The Amateur Basketball Academies (ABA) has urged basketball coaches and stakeholders in Nigeria's North-East region to unite and adopt a scientific approach to revive the sport. ABA President and Founder, Aliyu Lucky Abubakar, made the call during a coaching development programme in Yola, Adamawa State. He emphasized the need to strengthen coaches' capacity to identify, nurture, and develop young basketball talents. Abubakar, a former basketball player and Deputy Comptroller in the Nigeria Customs Service, stressed that coaches play a strategic role in basketball development due to their proximity to young players at the grassroots level.
Abubakar expressed concern over the declining state of basketball in parts of the North-East region and called on stakeholders to demonstrate greater commitment to reversing the trend. He noted that basketball is fading in the North-East and that ABA would not allow it to die. According to Abubakar, Adamawa has historically played an important role in Nigerian basketball but has lost some of its former prominence, making deliberate investment in coaching and grassroots development necessary to restore the state's place in the sport.
The coaching development programme in Yola was anchored on the theme "HOPE," representing Harnessing Opportunity, Organising for Excellence, Promoting Players' Development, and Empowering the Next Generation. Abubakar said the concept aimed to remind coaches that their responsibilities go beyond teaching technical drills and preparing players for competitions. He emphasized that coaches also have a responsibility to identify potential, provide mentorship, instil discipline, and help young athletes develop the confidence and character required to succeed both on and off the basketball court.
Emmanuel Odah, head coach of the FCT basketball team and a former national junior team coach, outlined the qualities he considered essential for effective coaching. Odah described a good coach as committed, organised, affectionate, caring, and humble, stressing that technical knowledge alone was insufficient to make someone an effective mentor of young athletes. He emphasised the importance of consistency and self-discipline, arguing that coaches must first demonstrate the qualities they expect from their players.
Other instructors at the programme, including ABA Head of Technical, Coach Adeka Daudu, and Coach Alexander Anyebe Ujoh, emphasized the importance of the coach-player relationship in grassroots development. They encouraged participants to view coaching not merely as the teaching of basketball skills but as an opportunity to influence discipline, teamwork, confidence, leadership, and responsible behaviour among young people. The programme aimed to equip coaches with the knowledge and practical skills required to reach young players, particularly children who may not have direct access to ABA's programmes.
Coaches who participated in the Yola training commended ABA for investing in the development of coaches and providing what they described as renewed hope for basketball practitioners across the country. They said the lessons from the programme would help reshape their understanding of their responsibilities and encourage them to approach coaching with a stronger sense of purpose. According to the participants, the training also reinforced the importance of seeing themselves as mentors and developers of young people rather than merely instructors responsible for preparing teams for matches.
The Yola programme represents another phase in ABA's broader grassroots basketball development drive. The organisation has, in recent months, expanded its coaching education programme beyond Abuja to different parts of the country. With its emphasis on creating a structured pathway for young players to progress from community courts and academies to higher levels of competition, ABA aims to discover talent, nurture it, and carry it from state level to the national team, and eventually the global stage.
Key points
- ABA calls for coaches' unity and scientific approach to revive basketball in North-East Nigeria.
- Coaches urged to adopt a broader approach to grassroots development, focusing on mentorship and player development.
- ABA expands coaching education programme to different parts of the country to promote grassroots basketball development.
