Sunday, July 19, 2015

I Stumbled upon a Ball: written 2012

I was not employed as a coach, I just stumbled upon it. I initially got to be well known through the sport committee by coming in contact with the two coaches employed by the University– and also while playing competitive basketball with the students, I have also submitted some proposal to the registrar concerning the university sports, and it was through such interaction that I was recognized as a capable staff to assist the university in its recreation. In my association with the students, I was quick to realize that many students didn't have this spirit of competition, more so because they are new and knows not who is who in the University, or liaise with concerning Basketball. Knowing who I was and knowing that these students probably needed more support than I needed really gave me more obligations to work as their coach as well. I felt that I had a responsibility to them. I guess my convictions come from my background. Lots of the students I see were like the people I play street basketball with in my neighborhood. My strength comes from seeing these students as my family -- I see lots of parallels in them. Before coming to Bells I have worked at Kaduna State Sports Council. I worked at a social service branch of the state and I learned a lot from it. At Bells I had a conversation with some people in the sport committee and some students, and also with my wife about how it would be more beneficial for me to work with the boys in my university. At first I was not that reluctant, because the other coaches thought that I was usurping their duties, but while I looked at the students the more I am convinced that I am about to do the right thing. It was like having two warring ideals within me and I had to figure out what was really going on with me. I finally figure out that it's because I always thought of their future as a part of mine too. The other coaches have qualifications, but surprisingly none was about basketball. I didn’t know this at first, but when series of excuses kept flowing in on why there was no training for the basketball players, I then realized that there was no coach for the ball sport. A lot of things I saw happening in our daily movement plays a part in my interest toward the university recreation, in trying to help out through the sport committee. I developed awareness about myself that I never had before; I saw how I could be an asset to the university and enhance my personal endeavor through the coaching process. I go to various campuses on weekends in Lagos or here in Ogun State because I enjoy watching and playing basketball; and when I come back to the university I see a real dearth of interested youth. There are few of them and that put a greater responsibility on me to bring something back to the university community. That thing that was given to me, that makes my life interesting was that whenever I call the student out to train, I feel that I am protecting them from a life of idleness and abuse. I knew the goodness in it more so because as a youth I too was pretty much protected mostly by my outsiders; my late mom and my sister were around most of the time and I didn't really hang out by myself on the streets or anything. But this is a University were the students are on their own and if I am not there with them someone else will be, and that someone else influence they will lean upon as they grow out of Bells.

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