High School Sports

A Look at the Recruitment of High School Basketball Players from Nigeria

Washington Post staff writer Eli Saslow was online Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. ET to field questions and comments about his series on the recruitment of high school basketball players from Nigeria.

Read the Series:

Part I: Turning Promise Into a Commodity (Post, Jan. 29)

Part II:Opportunity Realized a World Away (Post, Jan. 30)

Part III:Trading Diamonds for Blue Chips (Post, Jan. 31)

About the Series: During the year, The Washington Post will examine youth basketball in the United States. The lure of multimillion dollar contracts and the growth of college basketball have raised the stakes for young players, their parents, coaches and backers. Along the way, the nature of the game has been altered for thousands of kids.

The Transcript Follows.

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Eli Saslow: Thank for stopping by and for investing the time to read the series. I know it wasn't exactly a quick read.

Anyway, I'm going to get to the questions pretty quickly, here so that I can try to get most of them answered. If I don't answer yours, feel free to e-mail anytime at saslowe@washpost.com.

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Washington, D.C.: At the end of the day, do you think that this works out well for Obi (American education, potential to play in the NBA, etc.) or do you think that it is simple exploitation?

Eli Saslow: In a lot of ways, the whole series boils down to that question, and it's a tough one to answer. Obi, I'm sure, would say that he's glad to be here despite the extensive sacrifices. His opinion probably matters most. These Nigerians are exploited sure. Even worse, though, the exploitation is often their best option.

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Paris, France: When you say "About the Series: During the year, The Washington Post will examine youth basketball in the United States", does it mean only along a couple of months or really all along year 2006? At the end, will you create a special e-link with all the articles about that topic?

N. Martin, a French reader.

Eli Saslow: High School sports editor Jon DeNunzio has actually cooked up a year's worth of basketball-related stories. We will certainly create a special link on our Web site to make the whole thing digestible. Look for the next part of the series sometime within the next month. The series will unfold periodically, all the way through next December.

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Silver Spring, Md.: When you do a project like this, how long do you spend working on it? How many people did you talk to? Did you travel a lot? I'm thinking about going into sports journalism, but I don't know too much about it. I'd love to know the behind the scenes process.

Eli Saslow: Before this answer scares you off, let me just say that this, in terms of work load for a single set of stories, was an extreme case: I spent about five months, off an on, working on these Nigeria stories. I probably talked to maybe 75 people in that time. It wasn't all consuming, because I did other stories during those five months. But there were times during the process that I absolutely wanted to apply for a job at McDonald's. Most stories you read in the sports section though, involve less than 10 interviews -- oh, except for Washington Post stories. Those are much more well reported.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Thanks for the great articles, they really kept me reading. Do you think Okwandu, the player in the second part of the series, will make it to the Wabash Valley? What happened with his visa? I'm really rooting for him. It sounds like he deserves something good.

Eli Saslow: It's pretty hard not to root for Okwandu, and I wish I could give you an answer that's a little more optimistic. He applied for a visa at the U.S. Embassy and didn't get it, because he failed to provide enough proof that he would come back to Nigeria when he finished playing basketball. That's the reason most players are denied.

I'm sure he'll go back to the embassy, time and time again. I'm not sure he'll ever get that visa, at least not on his own.

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Arlington, Va.: What is the status on Obi? Will we see him on the court for Edison this year?

Eli Saslow: Hard to say as of right now. I talked to Melvin, his new guardian, yesterday, and they had no new information. The season is fading pretty quickly, so I wouldn't be shocked if he never made it in for Edison this year. The VHSL wants a little more information on Obi's background and that sort of thing before they make a decision. I'm certain, though, that Obi will play AAU ball locally this summer. Plus, he still has next year for high school.

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Washington, D.C.: American Indian students on and off reservations play high school basketball at a very high competitive level but this does translate into college scholarships. There are some initiatives to highlight native athletes abilities such as former NBA player Mark West Native American Basketball International tournament held in Phoenix in July. Have you looked into why native students may be overlooked for college recruitment or why the cultural bridge may be so wide that native athletes choose not to participate at the college level?

Eli Saslow: That's a good question, but no, I haven't looked into it. One thing that surprised me while reporting this story, though, is how much recruiters look for a particular prototype rather than looking at individual players. The Nigerian players I saw in Lagos lacked some basic skills, but their height and athleticism mattered more to the recruiters who watched.

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Eli Saslow: I'm about to post a comment Ugo Udezue sent in. He is the agent for BDA Sports who helped Obi make it here. I went to Nigeria with him, and he certainly helped facilitate this story. Anyway, here's what he has to say:

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Laurel, Md.: This is a well written article and it gives an accurate description and insight on the ills that have plagued basketball development in Nigeria and the world in general. As a Nigerian and a product of the system the article describes, I have a vested interest in making sure that a true picture of the whole Nigerian talent debacle is fairly illustrated.

