“It’ s sad B’ ball league which kept me from street is comatose “

Louis Edem is one-time West African University League MVP and two time Nigeria Basketball League MVP; he started his professional career in 1998 where he debuted for Kada Stars of Kaduna in the then 7up Premier League before stint in other clubs both locally and internationally. In an interview with CHARLES OGUNDIYA, he said listening to his father to focus on his education while growing up already paid off for him. Excerpts:

You recently had the Louis Edem Invitational Basketball tournament, what informed the decision?

I’ve always been passionate about giving back to the community following the exposure of playing basketball in Nigeria professionally and then eventually moving to the U.S. And then considering what has been happening, there hasn’t really been a big league since 2017 because of other things. I don’t consider a one-week championship to be proper basketball.

I mean I know the NBBF is doing what it can for now. It is just a concern the league I used to play in, that gave me a lot and kept me from the street is not functioning as it should. So, loving the game the way I do, even though I’m out there, I’m always thinking about these guys. It’s about giving back for me. That’s how the partnership started. I was a partner when I decided to do this.

We were basically doing secondary schools but when I came onboard, we started this championship to give back. Doing this championship is in honor of my dad. My dad is actually the sole reason why I am where I am today because when I was in the university, there was a lot of times I had the opportunity to go and play professional basketball outside Nigeria.

When I was on the phone with him, he would support me. There were days when the family went to bed without food but he still didn’t let me send money back home, he just wanted me to finish school. Several times he said that, I listened to him because we had a special relationship. I finished school even though I had to regularly leave school to go and play basketball so that I could stay in school.

I came out with a third class degree and I went to him and showed him, he was really disappointed but he gave me permission to go anywhere I wanted. I thought of basketball and so I started my basketball career. I started in Kaduna and then I moved to Kuwait where I spent six years. When I retired it wasn’t because I was done playing but because it’s not fun traveling from country to country, it was just out of curiosity and boredom to do something different. So, I moved to the States and with my degree I started doing IT. Every time I go for a job as an IT guy, they ask for my degree. I know people who could not provide their degrees and so they didn’t get the job. When they started asking for my degree, I now knew the importance of why my dad asked me to go to school. The moment I show them my degree, they call my university and I get the job. That is why I decided to come and do this championship and to give back and to honor my dad.

With all what you said, how did you manage sports and your education at the time?

It was tough. I was lucky I went to ABU and the school programme there allowed for me to play sports and also go to classes. It is important that skilled sportsmen go to school but unfortunately the types of programmes that are in our universities won’t allow our athletes to compete and also go to school. There are also lots of athletes who do not recognize the importance of going to school. It’s not only about a university, you can go to a polytechnic or get some kind of training. I’m not trying to mock anyone but I see a lot of these guys come out and talk about education and they didn’t go to school, they don’t have any education. For me I got an education and went to school even though it was tough. It is important that we preach that because when these guys retire from basketball, soccer or whatever sports they are doing, they need to make a living and if you don’t have the training, you will just be hanging around the game and that will not give you a lot.

You just mentioned ABU and we have other stars like Masai Ujiri also graduating from that school, what’s special about ABU and Basketball?

ABU has a rich culture and history of basketball. They are the number one university when it comes to sports. It’s because of the system they have put in place to allow sportsmen cut classes and finish classes and play basketball. I remember in 2001 when I went to China for World University Games, it was almost the time for exams but the Vice Chancellor signed and I went to my faculty and they released me for the games. I went to that one and came back, they allowed me rewrite all the tests that I missed and the assignments and projects. It was easy for me to catchup. Most of these universities will look at you as an unserious student if you say you are traveling to go play sports so that is something that is special about ABU: he fact that there is a system in place that supports athletes to play sports and also go to school.

You actually started your career in the North, what would you say to youths out there going through unrest?

It is very sad. We would like to go to the North with some of these programmes but like you said I started my career there. It’s good that there are guys there that are competing. If you look at what is happening, a lot of young people are being recruited to do these things that are happening in the North. If they don’t find anything to do to earn income and someone offers them something, the temptation will be irresistible. But if they are competing in a league or a championship, if basketball is important to them they won’t have time to do that. If there is no league and they are sitting at home, look at the state of the country, there is no money so what do you expect. Lagos is very economically diverse, so folks can do different stuff to try and earn a little. There is nothing going on in the North. It is important that we get our basketball programmes running and get our league running. Whatever NBBF can do, whatever private bodies can do so that these young people can get something to do.

Would you say lack of facilities has affected the growth of basketball in the country?

Yes, definitely. Lack of facilities plays a major role. When I had to play here, I was playing barefoot on the road. There were programmes, camps for me to play. There was a league that I started playing in 1997 with the Kada Stars. If there are no gyms, basketball courts that these guys can go to, it affects the development of the game. Nigeria has not been a country that invests in sports. They build something and they don’t maintain it. They don’t have a good maintenance culture. That plays a major role.

