We just have to be prepared early”

WURZBURG (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) – Michael Umeh is an American from Houston, Texas, who is spending his fifth season playing professionally in Europe – in Germany, Spain and now again in Germany for New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig.

The 27-year-old also has played at the past two FIBA Africa Championships for Nigeria, helping them finish fifth after losing to Cameroon in the Quarter-Finals in 2009 in Lybia and grabbing third place at the 2011 AfroBasket in Madagascar.

That result gave Nigeria a spot in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), where head coach Ayo Bakare’s African side was drawn in Group B with European powers Lithuania and OQT host nation Venezuela.

One of the key players for Bakare will be Umeh, who started the season with Spanish top flight side Blancos de Rueda Valladolid before leaving Espana and returning to Germany, where he played two seasons with LTi Giessen 46ers following a collegiate career at University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV).

FIBA.com caught up with Umeh at Braunschweig’s recent Beko BBL game at s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg to talk about the state of the German game; African basketball in general; Nigeria’s chances in Venezuela; and what it would be like to be at the 2012 Olympics in London.

FIBA: You are back in Germany after leaving Spanish club in December. What happened there?
Umeh: I just got in a wrong situation. Maybe the coach and you have a different style. There’s a certain way I’m accustomed to playing and I just had to find that situation.

FIBA: The German BBL has set the goal to be the top domestic league in Europe by the year 2020. The main model for the Germans is Spain. You were in Spain and are now back in Germany. How do you compare the German and Spanish leagues?
Umeh: I just see a lot more teams with a lot bigger budgets willing to spend more in Spain. The quality of the game in Spain – how they move the ball, the way they do things – has always been the model due to how they structure their system. The domestic players are very good. They are very smart. That’s the only difference I see. The quality in Germany is probably still the same. It needs to improve a little bit more. But it’s always been a good league. And I’ve seen some improvements.

FIBA: Moving onto the Nigerian national team now, the draw for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament is out and Nigeria were drawn into Group B with Lithuania and hosts Venezuela. Your thoughts on the group?
Umeh: It’s a tough draw. Good quality teams. But I think if we prepare well and we prepare early we will have just as good a chance as anybody. I’m not too familiar with Venezuela but I’m sure they are preparing just as we are

FIBA: And then in the Quarter-Finals, Nigeria would face either Greece, Jordan or Puerto Rico.
Umeh:  It’s doable definitely. If you’re playing well and things are clicking and things are in order then you always have a chance.

FIBA: In Madagascar last summer, African superpower Angola were beaten by Tunisia in the Final. What does it mean for African basketball that Angola lost?
Umeh: African basketball is very big about preparation. And I think the reason why Angola went down is Tunisia was well prepared. They were a quality team when you talk about the quality of the game and how you move the ball, the spacing, how well you execute and create your advantages. That’s what wins you basketball games. And African basketball is not known for that. We’re more known for physical play. But there’s not a lot of smart play. That’s the way Tunisia played and that’s why they got the win.

FIBA: What does Nigeria have to do to advance to the Olympics?
Umeh: Just be prepared early, have things in order and hopefully the best guys will come to play and are ready to sacrifice for the country. Usually we are always competitive enough to get it done but definitely last time we didn’t have a couple guys. One of our better players did come and we had just as good a chance as anybody. You have to put together the right team. Not the right players.

FIBA: You have been to two African Championships, what would it mean to be at the Olympics this summer?
Umeh: It’s a dream. I told myself when I was 27 that I would want that opportunity. I’m 27 now and the opportunity is here we just have to take advantage of it.

FIBA