The new team from Cape Coast, a town of the Central Region on the coast south of the Ghana capital town Accra, will make its debut in the Ghanaian Men First Division in 2008. The team is named Cape Coast Hoops , will be coached by Claudius Thompson and its line-up will feature some imports players from Nigeria, like Mbah Ifeanyi (206-F-90), Ajibola Taiwo (198-F) and others, Liberia and Burkina Faso.
The new team from Cape Coast, a town of the Central Region on the coast south of the Ghana capital town Accra, will make its debut in the Ghanaian Men First Division in 2008. The team is named Cape Coast Hoops , will be coached by Claudius Thompson and its line-up will feature some imports players from Nigeria, like Mbah Ifeanyi (206-F-90), Ajibola Taiwo (198-F) and others, Liberia and Burkina Faso. According with Coach C, the Cape Coast Hoops would challenge the reiging Ghana champions Braves of Ceps, who triumphed in the 2007 edition of the Ghanaian league. In fact, these teem has been winning as far back as the Ghanaian obervers can remember, and they are the main reason that the Hoops team was born: a tentative to challenge their supremacy in the country.
Bellevue crowned MCAC Champions - Boateng leads team with 13 points
Bellevue edged Okla.Wesleyan 72-61 to win their second straight MCAC Tournament. The Bruins, who are 29-3 this season and are having a home winning streak of 40 games , were lead by senior Stanley Boateng (180-G) who scored 13 points and pulled five rebounds in the winner.
Boateng , who arrived from the University of Mo.-St.Louis prior to the season , is having a solid season for the Bruins and started so far in 30 games on the point guard-spot.
Bellevue edged Okla.Wesleyan 72-61 to win their second straight MCAC Tournament. The Bruins, who are 29-3 this season and are having a home winning streak of 40 games , were lead by senior Stanley Boateng (180-G) who scored 13 points and pulled five rebounds in the winner. Boateng , who arrived from the University of Mo.-St.Louis prior to the season , is having a solid season for the Bruins and started so far in 30 games on the point guard-spot. Bellevue now faces St.Joseph's from Vermont on Wednesday in the first round of the NAIA II National Championships, and with another good outing of Boateng and his teammates the should advance to the next round.
African Club Championship-qualifiers to be held in Benin
The Beninese Basketball Federation (Fbbb) in collaboration with the club Renaissance organizes the preliminaries of the championship African Clubs Championships in the zone 3.
Teams that confirmed participation are Swallows of Togo, ABC Abidijan of the Ivory Coast, Braves of Ceps of Ghana, NPA Pythons of Liberia, Ebun Comets Lagos from Nigeria and host teams Renaissance and Aspac of Benin.
The Beninese Basketball Federation (Fbbb) in collaboration with the club Renaissance organizes the preliminaries of the championship African Clubs Championships in the zone 3. Teams that confirmed participation are Swallows of Togo, ABC Abidijan of the Ivory Coast, Braves of Ceps of Ghana, NPA Pythons of Liberia, Ebun Comets Lagos from Nigeria and host teams Renaissance and Aspac of Benin. The tournament is scheduled to start October 31st and to end November 10th in the captial Cotonou.
17 year-old Enoch Andoh, who has both parents coming from Ghana, is currently being recruited by Stanford, SE Louisiana, New Mexico and others including Oregon, Nevada, Yale, Washington State and St. John's.
17 year-old Enoch Andoh, who has both parents coming from Ghana, is currently being recruited by Stanford, SE Louisiana, New Mexico and others including Oregon, Nevada, Yale, Washington State and St. John's. He is currently attending Archbishop Mitty High in San Jose, California after living in Arizona and playing for Salpionte HS there (averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds during his sophmore year). The 6-8 power forward has another year remaining before he makes a decision on which college he is going to attend, and with plenty of schools he can choose from , a great future is waiting for him.
Another big time prospect is Bawa Manuri from the Madison Academy in Alabama.The 6-11 center blossomed into the scene one year ago and should be getting interest from many major colleges in the U.S. including such as Alabama , UAB , Illinois , Kentucky and UCLA. He missed 15 games this season due to a foot injury , but had early looks from scouts a year ago at the Nike Camp and with another strong season in 2007-2008 , the post player with a NBA-body could be playing on a big college-team soon.
