Benue Coaches Receive Advanced Training At ABA Grassroots Basketball Clinic

Benue Coaches Receive Advanced Training At ABA Grassroots Basketball Clinic

By BSN Sports 

The Amateur Basketball Academies (ABA) has continued its nationwide grassroots basketball development programme with a one-day coaching clinic in Makurdi, Benue State, bringing together 11 coaches from eight basketball academies, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The clinic, themed "Team Work," was held at Royal Choice Hotel in the Government Reserved Area (GRA), Makurdi. It marked the third edition of the initiative following successful sessions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Minna, Niger State.

The programme is aimed at strengthening grassroots basketball by identifying emerging talents, improving coaching standards, and equipping academy coaches with updated rules, modern training techniques, and tactical knowledge in line with international best practices.

Speaking during the event, the President and Founder of the Amateur Basketball Academies, Deputy Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Aliyu Lucky Abubakar, urged participants to continually improve their skills to remain competitive with their counterparts around the world.

He expressed concern over the current state of basketball development in Nigeria and called on stakeholders to set aside their differences in the interest of the sport.

According to Abubakar, basketball should be repositioned beyond recreation to focus on talent discovery, economic opportunities, and sustainable sports development.

He also emphasized that the ABA coaching clinics are strictly apolitical and designed to unite stakeholders across the basketball community through collaboration among academies.

"The ABA is committed to reviving and developing basketball in Nigeria through our ongoing nationwide enlightenment campaign and coaching clinics, which are aimed at strengthening grassroots participation in the sport," Abubakar said.

He disclosed that the nationwide programme will culminate in a major basketball tournament later this year in Abuja, where outstanding talents from participating academies will be showcased while fostering greater collaboration within the basketball ecosystem.

As part of efforts to strengthen the participating academies, Abubakar donated ₦400,000 to the Secretary of the Benue State Basketball Association to facilitate the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration of the eight academies represented at the clinic.

Facilitators at the training, including Coaches Adeka Daudu, Emmanuel Odah, Oyekan, and Alex Ujoh, encouraged participants to embrace technology-driven coaching methods to improve player development and overall performance.

Participants and other stakeholders described the initiative as a timely intervention capable of transforming grassroots basketball in Benue State. They pledged to apply the knowledge acquired during the training to improve coaching standards and player development within their respective academies.

All 11 coaches who participated in the clinic received accredited ABA Certificates of Participation.

Meanwhile, members of the ABA Board visited Otukpo to observe the ongoing Inter-School Sports Festival and Summer Basketball Camp organized by the U.S.-based Coach Peter Ahmedu AS Foundation Raising Champions.

Representing the Amateur Basketball Academies, Coach Adeka Daudu presented 10 basketballs to support the camp as part of the organization's commitment to promoting grassroots basketball across the country.