Could you tell us how and when you came into the game of basketball?

It started because I was very athletic growing up. I started playing football. When my dad would be coming home from work, he would see me on the field and take me home and beat me. Back in the day, people did not believe that you could play sports and be successful, they considered dullards as the only ones who played sports and music. He stopped me from playing football. I was in secondary school and we had a sports day when we would choose which sport we wanted to participate in. There were different sports to pick from, you had the option to fill your name in any category so I filled my name in every category because I didn’t want to stay in class. I was going for all these sports, different times in a week and when I got on the basketball court it was magical, the first time I stepped on the court and held the ball, it was just magical. There was a classmate of mine who was not good in class at all and he was playing basketball. I said to myself that I was better than him in most subjects, but he plays basketball better than me, so I need to learn how to play basketball. I started playing and it was like a relationship. After my secondary school, I played in a camp, coach of ABU, OB Johnson, we usually call him OBJ at the time, he is an American and he saw me at Felix Akiga camp in 1996 and he said I should come tryout that he would give me a scholarship which he did and that was how I became a student of ABU. That’s how it started.

What was your dad’s reaction then; despite trying to stop you from playing football, you still found yourself in another sport, something that also gave you scholarship?

I had written my JAMB and chosen university of Calabar. I didn’t choose it for myself, it was my dad who picked it because we are from that state. He also picked University of Uyo. He was bent on me going there. I didn’t choose ABU. I really love mathematics in secondary school and I was looking forward to studying petroleum engineering. Felix Akiga’s camp was a national camp in Kaduna for almost 5000 kids. The boys from my neighborhood came to the finals where I won the dunk and shooting competition and was also the MVP. They carried me shoulder high and it was like for a long distance. When I got home the whole place was crowded. My dad came home and he couldn’t get in and he was outside his own house. When he finally got inside, he saw different things, magazines and trophies and he was surprised and asked questions and the people around said I won them all. He was like you are that good and I didn’t know about it. He went inside and when everyone had left, he came outside and gave me his blessings, though he said I still had to go to school. That’s how I started. Did you ever think you should have started basketball earlier than you did? No. There was no reaction like that. Basketball is a very unique sport. You don’t want to start too early or late. It’s just that some people have natural talents. Like Hakeem (Olajunwon) when he was scouted, he was very good with handball but he wasn’t really a teenager when he was scouted. When he tried out in basketball he was better than anyone and he got the scholarship to go to Houston. It doesn’t matter when you start, that’s how I see it.

What would you say about the IT world despite transitioning from basketball and your course of study in the university?

I actually studied animal science in the university but talking about basketball and IT, they are very different. And very similar too. It takes a lot of IQ and smartness for you to be able to comprehend basketball playing. The coach just goes and draws things on the board and as a player, you should be able to interpret everything, know each play and when the coach calls it you need to recognize it and play. If you are not smart you can’t play sports. Part of the talents in playing sports is that you have to be smart. When I started doing IT, maths and other stuff, it was easy for me to blend in in terms of the smarts. Things that other people could not figure out, I was able to understand and that is why education is important too because I had a background. It was easy transitioning. Some parts were hard like dressing professionally and putting on a tie and going to the office because I’m used to t-shirts and baggy pants. Otherwise it was a smooth transition, it was fun. Like I said there’s always that curiosity when I was playing if I could do something with my degree. There was an option and I wanted to do something different. My education afforded me that alternative which other guys don’t have.

What are you telling others like you to do so as to help out in the our current Nigeria?

My hope is that I’m able to inspire them to set up these types of programmes and championships in Nigeria. It’s not an external thing, we can teach the game. The championship cost about N10million or more and not because of the prize money, it’s just the set up. Hiring ushers is intentional, hiring cheerleaders is intentional, the referees, the guys who work with me get paid so it is not just the basketball community, it is giving back. The ushers will get something too. I don’t necessarily need cheerleaders but we are taking care of them, putting them in hotels. My hope is to inspire these guys who are part of the basketball community to know that God has blessed you, and you are successful, look back and try to give back and do something for them. These guys coming from Port Harcourt and different states is inspiring to me. No amount I give to them will be worth the risk that they are taking and they are coming because they want to play. They need to play and earn something.

So how do you relax away from basketball and IT?

Relaxation for me is coming to this championship. If I’m at home, I go to the LA fitness, which is the gym where I workout or play basketball. Sometimes I spend time with my children, watch Netflix. That’s all the things I do for relaxation. When I came in, a few days before the championship, I was working on some projects and I was really stressed but as soon as that was over you could get the relaxation; just watching people play, and being around these great people, it brought about a feeling of deja vu.