"Let the people know that I'm proud to be from Ghana !"
Africabasket-correspondent Kristian Santiago was able to talk to one of Ghana's most prominent basketball players around, former Louisville Cardinal and current Matrixx Magixx player Alhaji Mohammed (191-G-81, college: Louisville).
Africabasket-correspondent Kristian Santiago was able to talk to one of Ghana's most prominent basketball players around, former Louisville Cardinal and current Matrixx Magixx player Alhaji Mohammed (191-G-81, college: Louisville).
Africabasket: Alhaji , you are having so far a pretty good season, averaging around 22 points per game for the Matrixx Magixx in the Netherlands, please tell us a bit more about the current season there.
Alhaji: Yeah, I'm doing really good this year my teammates do a great job of getting me the ball.
Right now my team is in 2nd place so we just trying to keep things going the way it has been. This is my second year with team and we are doing much better then last year.
No one expected us to be at this point in the season. We are in the final four of the cup in the netherlands so that's good.
So I can say the current season is going good winning it all will be better.
AB: How would you describe the difference between living in the States and living in Europe, especially in Nijmegen ?
How hard was it for you to adapt to a different culture ?
Alhaji: In the states Life is more faster,you have more going on. The nightlife, the way we dress, it's all different to Europe. In the States, we eat a lot, in Europe they don't eat that much. In Nijmegen,they ride bikes all day and eat dinner as a family at 6 pm.You can walk the streets late at night and not have to worry about nothing. They party all night in the clubs and you will almost never see a fight. In the States, a woman will never walk the streets alone late at night.We have gangs in the States, you dont see that in Nijmegen. So when I got here, it was very hard to adapt because life was so layed back, it seemed to good to be true.
AB: I bet a lot of people ask you about your older brother,
how often do you talk to him and what is he telling you , does he gives you advice ?
Alhaji: People ask me about my brother all the time , it's crazy. But you learn to live with it and move on. Me and him talk a lot.I call him to check on how he is doing and he will call me and see how I'm doing.
He always give me advice not just on basketball but on life.
He always tells: "You can only control how hard you work on the court, everything else will take care of it self".
So it's always good to have someone like him to call for advice when you need it.
AB: Let's talk about Ghana. You were born in the US, but you have your roots in Ghana, do you have any plans to visit the country one day ?
Alhaji: Yes, I was born in Chicago but my Mother and Father were born in Ghana. So when I was born, they took me back to Ghana. I can't remember how long I was there in Ghana,
but I do know I was there. I will go back,I had plans on going this year or next. I have to go back and let the people know that I'm proud to be from Ghana and not to love only the soccer players but they have basketball players too.
AB: Wouldn't it be interesting to see a strong national team with you, Nazr Mohammed and other standouts to compete in the African Championships ? Did you and your brother ever talked about that ?
Alhaji: Yes, I think it would be a very great thing for Ghana to have a team.
We have great players that are from Ghana, my brother, my boy that play on my team here in the Netherlands, his name is Rans Brempong (203-F-81, college: W.Carolina) and I'm sure there are lot more. I talked to him but we didn't get too much into it because soccer is so big we know it will not happen.
AB: What can we expect from you once the season is over? Any dreams about playing in the NBA ?
Alhaji: Well,when my season is over, I go back and stay with my brother and work out,
try and learn some new things and get better.
I always have dreams about the NBA but I know it's very hard to get a look from the NBA,
so my goal is to get to Spain, but I will never stop trying to get to the top level.
AB: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, and we wish you and your team good luck on the way to the title !
From Ghana to Alabama: Bawa Maniru and his NBA dream
By Joshua Motenko (motenko.scout at gmail.com)
NBADraft.net
I was standing on the sidelines of the IUPUI gymnasium in Indianapolis, Indiana waiting for Nike’s All America Camp 3-on-3 tournament to begin. Forty or so players were sitting at center court awaiting another test of their ability, and the eyes of scouts who would be judging them.
By Joshua Motenko (motenko.scout at gmail.com) NBADraft.net
I was standing on the sidelines of the IUPUI gymnasium in Indianapolis, Indiana waiting for Nike’s All America Camp 3-on-3 tournament to begin. Forty or so players were sitting at center court awaiting another test of their ability, and the eyes of scouts who would be judging them. I first identified Bawa Maniru because of his striking appearance – its difficult not to notice the tallest, strongest player in the room. His large hands hung low just above his knees, and were held up by massive shoulders and bulging, defined biceps. Even his jaw line was strong. However, Bawa stood out for other reasons as well.
