Giants of Africa brought an important moment for women in sport to Lagos yesterday, staging a landmark all-female basketball coaching clinic that gathered female coaches, physical education teachers and sports development advocates. The event formed part of the build-up to today\u2019s unveiling of a new basketball court at King\u2019s College, with the programme set to highlight the organisation\u2019s wider push to grow the game across the continent.<\/p>\n
The clinic took place at Avi-Cenna International School and was presented by the organisers as among the earliest initiatives of its kind in Nigeria. Sessions focused on modern coaching methods, tactical understanding and practical player-development approaches, guided by Giants of Africa coaches. A key feature was the presence of a FIBA-certified instructor who travelled from the United States to deliver parts of the coaching education.<\/p>\n
Giants of Africa co-founder Godwin Owinje said the timetable was chosen to align closely with today\u2019s court ceremony at King\u2019s College. He noted that the new facility will be the 58th basketball court the group has constructed across Africa under its \u201cBuild Within\u201d initiative, stressing that it sits within a larger target set by the organisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe made a promise to build 100 courts across Africa and tomorrow\u2019s court will be the 58th. We are halfway there and will continue pushing until we reach the century mark,\u201d Owinje said.<\/p>\n
Senior coach and FIBA instructor Joe Touomou, who led the clinic sessions, explained that the initiative is meant to widen pathways for women beyond their playing days. In his view, basketball offers far more than careers on the court, and the aim is to help women step into coaching roles and become part of the wider basketball ecosystem across Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many opportunities in basketball outside of playing. The goal is to give women an opportunity to embrace coaching and become part of the basketball ecosystem on the continent,\u201d Touomou said.<\/p>\n
He added that many coaches have not always had access to the technical depth the modern game requires. \u201cA lot of people coach the game but do not have a deep understanding of basketball. We try to empower these women with technical, tactical and mental tools to help them do their jobs effectively,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Several participants said the clinic introduced ideas that were not commonly covered in their previous training. Giants of Africa Team Nigeria coach Adetokunbo Ijomah pointed to specific terminology and positional concepts, including \u201csplits\u201d, \u201cslots\u201d and 45-degree positioning, which he said many attendees had not encountered before.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of us did not learn these things even while we were playing. Basketball is growing and Giants of Africa are helping us upgrade ourselves,\u201d Ijomah said.<\/p>\n
Coach Adekoye Abilikis, who coaches the Nigerian Police women\u2019s basketball team IGP Queens, praised the programme for its focus on player-centred coaching. She highlighted Touomou\u2019s message that effective coaching begins with patience and continuous learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing Coach Joe mentioned today is that it is about the players. As a coach you have to be patient, keep learning and continue researching,\u201d Abilikis said.<\/p>\n
Beyond the clinic, today\u2019s celebrations at King\u2019s College will include a players\u2019 session for pupils from King\u2019s College and Queen\u2019s College. The event will also feature musical performances by May D and Mayorkun, rounding off the day\u2019s programme.<\/p>\n
Giants of Africa was established by Nigerian-born NBA executive Masai Ujiri and Godwin Owinje, with a mission centred on empowering African youth through basketball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Giants of Africa brought an important moment for women in sport to Lagos yesterday, staging a landmark all-female basketball coaching clinic that gathered female coaches, physical education teachers and sports development advocates. The event formed part of the build-up to today\u2019s unveiling of a new basketball court at King\u2019s College, with the programme set to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"All-Female Basketball Coaching Clinic in Lagos by Giants of Africa","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Giants of Africa\u2019s landmark all-female coaching clinic in Lagos empowers women in basketball, building momentum for a new court la","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n