24th September, 2012
For Somtochukwu Mbah, a 15 years old SS2 student of Corona Secondary School, Agbara, Lagos, playing for Nigeria’s national men’s team, D’Tigers someday in the future would be a dream come true. In this interview, the Anambra State indigene reveals how he fell in love with playing basketball, his dream of playing in the NBA and recalls Corona School’s triumph in the 2010 edition of D. K. Olukoya Basketball Championship
Can you tell us how you started playing basketball at a tender age?
I actually started playing basketball when I got into secondary school at age 11, that is five years ago. Though I have been playing football before I started playing basketball, but right now I love playing basketball more than football.
Why did you dump football for basketball
Who motivated me was my coach in Corona, Babajide Sewoniku. He always gives us words of encouragement and tells us that we could be a good sportman and a brilliant student at the same time. And our (Corona) victory at the Olukoya Basketball tourney held two years ago also motivated me to continue training hard.
Did you gain your parents’ support while you started back then?
Yes, my parents were supportive when I started getting involved in sports. What they always tell me till today is that I must ensure I do not let sports affect my academics.
What was the feeling like when you won the D. K. Olukoya Basketball Championship in 2010?
I would say our victory at the first edition of Dr. D. K. Olukoya Basketball Championship in 2010 was as a result of hardwork and God rewarded our effort with victory. The school authorities and our parents were really appreciative of our achievement at the maiden tourney and, our mates in school celebrated us and were proud of us.
What is your target in this year’s edition of the championship having won the title in 2010?
Well, my personal target is to get more playing time this time around unlike in 2010 when I got most of my playing time from the bench due to my age and because I was in junior class.
What do you hope to achieve in Sports in the future?
My dream is to represent Nigeria in the future. I saw the men’s national team, D’Tigers, at the Olympics, I hope one day I would be in action for them.