…says federation keeps recycling coaches

By JACOB AJOM, Maputo

Decamped assistant coach of the Nigeria women’s basketball team, Mfon Udoka has explained that she ran into problems with her head coach, Ayo Bakare, because of poor communication between them.

She told Sports Vanguard in Maputo that Coach Bakare who was with the men’s team in Madagascar for the FIBA Afrique championship, Afrobasket 2011 returned to the women’s  team and took certain decisions that tended to undermine her position as his assistant. Udoka spoke with us at the Games Village in Maputo. Excerpts:

The 10th All Africa Games ends today. Can you share your experiences here with us?

Fine, I would say. It has been a wonderful experience for me. The men are playing the final today (yesterday). For the girls, they will be leaving from to Mali for the African championship.

Will you be ttravelling with the wonen’s team?

No. My time with them is over. I am no longer the assistant coach of the team. The Nigeria Basketball Federation has eased me out of the job. The girls wanted me but the management said no.

What really happened?
The entire problem started after Ayo Bakare was appointed to handle the men’s team. He left us without any instruction as to how we should go about the job. I believe as a head coach, he ought to have left specific instructions on what should be done in his absence. He left for Madagascar and we were left behind in the USA.

When he rejoined the team after the assignment in Madagascar, the coach overturned everything we had done. The first thing was to sack Patrick, the second assistant with whom we had handled the team in America. He said he heard that we were planning to take his job. He never cared to ask any questions.

The NBBF President on the hand did not fair any better. He listened to stories and took decisions without hearing from the other side. When I was engaged I thought I was coming to serve my fatherland. But at the end I have realised that I was told half thruth.

Any regrets?
Not at all. I know what I have done for women basketball in Nigeria.. I played for seven years (between 2000 and 2007) for the national team. Throughout that period and beyond my name became synonymous with the Nigerian basketball team. I have done my best for my country and I am proud of my modest achievements I had with the national team. I thought that was why they brought me in; to play the role of star figure that the girls could look up to, a role model of some sorts. If I knew things would end up this way I perhaps, would have trained hard to come back as a player. I would have played. I thought of my weight. I thought of all that before accepting to come in as an assistant coach.

Have you at any time, undergone any formal training as a coach?
No. But I have had some experiences as a coach in the college. I used to handle the college team and the experience from my active days as a player. This is the first time I have had the opportunity of handling a senior team.

With this experience, would you accept taking up a job again with the national team, should you be called upon in the future?

Well, you never say never, but this time, a lot of things have to be in place before I will accept the offer. We will both look at the conditions, my functions will be well defined and certain things done before I can consider such an offer in future.

But I believe if that will be done then this is the best time. This is the time that I am free. I have all the time to do anything. Right now I am still trying to settle down after my playing career. As a young lady I am thinking of settling down. I am thinking about raising my own family. This is the time I am free. You never can tell what will happen in the next one year.

But there is so much politics here in the appointment of coaches. They keep recycling the same faces every year. That is why we have remained static. In fact, it is worse now than it was a few years back.