High-Performance Trainer Calls For More Basketball Academies In Nigeria
An international high-performance basketball trainer, Ganon Baker, has called for more technical basketball academies in Nigeria to raise the standard of the game.
Baker made the call in Abuja at a week-long training clinic for Nigerian coaches and players organised by Sports Renaissance Africa Partners (SRAP). SRAP is an international Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), with a deep passion for grassroots sports promotion.
The renowned US certified coach with over three decades of experience in the game, stressed the need for technical and systematic coaching to nurture the abundant basketball talents in Nigeria. He said his visit to Nigeria was to teach kids, players and coaches the rudiments of the game and how to win basketball championships.
“I see a lot of talents in Nigeria but they are unpolished, they are inexperienced, they are not secure, unbelievable talents, but it comes down to coaches, to nurture them that is why we are here,” Baker said.
“If you have good coaches, you are going to have good players, if you don’t have good players may be coaches don’t give them enough information. My experience with African players is that they’re very humble and hungry to win.”
Baker said with proper coaching and exposure, a lot more Nigerian players can make it to the US National Basketball Association (NBA).
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of SRAP, Relindis Mbu said the clinic is aimed at leveraging on the wealth of tactical experience of Baker to help develop young talents and Coaches in Nigeria.
“The real goal of our project is to give tactical training to coaches so they can transfer it and build eco system of basketball in the world, Africa and Nigeria,” Mbu said.
“The end goal is technical expertise that will bring our athletes to international standard so that they can excel locally and internationally in any where they are.”
Baker is one of the most respected premier basketball skill coaches in the World. He has worked with the NBA, WNBA, CBA, Euro League, NCAA, NJCAA, among others.
Chidi Nwoke/NAN.
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