Oyo State’s young basketball talents made a strong impression at the 10th edition of the Aminu Good Works Foundation (AGWF) Nigeria Basketball Combine in Ibadan, with Precious Jude and Ajibade Abraham emerging as the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) of the three-day event.
The combine, held at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, brought together 150 young basketball prospects, comprising 100 boys and 50 girls, alongside 15 coaches.
The event, which began on Friday and ended on Sunday, provided a platform for the participants to showcase their skills and compete for recognition as the foundation continues its efforts to identify and develop Nigeria’s next generation of basketball talents.
A 14-player First Team was also selected from the participants following the series of assessments and competitive sessions conducted during the combine.
The impressive performances from the Oyo players further highlighted the state’s growing pool of grassroots basketball talents and the importance of development programmes in providing young athletes with opportunities to progress.
Speaking on the motivation behind the initiative, former NBA player and founder of the Aminu Good Works Foundation, Aminu Al-Farouq, said his decision to establish the programme was inspired by his desire to give back to Nigeria and reconnect with his roots.
“It was a higher power. I just felt called to give back. And I felt I had the ability to do it. I had a calling to want to be back to my Nigerian roots,” Al-Farouq said.
The former NBA player said the initiative, which has now entered its 10th year, had grown into a long-term commitment, adding that he remained passionate about expanding its impact.
“It’s been 10 years now and I’m going to continue to be passionate about it. I have a team and I believe that we’re primed to do some amazing things,” he added.
Al-Farouq also recalled that his initial ambition was focused largely on improving Nigeria’s performance on the international basketball stage, particularly with the goal of seeing the country compete at the Olympics.
“I remember initially I just played for the national team, but the overall goal initially was always to have Nigeria basketball go to the Olympics and have us just on a national scale,” he said.
However, his experience with the foundation, he explained, broadened his understanding of the challenges facing young Nigerians, making it clear that basketball development was only part of the wider support required.
“That’s how I thought of it at first. And then after coming, you realise that basketball is just a small portion of the things that are needed for sure,” he added.
Reflecting on the foundation’s journey since its establishment in 2016, Al-Farouq said consistency had remained one of the major factors behind the programme’s continued growth.
The foundation has maintained the basketball combine as an avenue for discovering and developing young talents, with only one edition missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 10th edition will continue in Abuja, where the next phase of the combine is scheduled to hold from August 13 to 16.
The Ibadan event has once again provided young players with an opportunity to showcase their abilities before coaches and basketball stakeholders, while reinforcing the importance of sustained grassroots development to the future of Nigerian basketball.
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