In the meat market of the Nike Basketball Camp, American players learn to carry themselves with an unbreakable heir of confidence, even if they have none. Often times, this attitude develops much earlier on the basketball playgrounds where these players are raised. They eventually learn that this rock-solid demeanor is necessary for protection in a culture where nothing is guaranteed except their own confidence in the game. This social construct creates a certain inapproachability, an intentional interpersonal divider that represents a larger collective African American power struggle on an individual level. Yet, Bawa, just three years removed from Africa, seemed to have missed the memo. Bawa sat relaxed at mid court with a Chinese player and his interpreter, sharing big smiles, casual nods, and hands on each others shoulders – gestures that confirmed Bawa’s initiation of new friendships at camp. The openness between these international players, each of them strangers, seemed so un-American in this type of atmosphere, the interaction immediately caught my eye.
As play began, I watched Bawa’s friendly spirit come through more. Bawa would not hesitate to put his hand on the back of an opposing player after a made basket, congratulating the opponent for his success, yet Bawa was also not one to simply back down during competition. On the next play, he took it right to the opponent, receiving the ball in the post, and trying a jump hook that did not go in. Back down on the defensive end of the court, Bawa found himself guarding the same player, a bull of a power forward, who wanted nothing more than to back Bawa down to get him off balance before seeking to attack the rim. Yet each pounding of the forward’s shoulder into Bawa’s chest yielded little results. Bawa would hold his ground and absorb the contact with a straight face that seemed to say, “no matter what you do, I’ll still be here defending you.” After the pounding failed to produce a basket, Bawa broke his monotone _expression with a wide grin, exposing most of his white teeth and a little bit about his approach to the game that seemed so strikingly different from the urban American toughness he was surrounded by.
The next day, I found Bawa after a game in the media section of the gym, awaiting any interviews that might come his way with a book open in his lap. He was about 80 pages into ‘A Separate Peace’, the American classic by John Knowles about a boy and his experiences with life at a private boarding school. “Are you reading this for school, or just for fun,” I asked, “because I read it in high school and wasn’t too interested. “I want to improve my English” he replied, “ the book is ok, but there are a lot of words I don’t know, and I want my English to be really good, so I need to read these kinds of books.” Coming from Ghana, Bawa’s southern Alabama accent made for a bold and unique mixture in English.
I came to find out that Bawa has been speaking English for only as long as he’s been playing basketball – only for the last three years. At 6’11” 244 pounds, Bawa is using basketball to help himself out of poverty after a difficult childhood in rural Ghana where he had to leave home at a young age, because as he put it, “I ate so much food my family didn’t have enough money to support me.” “I went to the city” he said, “and no one thought I would survive on my own, but look, I made it and now I’m here in America. A street hardened work ethic was now paying off in big ways.
“Have you met any NBA players during this experience in America?” I asked. “When I first came [to the States] as a freshman in high school, I had a chance to play with Carmelo Anthony and Carmelo’s cousin,” he said, “but I was still just learning how to bounce the ball back then.” he said. We talked a lot about what life is like in the NBA and how to handle all the pressure. It was really good.”
“Did you see Michael Jordan at camp yesterday?” I said. “Yeah,” Bawa replied, “I got a chance to talk to him.” In our shared excitement at simply being in the same room with Michael Jordan, I told Bawa that I had wanted to talk to him also but just didn’t know what to say to him, so I asked Bawa, “What did say?” Bawa returned, “I asked him what advice he would give about being successful, but on a day to day basis. He talked to me for a couple minutes and I had my friend video tape him. So now I can watch him over and over again and really learn his advice.” “That’s great,” I said. “It sounds like you are really committed to learning about the game.”
“On a day to day basis, what part of the game do you work on the most?” “I work a lot on my footwork” he replied, “but really, I work the hardest on the mental part of the game.” “Most of the game is mental,” he added. “The mental part always comes before the physical.” This sounded nice, but a quite cliched. Yet Bawa said these words as if he had a deeper understanding of this concept. He continued, “Let’s say I want to work on my hands. If I don’t practice the mental part, my hands won’t be ready to catch the pass. The body won’t respond the way you want it to if the mind doesn’t already know what it wants the body to do… and since I’m still learning the game, the mental part is most important because I want to have good footwork, and I want to have good hands.”
