A former national basketball team coach, Scott Nnaji, in an interview with Saturday Telegraph’s CHARLES OGUNDIYA said serving Nigeria as a Custom Officer and National team coach was a privilege. Excerpts:

Tell us about your experiences with the Nigerian national basketball teams.

It was an interesting experience. When we talk about my time with the national teams, I started with the men, moved on to the junior boys, and eventually worked with the women’s national team, D’Tigress. At the time, we relied largely on home-based players.

Things began to change around the 2003 All-Africa Games in Abuja, when we started bringing in foreign-based players to strengthen the team. We had about four foreign-based players, while the rest of the squad consisted mainly of players from Nigeria.

We won the All-Africa Games, which helped us qualify for the Women’s AfroBasket in Mozambique. We went on to win that competition for the first time in a long while. That was an important moment for Nigerian women’s basketball. Sam Vincent was the head coach when we won in Mozambique.

I later became head coach when Nigeria hosted the Women’s AfroBasket, and we won again. That was another important achievement for the team. I eventually stepped away from the women’s programme, after which the team continued its run of consecutive championship victories.

Having coached both the men’s and women’s national teams, which experience was more challenging?

I would not say that either was easy, but I particularly enjoyed my time with the women.

Most of the players were willing to listen, follow instructions, and work together because we were building a team. With the men, the situation was different.

By the time I joined them, some college players and NBA players were already coming into the programme.

Managing a group with those different backgrounds and levels of experience presented its own challenges.

However, I learned a great deal from both experiences. Each assignment gave me valuable lessons about coaching, team management, and player development.

You mentioned previously that there is a difference between a trainer and a coach. Could you explain that distinction?

In basketball, particularly in the NBA, teams have different types of assistant coaches and specialist trainers.

Some focus on shooting, others on defence, ball-handling, conditioning, or other specific areas of the game.

Their responsibility is to help players improve in those areas and prepare them to perform at their best. They work with the head coach to achieve the team’s objectives.

The head coach, however, has a broader responsibility. The coach must bring everything together, manage the team, develop a game plan, and make decisions based on what is happening during a game. Assistant coaches also help analyse opponents.

For example, a coach specialising in defence may identify weaknesses in the opposition’s attack and advise the head coach on how to respond.

That is why coaching involves more than simply training players. A good coach must understand the game, recognise problems, develop solutions, and organise the team to execute the game plan. Specialist trainers and assistant coaches may move between teams depending on the needs of each organisation.

Their roles are important, but the head coach is responsible for ensuring that all the different elements work together.

Recently it is a case of few weeks league tournament in Nigeria. What are you takes on the level of the league?

The first major issue is funding. If we have adequate funding, we can organise a longer league that gives teams enough time to compete and players enough opportunities to develop.

The second issue is planning. Those responsible for organising the league must understand that playing for only one week or 10 days is not enough for players to demonstrate their full abilities or benefit from a proper season.

Teams also need structured programmes. Coaches must be able to plan their work with players over a defined period, helping them improve their fitness, skills, tactical understanding, and overall performance. Unfortunately, many players now move from one competition to another.

A player might compete for one team today, travel to Abuja tomorrow to play for another team, and then go to another state for a different competition. Although players may earn some money this way, the system makes long-term development difficult.

Every coach has a different approach, and when players constantly change teams, it becomes harder to build on what they have learned. We need a properly structured league with a clear calendar that takes the relevant FIBA framework into account while reflecting our local circumstances.

Teams should know when they are expected to train and compete, and sponsors should know when their investments will receive visibility. If the league calendar is announced in advance, players can prepare properly, coaches can plan their programmes, and sponsors can organise their support. Without that structure, players, organisers, and sponsors all face unnecessary difficulties.

What practical steps would you recommend to improve the organisation of the league?

We must sit down and plan properly. Rather than simply saying that we will continue from where the previous administration stopped, we should examine the situation and develop a clear programme for the future.

We need to establish a calendar for the next season, identify the resources required, and secure the necessary funding before competitions begin.

If players are told that the league will take place during a particular month, they can prepare themselves physically and technically. They will also know that performing well could improve their chances of earning a better contract.

We must also ensure that financial commitments are realistic. If a team or organiser promises a particular amount of money, that support should be available when it is needed. Players require payment, teams need to cover expenses, and some players have families depending on them.

Proper planning will benefit everyone involved in the game. It will also make the league more attractive to sponsors because they will be able to plan their marketing activities around a reliable competition schedule.

Many young Nigerian players appear more interested in opportunities abroad than in developing their careers through the domestic league. Why do you think this is happening?

One major reason is the opportunity to obtain scholarships abroad, particularly in American schools and colleges. When athletes receive scholarships, they understand that they must work hard both academically and athletically to retain those opportunities.

They have a strong incentive to improve because their education and future prospects may depend on their performance.

The American school and college systems offer structured opportunities for talented players.

Some institutions also provide substantial financial support through their scholarship programmes. Consequently, when young players hear that a basketball camp or school programme offers opportunities abroad, they work hard to stand out and earn a place.

By contrast, many players do not see the same level of security or longterm opportunity in our domestic league.

