The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development has joined forces with sports investment firm Templar-Adrenale to stage a national basketball talent selection event on Saturday, May 23.
The trials will be held at the newly refurbished Dolphins Basketball Court in Mongoro, Ikeja, bringing together over 200 young players from across Nigeria as they compete for places in a high-performance development pathway.
Organisers said the invited finalists, aged 13 to 18, were chosen through several months of nationwide scouting. The process began at the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta and continued with additional assessments in different regions across multiple states.
Players who earn selection at the Lagos-based showcase will become the inaugural intake for the Templar-Adrenale High-Performance Development Program. Project officials described the programme as a multi-faceted effort aimed at delivering top-level basketball coaching, educational support, mentorship, character-building guidance, and chances for international exposure.
The event has already attracted strong attention from key figures in local basketball, including coaches, talent scouts, sports administrators, and youth-focused development advocates.
At the gathering, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, is set to receive an international recognition award presented by partners operating in the United States. The honour will celebrate the office’s continued work in promoting grassroots sport alongside youth empowerment initiatives throughout Nigeria.
The Dolphins Basketball Court, which will host the selection event, has recently been upgraded by Templar-Adrenale into a modern training venue. The refurbishment is part of the partnership’s infrastructure development commitment.
Sports analysts view the initiative as a move toward more structured talent development in Nigeria, arguing it helps shift the conversation from simply identifying promising players to supporting their long-term growth as athletes.
With support from the Presidency, private sector sports stakeholders, and international collaborators, organisers expect the selection process to set a new standard for grassroots basketball development across the country.