Bawa’s response was impressive. It gave me pause. And he was right, his hands and footwork are the aspects of his game that need the most work. Even so, his package of athleticism, size and strength make for very intriguing potential, and Bawa is just starting to understand what he is capable of accomplishing on the court. Moreover, his explanation of how to acknowledge and work on his weaknesses depicted a young man who as in incoming junior at Madison Academy has the maturity and work ethic to do great things in life. His words also shed some light on what he must have been thinking as he was being backed down in the paint during the 3-on-3 tournament the previous day. His defense during that situation was rooted in his mental strength. With a focused facial _expression, he was really practicing the defensive mentality, not defense in its physical form. His eventual smile revealed the joys of the learning process in the moment, the on-court manifestation of “the mental part of the game,” sports psychology in its purist form.
Everything about Bawa’s personality and approach to the game was refreshing to see. He lists his life goal as “to play in the NBA and return to Ghana and help my country.” The work that he is putting in to this effort – reading in English between games and getting his mind focused to ensure success on the court – are all setting him up to be an future African ambassador of the game. Scouts took notice at the 2006 Nike Camp and will be monitoring his progress for sure. His impact will only be limited by how good he can become on the court.
GW-ex Mensah-Bonsu has versatility, desire and chance to impress
(By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News )
The first question to Mavericks summer-camp hopeful Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent) is what position, exactly, does he play?
"Basketball," he answers without hesitation.
GW-ex Mensah-Bonsu has versatility, desire and chance to impress (By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News )
The first question to Mavericks summer-camp hopeful Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent) is what position, exactly, does he play?
"Basketball," he answers without hesitation. "What position does Josh Howard play? He may be a small forward, but he can guard power forwards, big guards, he can handle the ball.
"I'm a power forward. But in a couple years, I think I could be a small forward."
In the much shorter term, he's on the Mavericks' list of favorites to earn a spot in training camp next fall. Mensah-Bonsu, 22, is a native of Ghana.
But he grew up in London until he was 15, moved to the U.S. and attended George Washington for four seasons. Minor knee surgery interrupted his senior season, which explains why he wasn't drafted last week.
When he wasn't, the Mavericks acted quickly to get him on their summer team. To this day, Mensah-Bonsu doesn't understand how he went undrafted. He has no guarantees from the Mavericks. They have offered him only the chance to impress.
Mensah-Bonsu – his full name is Nana Papa Yaw Mensah-Bonsu – is listed at 6-9 but is closer to 6-7.
With a giant wingspan and good hops, Pops can play multiple positions. More important, he can guard multiple positions, which intrigues the Mavericks. And he has the drive to compete.
"He has the inferno inside," said Rolando Blackman, the assistant coach who is coaching the team that will leave for the Las Vegas Summer League on Wednesday. "When you're undersized, you have to have that fire."
Mensah-Bonsu grew up playing soccer. He had a strong rooting interest for Ghana and England in the World Cup.
So how do athletes in London grow up to be basketball players? There's actually a growing line of such creatures. John Amaechi, Luol Deng and Boris Diaw are among them.
The Mavericks hope they have the next one.
"I've been a big fan of their style ever since Steve Nash was here," Mensah-Bonsu said. "And now they've incorporated defense into their style, which is great for me. I can bring that to the table. I can guard a lot of different positions."
He showed his defensive side in an exhibition against the Nigerian national team Saturday when he had three blocked shots. He averaged almost 1.5 blocks per game as a junior and senior at GW.
Briefly: The Mavericks expect to wait until perhaps next week for an answer on Mike James' free-agent decision. They have offered him three years starting at the mid-level exception of better than $5 million. James apparently is waiting to see if somebody offers a longer contract. ... Josh Powell became a father Sunday when his longtime girlfriend gave birth to Patience Powell. The 7-pound girl was named Patience, with mother and daughter doing well. ... The Mavericks are hoping to get West Virginia forward Kevin Pittsnogle to join the summer-league team in Salt Lake City. The sharpshooting big man worked out for the Mavericks and is weighing his options after going undrafted. ... George Lynch expressed an interest to join the Mavericks' summer-league team, but the Mavericks have not heard from him since the initial inquiry.