I came from an above middle class family in Nigeria, both parents had graduated from American Universities, but I was still a victim of a corrupt Nigerian basketball coach. After graduating from the University of Wyoming, I and a group of friends with similar experiences have dedicated ourselves in helping with basketball development in Nigeria and also in helping our elite talents achieve their potential without all the negatives.

This article failed to mention a lot of the positives that have transpired in African basketball in the past 4 years. I work with BDA Sports management, arguably the best global basketball management group in the country. My relationship with Kene is purely that of an adopted younger brother, if it was profit motivated he will still be in Europe. Melvin Coles and his family have nothing to gain from there relationship with the kid, they want to nurture and protect him from his travails. All the kid and his parents have always wanted is a good education, basketball was icing on the cake.

Masai Ujiri is an elite scout in the NBA, and was recently chosen to scout for team USA; his portrayal with Radarhoops (which has about 10 subscriptions) was over emphasized. Masai and Godwin Owinje have organized and sponsored about 2 elite camps in Nigeria each year for the past 4 years from personal funds. The camp you attended in Nigeria where all of us participated to help he kids was put together by those guys without the pursuit of profits. They have helped kids in Nigeria without asking for a dime, if they followed the Joe Smith business model, they should have been millionaires by now.

All the elite basketball players in Nigeria will escape the dragnet of Joe Smith and his likes as long as Masai, Godwin and I are around, what is going on in Nigerian basketball is a mirror of all other aspects of the deplorable life in Africa and people trying to take advantage of it. All is not lost, Joe Smith might have mined diamonds and gold in Africa, but as his prospective client list suggests he is not a very good prospector of basketball talent. I know the 7 footers that where supposed to workout for Milwaukee Bucks; those guys couldn't play for the Baltimore ABA team.

Ugo Udezue

Eli Saslow: Thanks for taking the time to respond, Ugo.

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Falls Church, Va.: What can be said about recruiting practices for all sports, including non-revenue sports, in foreign countries. There has been an increase in the amount of foreign competitors throughout the NCAA. Are these scouts for Basketball players being used to also find, football players, swimmers, volleyball players and others?

Eli Saslow: I doubt basketball scouts are looking for athletes in other sports (unless these basketball folks really are more versatile than I thought), but I'm sure international scouting goes on in more than just basketball -- and I'm sure that it often leads to some of the issues and problems Nigerian basketball has suffered. Also, a lot of the stuff portrayed in these stories boils down to financial motives. Joe Smith, for instance, probably wouldn't make much money on volleyball players.

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Washington, D.C.: What was Nigeria like? Besides your descriptions of Lagos being "chaotic," do you have any funny or harrowing stories from your travel there?

Eli Saslow: Nigeria definitely seemed like a pretty hectic place. During the five days I spent in Lagos, a plane crashed and the city lost power several times. The streets -- with tons of traffic and no lights to manage it -- are wild. If there's one sport that should be searching for talent in Nigeria, it's NASCAR, not basketball. Those drivers are crazy.

They eat a lot of snail and goat over there, and that didn't work out to well for my stomach. Let's save the graphic details and just say I would have been wise to emulate the coach at the Wabash junior college, who filled his bag with peanut butter crackers.

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Odenton, Md.: This is a well researched and well written article. I am a Nigerian and have lived in the United States for about two decades. As I read this article, my mind began to ponder on how to best help these new Nigerian/African arrivals get acclimated to the society. As I finish writing this comment/question, I am going to register a non-profit organization "New Africans In America, Inc".

My question to you, Mr. Saslow, how do I make contact with these guys so that they are able to take advantage of what I have to offer, even before they sign away their lives? And how do I also get in touch with the sports scouts so that I can help them with some cultural pitfalls to avoid? Thanks for your help.

E. Chike Anyanwu

Eli Saslow: That's a nice idea, Chike. I'm glad the story inspired you. Getting in touch with these players BEFORE they make it here, though, might prove a bit of a challenge. I referenced a Web site in part three of the series where Nigerians post classified's with their e-mail addresses. Check out that site, and maybe you can contact kids that way. Good luck.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you have any information or feel for how the 46 Nigerians currently playing Division I basketball were recruited? To what extent were they admitted to their schools through the services of these middlemen? R. Springwater

Eli Saslow: Great question, and I wish I could give you a specific answer. Through Joe Smith, we know that at least eight of the kids playing came here through a middle man. And I guess it depends on your definition of middle man. I would guess that almost all of these kids are getting some kind of help, be it from a scouting service like Radarhoops or through Ugo's advice. I think a lesser percentage of those 46 players will come out of college owing a middle man, though. At least that's my hope.

