Ben Uzoh Happy with Basketball Culture Growth in Nigeria

Ben Uzoh hails basketball culture growth By Oni Afolabi O. D’Tigers point guard, Ben Uzoh is thrilled with the recent acceptance of basketball culture and its overall growth in Nigeria. A member of the 2015 Afrobasket winning team in Tunisia said coming home to see the level of acceptance during the last 2019 FIBA World cup qualifiers hosted in Lagos was a great feeling which was indescribable. Uzoh who plays in CB Caballero De Culican, Mexico said the turnout of fans during their training and games coupled with the media awareness has given him high hopes of a better future for the game. “The culture is growing, obviously football has been around for years. For ages, we have been angling to have the game of basketball come up and carve out its own niche.” Uzoh who has become a regular in the team after making his debut in 2013 said, “It’s great to see the support from the youths, the federation and hopefully in future, the government. It’s good to have events like this, a platform that can be emulated for years to come”. He emphasized that playing in the national team has had a great impact on him because it has been a journey that has involved a lot of growth and transition. “Initially, when I joined the team I did not know the kind of coach involved or the tradition that was involved. I knew I could make an impact because I believed in myself. Over the years, I met brothers. I have gained brothers and family members.” Since making his debut in 2003, Uzoh has gone to represent Nigeria in 3 FIBA Africa Cup of Nations for Men as well as participating at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2015, he was part of the gold medal winning team while in 2017 he helped the team to a silver medal finish in Tunisia under Alex Nwora.