Recently signed by NCAA Division II -school Missouri - St. Louis, the son to a Ghanian father and a Nigerian mother is proud to represent the colours of Ghana in the United States.
Like many others , his parents came to the US from Africa to earn a better living,and Stanley Boateng (5-11, Point Guard) , who has a twin brother in Julian Boateng (Redshirt at Centr.
Recently signed by NCAA Division II -school Missouri - St. Louis, the son to a Ghanian father and a Nigerian mother is proud to represent the colours of Ghana in the United States. Like many others , his parents came to the US from Africa to earn a better living,and Stanley Boateng (5-11, Point Guard) , who has a twin brother in Julian Boateng (Redshirt at Centr. Connecticut State) grew playing basketball and football when he was a little boy, trying to pull away from all the trouble with in the family (His parents divorced when he was eleven years old).Although being now a father figure to his twin brother and helping his mother the best way he could, the young gun kept on playing basketball and even made it to an AAU travelling team in Rhode Island where the family settled down after an early stint in Chicago.
During his junior year at high school, he averaged 17 ppg , 7 apg ,4 rpg and 3 spg and made a name for himself in the state where he was considered as one of the top 20 players. Even after having such a great season ,he ended up taking his high school to the state championship one year after in his senior year. The school won the state championship the last time 23 years ago and Stanley, who averaged 15, ppg, 9,8 apg, 4 rpg and 4 spg during that time, was named to the all-conference team and the all-academic city's scholar athlete (3.4 GPA) along with numerous other awards. Even though, because Rhode Island isn't known to NCAA D-1 recruiters due to the fact that the state isn't famous for it prep hoops , Stanley got only looks by Division III -schools from around the area. He decided to take his game to a prep school (Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Mass.) , where he averaged 14 ppg and 9 apg during the year, but he still got no offers from bigger schools.He travelled once again and tried his luck at Longwood University, a Division I school, but he saw only limited time in his freshman year.The time was ready for another move and he transferred to Oatkon Community College in Illinois.
There, they gave him a real chance to showcase his skills on a junior college-level , and under coach Steve Pratt, he produced 10,4 ppg, 3,7 rpg and 6,9 apg (Ranked 12th in the nation fro assists) and was named to all-conference , all-region and all-tournament and got this time finally looks by several D-1 schools like Wisconsin Green-Bay , South Dakota or Missouri Kansas-City , but he opted finally for Missouri St. Louis,where basketball-head coach Chris Pilz is impressed of Stanley's past season at Oakton (First Skyway Conference Title in 30 years). "A diamond in the rough" is what Pilz calls Boateng, who was recruited by assistant coach Deryn Carter ,and adds the following statement on the team's website: "Stanley is one of those players that give us a chance to win every night. He understands when to shoot and when to pass. His enthusiasm for the game will affect our team in a positive way. He will be a fun player for our fans to watch and he will be a great fit here at UMSL."
Another stellar season in St.Louis should boost his chances of a pro career later in his life , and hopefully a call-up to a future national team if created. We wish this gifted player with African roots all the best within the next years , and are looking forward to see him in the international basketball scene again !
Combo guard Dwayne Okantey (191-G, college: Lasell) started his career at Broward College (1998-2000) where he averaged 18 ppg and 3 apg to move on to Lasell College (2000-2002) where he played mostly as a shooting guard to average 20 ppg and 6rpg during that time.
Combo guard Dwayne Okantey (191-G, college: Lasell) started his career at Broward College (1998-2000) where he averaged 18 ppg and 3 apg to move on to Lasell College (2000-2002) where he played mostly as a shooting guard to average 20 ppg and 6rpg during that time. After college, he played with the Harlem Abassadors and then in the Dominican Republic for La Romana (22,5 ppg) just to play in the TNA in Argentina in 2004 (19,5ppg).He was signed by Argentino Junin but tore his ligaments in the knee during the preseason. After rehab, he joined Libertad of Paraguay for the Liga Sudamericana where he had 17 ppg , but the team got eliminated in the first round. He would be a good addition to the national team,since he holds the passport and with the likes of Alhaji Mohammed (191-G-81, college: Louisville) (in the Netherlands) and Kofi Danquah (204-C-81, college: W.Chester) (who is in Chile), a strong team could be founded.