They may play in several short competitions simply to earn enough money to support themselves. I do not blame players for looking for better opportunities. They want to improve their lives and build careers.

However, we must create a domestic system that allows them to develop their abilities and earn a reasonable living while playing basketball in Nigeria.

Looking at the national teams, particularly the senior men’s team, there seems to be a shortage of players developed consistently through the domestic league. What is responsible for this situation?

The structure of the league is part of the problem, but we must also examine the quality of coaching and player development. In the past, we had coaches who paid close attention to the technical details of the game.

They did not simply tell a player to perform a layup; they corrected the player’s footwork, body positioning, timing, and finishing technique.

There is a difference between teaching someone to perform a movement and ensuring that the person performs it correctly.

Today, I believe we need to place greater emphasis on fundamental skills and structured team training. When you watch some of our competitions, you see too many turnovers and missed shots.

These are signs that players need more technical preparation and better tactical understanding. Some experienced players still demonstrate better fundamentals and greater coordination than younger players.

The younger ones may be faster and more athletic, but athleticism alone cannot replace sound technique. We must return to purposeful player development.

Coaches should teach players how to shoot properly, handle the ball under pressure, make good decisions, defend effectively, and understand their responsibilities within a team.

What specific areas should Nigerian coaches prioritise if the country wants to improve the quality of its players?

We must start with the fundamentals and build from there. Players need sound technical skills, but they also need to understand how to use those skills in real game situations.

We should pay attention to shooting, passing, ball-handling, footwork, decision-making, defensive positioning, and team coordination. These things must be taught and reinforced consistently.

A player’s development should not be measured only by how fast they run or how many points they score in a particular game.

We must examine how well they understand basketball and how consistently they execute the right decisions. We should also study successful basketball systems in Europe and America.

European teams are often noted for their tactical discipline, team organisation, and defensive structure, while American basketball places considerable emphasis on individual athleticism and offensive ability.

The best approach is to learn from different systems and adapt their strengths to our circumstances. If we fail to improve our coaching and player-development structures, we risk falling further behind internationally.

While serving as an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service and, at the same time, a basketball coach, how were you able to balance these two demanding responsibilities?

Coaching and serving in the Customs Service have both been important parts of my life. As an officer, representing the national team is a source of pride, and I appreciate the recognition that comes with serving the country in that capacity.

I have also been fortunate to spend considerable time in my place of work rather than being transferred frequently. That has helped me manage my responsibilities and continue contributing to basketball.

When the basketball season or competition period ends, I can return to my official duties.

I was trained as a Customs officer, so I understand the demands of the job and the importance of fulfilling my responsibilities.

There are times when people may wonder whether one career offers greater financial rewards than the other.

However, I see both roles as forms of service. My Customs duties can be demanding, particularly when working in enforcement, but coaching also gives me opportunities to contribute to the development of young people and represent Nigeria.

Ultimately, it depends on one’s priorities. For me, both responsibilities are important, and I have tried to fulfil them as well as I can while in service.

Given your long involvement in basketball, did your children develop the same passion for the game?

They played basketball when they were younger, but none of them pursued it to the same extent as I did.

Their circumstances changed as they grew older. When they entered secondary school and went into boarding school, I could not be with them all the time.

During holidays, however, they sometimes accompanied me to play, and I took some of them to basketball camps.

I exposed them to the game and gave them opportunities to learn, but ultimately, they had to decide what they wanted to do with their lives.

Looking back on your career in Customs and basketball, would you say you feel fulfilled?

That depends on how you define fulfilment. If you measure it only by how much money you have made, you might reach one conclusion.

But if you consider whether you have been happy with what you have done, my answer is yes. I have enjoyed my work and my involvement in basketball.

I have also seen colleagues retire and struggle to find something meaningful to do afterwards. Some people find it difficult to adjust when their professional careers come to an end.

I consider myself fortunate that I still have the strength and ability to remain active and contribute to the game even after retirement from my main career.

Coaching provides an opportunity to remain engaged, share knowledge, and help others improve.

It may not necessarily make you wealthy, but it gives you something meaningful to do and a reason to keep going. For me, that is an important part of fulfillment.

There is a new board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation. What is your advice for the board to help it improve on what has been done in recent years?

For now, I would prefer to wait and see the programme the new board intends to implement. I believe the first step is to sit down, plan properly, and establish a clear direction for Nigerian basketball.

We need people who can work together to determine where we want the game to go and how we intend to get there.t

It is not fair to judge a new administration before it has presented its programme and had an opportunity to implement it. We should give the leadership the chance to explain its plans and demonstrate what it can achieve.

At the same time, we need experienced basketball people, young entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders to come together and support the development of the game.

Everyone has a role to play. We cannot continue to criticize one another or taking sides without contributing practical solutions.

If the new leadership succeeds, Nigerian basketball will benefit, and we will all have reason to celebrate.

But if we allow division and constant criticism to undermine the process, the sport will suffer.

My advice is simple: let us plan, work together, support constructive ideas, and give the new board a fair opportunity to move Nigerian basketball forward.