SOURCE: Ahashie Judeliver Eli
Coach Selorm Thomas of the Spintex Knights basketball team is calling on the government to take the sport of basketball more seriously. He advocates for good investment in developing the necessary infrastructure to allow Ghana to truly compete at the highest levels.
In an exclusive interview with Happy Sports, the decorated coach lamented that while most basketball academies in Ghana are doing their best to train players from a young age, more needs to be done by the government.
“It is time government took this seriously and acknowledged how important the game of basketball is at the continental level,” Coach Thomas stated.
“Take a country like Rwanda where they recently set up everything – they’ve been able to establish some arenas for the sport. And it’s not just the court for basketball but it is also improving sports tourism in the country.”
Coach Thomas pointed to Rwanda hosting most of the major African basketball tournaments as an example of the benefits that can come from proper investment in the sport’s facilities and promotion. “When we do that, we would not only play but host these tournaments and attract investors in sports. This will go a long way to improving sports in the country,” he said.
The call from Thomas carries significant weight, as he is a Silver Medalist coach from the 13th African Games 2023 in the 3×3 basketball event. He was also selected as one of the brilliant coaches for the 2023 Giants of Africa Festival, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, enriching and empowering African youth through basketball.
With his credentials and success at the highest levels of African basketball, Coach Thomas’ voice adds to the growing calls for Ghana’s government to prioritize developing the sport domestically. He argues that doing so could open up economic opportunities through sports tourism while giving Ghanaian athletes a platform to compete on the global stage.