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Eli Saslow: Ugo added one more thing, so I'll post that too:

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Laurel, Md.: I am worried for Nigeria, I am worried for the coaches that deal with this miscreants and ship money overseas because of a misconception, I am worried for the shoe company, I am worried for the kids and their parents, that are manipulated, I am worried for the real talented kids, that really deserve a chance, but are denied visas because of the greed and corruption of few.

Ugo Udezue

Eli Saslow: Heartfelt thoughts from a a guy who, in my experience, cares a lot about the country where he came from.

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Virginia: Many players from overseas often played for their city's semi-pro teams. Since the NCAA doesn't know the languages or information are sketchy, is semi-pro the same as amateur or pro in the U.S.? unlike overseas>

Eli Saslow: The NCAA has different considerations for every league and every country. In Africa, for instance, the NCAA doesn't consider any of the leagues "pro" leagues, because the money is so tragically minimal and the organization is poor. In Europe, though, players certainly lose their eligibility by playing for well-maintained pro leagues that pay contracts in excess of $100,000.

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Burke, Va.: Hi Eli!

First, I must say that I believe Mr. Joe Smith is taking a huge risk, from a business standpoint, to bank on Nigerian basketball players gratitude to pay him a % of their income if they hit it big in pro basketball. That aside, I have a big problem with the importation of foreign talent to play American high school basketball. Has the desire to win evolved so far that high schools will allow imported foreign players to take team positions away from resident student-athletes? I think it has. And it is wrong.

Eli Saslow: Yes, absolutely the desire to win has evolved to that point. High schools, both public and private, want to win, and they're willing to do a lot in pursuit of that. The rest of our Player Chase series should continue to explore that issue.

And certainly, Joe Smith is taking a pretty big risk. Not only is it possible his players wouldn't pay him after making the NBA, it is LIKELY none of them will make the NBA. But if one player does -- if Joe Smith gets lucky -- he stands to make an enormous profit. In the time I spent with him, he acknowledged the risks of his business. But he's always been a risk taker.

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Rockville, Md.: This reminds me of Kevin Bacon's greatest movie, "The Air Up There." Ever seen it?

Eli Saslow: Yes, I have seen it, and we can agree that the movie marked the high point for Kevin Bacon. I never saw Obi wear any sort of traditional head dress, though. While in Lagos, he stuck to worn out NBA T-shirts.

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Bismarch, N.D.: In the second part of your article yesterday, you mentioned the camp in Oct. 2005 camp. Who put that camp together and Do you think the organizers did it for profit motive?

washingtonpost.com: Opportunity Realized a World Away (Post, Jan. 30)

Eli Saslow: Great question. The two main people who put that camp together are Masai Ujiri and Godwin Owinje. They run Radarhoops, but both are Nigerians who care a tremendous amount about building basketball in their country. They spent a lot of money to put that camp together, probably more than they make in a year from Radar Hoops. They brought new shoes for all of the players and essentially donated their time. Godwin and Masai run camps like this fairly often actually. Godwin just told me he plans to host a camp in Bowie this summer for Africans playing high school basketball in the U.S.

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Syracuse, N.Y.: Eli, Great series. Do you see this recruitment as having a temporary duration? Is this a couple year phenomenon that will fade out after a couple recruits don't pan out? Or do you feel it has some staying power?

Eli Saslow: I'm guessing it's a trend that will actually continue to grow, not decline. Nigerian basketball is just beginning to realize its potential. As the game continues to grow over there, those players are going to become more polished and more attractive to U.S. colleges. Perhaps you should send a memo to Boeheim. Syracuse basketball, it seems, could use some new talent.

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Oxon Hill, Md.: This series is of special interest to me because not only because I enjoy the game of basketball but I also have a son who has played basketball for several years now from AAU to High School and hopefully next year at the University he is attending.

My son is well over 6ft 6 inches and extremely talented on the court. I have invested in developmental camps, traveled throughout the country attending tournaments not only because he loves the game but at the request and recommendation of his coaches.

I am appalled a the fact that there are so many talented and bright young men here in this country who deserve the same attention that these kids are receiving, from coaches, scouts etc.

They are U.S. Citizens their parents are tax paying citizens, but still they are overlooked and not offered chances because they are not 7 ft tall or taller.

Munate Bol was very tall, but he did not have a sound body structure to endure all the body contact that comes along with this physical game.

It really is disgusting to see kids being taken advantage of this way all for money.

