17th May, 2010
At 17, Chukwunanu Agu is arguably one of the youngest players in the DSTV/NBBF Premier League. The young Police Baton Basketball Club of Lagos Point Guard speaks with Wale Joseph at the end of his team’s 77-68 points victory over Delta Force Basketball Club of Asaba. The match took place in the Atlantic Conference League last weekend.
Q: How easy was your victory against Delta Force?
A: I won’t say it was an easy game for us; we came into the game very late, I will give kudos to the team for staying focused, even when we were not getting it right, so I thank God for giving us victory.
Q: Two matches, two victories, what are your chances of picking one of the final 8 tickets and eventually a continental ticket?
A: I believe we can pick, not only one of the final eight tickets, but a continental ticket because we have been working very hard to achieve this objective.
Q: Looking at the conference with clubs like former champions, Ebun Comets, Union Bank, Dodan Warriors and Hoopers, do you think your team can pick a ticket ahead of this top teams?
A: Why not, I am very sure we have equal chances like every other team in the conference. If we beat Lagos Islanders who are last season’s league runners-up, we can beat anybody.
Q: What do you think about the game in the country?
A: They are trying their best, I mean the administrators of the game in the country, but they need to put in more effort because they need to take the game to a higher standard.
Q: In what area did you think they need to improve upon?
A: They need to improve upon the facilities because basketball is an indoor game, so we need more indoor halls to improve our game. When you train in an outdoor court and play matches indoors, it is sometimes a problem.The floor we use is not too good for a good game; these are areas that need improvement, so that when they show the matches to the outside world, people will appreciate us and our quality.
Q: Where do you hope to be in the next few years?
A: I hope and pray to play in the National Basketball Association, NBA, in a few years time.
Q: You were recruited to play for Police Baton, are you not a Police Officer? Do you think the Police authority will allow this?
A: Yes, I can still make the NBA, which will make me the first Nigerian Police officer to play in the NBA.
Q: How soon are you looking at?
A: God will decide that, not me; I will only keep working hard on my game and by His mercy, I will move up.
Q: Looking at the team again you won two out of your two games so far in the league, what are your expectations for this season?
A: I am positively looking forward to our next game and other matches but I will like to take each game one after the other. We hope to keep improving our game by working hard on our shortcomings and improving on our strong area, so that at the end of the day we will be among the best.