Basketball

Basketball Devt: Excitement, As Ganon Baker Trains kids, Players, and Coaches In Abuja

Published

2 years ago

August 15, 2022

Joel Ajayi

It was great excitement, in the Federal Capital Territory as one of the best and most famous basketball coaches in the world, Ganon Baker commenced a week of training for many young talented basketballers, and coaches in the city.

50 years old Baker has over 3 decades of experience in the game and his systematic curriculum has taken hundreds of young players from zero to pro.

The one-week training with aim of giving technical expertise that will bring Nigerian athletes to international standard and excel locally and internationally anywhere in the world was put in place by an international sports business Organisation, known as the Sports Renaissance Africa Partners SRAP.

SRAP is a sports business organization focused on championing industry standards in the delivery of quality sports development in Africa.

While speaking, an elated Ganon Baker expressed there are unbelievable talents in Nigeria.

According to him, basically, my target is to teach kids, players, and coaches how to win in life, how to win championships in basketball, and change their life in a good way.

“This is day one, I see a lot of talent 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.

“If you have good coaches, you are going to have a good player, if you don’t have good players may be coaches don’t give them enough information.

“My experience with Africa players is that they’re very humble and hungry to win.”

On her own, the Chief Executive Officer of SRAP Mrs. Relindis Mbu said the aim is to leverage his wealth of tactical experience and expertise to help develop our young talents.

According to her, we started day one and it’s exciting so far, players and coaches are happy, and Ganon Baker has the energy, passion, and content to really transform people.

“The real foundational goal of our project is to get tactical training to coaches so they can transfer it and build an ecosystem of basketball in the world, Africa and Nigeria.

“The end goal is technical expertise that will bring our athletes to international standard so that they can excel locally and internationally anywhere they are.”

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Basketball

Bauchi FA Chairman Patrick Pascal Honoured at Be Happy Basketball Tournament

Published

2 weeks ago

January 21, 2025

The Gleamer

Bauchi State Football Association Chairman, Patrick Pascal, was honored at the recently concluded Be Happy Basketball Tournament in Bauchi. The annual event, sponsored by former basketball international Danjuma Maijama’a Wunti, brought together over 13 basketball teams from across Nigeria for a week of exciting competition.

The 2025 edition of the tournament saw Suns Basketball Academy of Jos emerge as champions, clinching the top prize of ₦500,000. Adamawa Stars of Yola finished second, while Mak-Town Flyers of Makurdi claimed third place, earning ₦200,000 for their efforts.

Several standout players received individual accolades:

•   Most Valuable Player (MVP): Rayyan Salis (Suns Basketball Academy, Jos).
•   Most Improved Player: Modupe Lawrence (Mak-Town Flyers, Makurdi).
•   Best Defensive Player: Thomas Abo (Mak-Town Flyers, Makurdi).
•   Highest Scorer: Rayyan Salis (Suns Basketball Academy).
•   Best 3-Point Shooter: Solomon Iliya (Be Happy Stars, Bauchi).

Teams from across Nigeria took part, including Maktown Flyers (Makurdi), Joe Geez (Jos), Adamawa Stars (Yola), Gamji (Maiduguri), Elite Basketball Club (Takum), Suns Basketball Academy (Jos), Abba Gida Gida (Kano), Katsina United (Katsina), D Block Basketball Club (Kaduna), Yankari Kings (Bauchi), The Cubs Basketball Club (Bauchi), and Be Happy Stars (Bauchi).

Speaking on his recognition, Patrick Pascal expressed gratitude to the tournament sponsor, Danjuma Maijama’a Wunti, for his commitment to youth empowerment and development through sports. He praised the players for their remarkable display of skill and teamwork throughout the competition, highlighting the event’s importance in fostering talent and unity.

The Be Happy Basketball Tournament continues to grow in stature as a major platform for discovering and nurturing basketball talent across Nigeria.

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