Eli Saslow: Thanks for your comment. I'm not a basketball scout, so I'll just defer to what so many scouts told me: A 7-footer, no matter how rough or underdeveloped, is worth pursuing. In basketball, it seems the different between 6 feet, 6 inches and 7 feet is profound.

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Annapolis, Md.: How'd you come up with his idea? And how did you connect with the Nigerian guy that took you over and the coach from Wabash Valley.

Eli Saslow: I heard about Obi through a local AAU coach and pursued his story. In the process, I met Ugo and several other Nigerians. Godwin invited me to the basketball camp in Lagos. I managed to get on the same flight to Lagos as Ugo (not next to him, though, because he's a former college center and I need some personal space). I met Travis Steele, the Wabash Valley coach, at the camp.

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Washington, D.C: of the 46 Nigerians playing Division I college basketball how many are American-born Nigerians?

Eli Saslow: I can't give you an exact number, but I know that American-born Nigerans certainly have a better chance of playing college ball than Nigerian-born players. Coaching and facilities are better here. And, of course, local players don't have to worry about visa problems.

If I had to guess, I'd say about 7-10 of the 46 were born in the U.S.

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Port Charlotte, Fla.: Hello Mr. Saslow, I am fascinated by the series that you have written and I am also appalled that this stuff can be allowed to happen. It really borders on some serious ethical and illegal activities on the part of American coaches -- colleges and clubs -- without any intervention by the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA and other governing bodies. I would hate to see these kids being prevented from opportunities to better themselves but this process clearly does not work. I am the last person to call for legislations but if this cannot be fixed then federal legislation may be necessary.

Thank you

Eli Saslow: You're right: There's not much regulation going on here. The NCAA is going to start a clearinghouse for foreign athletes, and the NBA is aware of some of these problems. Other than that, nobody is really stepping in to regulate anything. It's basically self-regulated. I think Ugo, Masai and Godwin consider themselves watch dogs who try to take care of some of these kids.

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Washington,D.C.: Opportunity Realized a World Away

For One Junior College Assistant, Trip to Nigeria Offers Look at Burgeoning Source for Natural Talent

By Eli Saslow

"With no air conditioning or fans, the National Stadium didn't so much deflect the heat as capture it. The building reeked like a musty barn. "

was this a quote of yours and even if it wasn't should it have been included in the article especially in the context it was used a musty barn could there have been a less offensive simile used to talk about these PEOPLE not farm animals(barn)?

Eli Saslow: I think even the Nigerians who played in the National Stadium would agree: If anything, calling that place a barn is a compliment. According to one Nigerian coach, the building had toilets that hadn't worked in a decade, but had been used constantly anyway. That smell permeated the entire gym.

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Jamestown Colony, Va. : I have traveled to a great many places in my time -- by car, train, plane, even horse and buggy -- but never to the far reaches of Africa. Kudos on a job well done.

That said, where did you stay while you were over there? Did they have any "chain" hotels? Also, what was the food like? I have sampled some of the world's most exotic culinary delights and was wondering if you indulged in any such treats. Or did you just frequent the McDonald's in the hotel lobby?

Yours in penmanship,

W.F. Whence

Eli Saslow: Treat might be an inaccurate description, but I did try one Nigerian delicacy. Late on a Saturday night, encouraged by several locals, I had a sort of rare goat meat that is popular there. It is cooked quickly over a street fire, wrapped in newspaper and then delivered to your table. The outside is well done, almost charred. The inside is practically cold. It didn't stay in my system for long.

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Eli Saslow: It looks like Godwin has stopped by with a quick comment, too, which is nice to see. I'm going to post it now. For anyone who needs the reminder, Godwin runs Radarhoops and often sets up these camps for kids. He's Nigerian, and he played here at Georgetown.

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Largo, Md.: Article was well written! But I have a problem with the way you made it look like Radarhoops is all about profit. You never one time mentioned in your article all the camps radarhoops put together every year as a way of helping these kids ie. the one you attended in Oct. 2005.

Godwin

Eli Saslow: Thanks for a good point, Godwin. I know these camps provide an opportunity these kids wouldn't have otherwise, and I hope the second part of the series demonstrated that. One of the most amazing parts of my experience in Lagos was watching how intensely the campers participated. They hung on every word. They knew the Nigeria camp had provided them a rare opportunity.

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Eli Saslow: I think we're about out of time, but I really appreciate all the good thoughts and questions. If I didn't get to your question, one of two things happened: I ran out of time and didn't get to it; or, perhaps more likely, it made absolutely no sense. But please e-mail me anytime at saslowe@washpost.com and I'll make sure to respond. Thanks again.

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