Gombe Bulls BC coach, Samson John has come out with three factors that he believes must be worked on for basketball to develop better in Nigeria, Sports247 reports.
Speaking against the backdrop of the recent poor outing by the country’s men’s national team, D’Tigers in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, Coach John reckoned that lack of unity is the biggest problem facing the game in Nigeria.
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He also pointed at the need for better attention to grassroots efforts and an improved domestic league as necessary foundations that must be in place before a revival can occur.
The outspoken former national team player reasoned further, “Let’s bounce back to our domestic league and give more attention to the grassroots. There are a lot of academies all over the country, but those are things that individuals are sponsoring.
“Individuals are sponsoring things, but the federations are not doing anything concerning the game’s progress. We have to go back to the grassroots and build up the domestic league for us to get to the top level.”
He acknowledged that D’Tigers always struggle when the team depends on home-based players but pointed out that the current situation means Nigeria will have to make do with what is available until a turnaround comes for the game at home.
John continued, “For now, honestly, we have just got to depend on whatever we currently have on the table. If we want to pass this stage and go higher, we have to develop at the grassroots.
“We have to face things in a different way. But the way I look at it all for now, we are not even united. The whole people in basketball are fighting one another.
“Our hands are not together, and it has been so since I was a player. It will continue going on like that until when we understand that lack of unity is a big problem.”
He concluded by pointing at a long run of crises that has been rocking Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBF) and reasoned that the negative effects it has caused the game in the country will continue until a lasting solution is found to the altercations.
“The problem is still there. There are crises in our basketball. It has been there for a long time, and I don’t know when it will be over,” John lamented.
