The crowd screamed and cheered on the boys on that thrilling evening at the University of Ghana Basketball Court when the final ball entered the net.
Amid all the jubilations, hugs, fist and chest bumps, one man remained as calm as always.
His name? James Ocloo. The tactical brain behind team Ghana’s victory.
However, the job was not yet complete.
He has just made history or was on the brink of making history as the man to lead Ghana to a first-ever basketball medal in the African Games’ 60-year history.
Running around the country, scouting for the best ballers and setting up a competitive team to win medals at continental tournaments is the dream of many coaches, but only a few go on to achieve such a great feat in any sporting discipline.
Court hero Ocloo was about to achieve that feat – a milestone only one out of a hundred thousand or even a million can hit their chest and say they attained.
A dream that began more than 10 years ago for basketball coach Ocloo was finally coming to life when his team eased past Botswana in the semifinals of the 3×3 basketball competition with a 10-point victory.
Same city – different courts, different atmospheres
But how did it all begin for the court hero Coach Ocloo?
Sunset at Tesano Baptist Church Basketball Court and sunset at the University of Ghana Basketball Court, both in Ghana’s capital, are two different times. Yes, they have some things in common; a basketball court in the same city, but they are different atmospheres all together.
One was in October, whilst one was back in March. The former was a wet day, and the latter, a sunny day.
One, coach James Ocloo is speaking to a journalist as his boys play basketball in the background. In the other, Coach Ocloo is not allowed to speak as his team take centre stage and battle for glory on the University of Ghana Basketball Court during the 2023 African Games hosted in Accra in March 2024.
3Sports Journalist Mandela Yaw Anuvabe witnessed both and writes…
The rains came down on the day that marked a decade of training kids and young people on the small basketball court in the premises of the Tesano Baptist Church, forcing the planned 10th anniversary celebration to be delayed for a few hours.
But delays, especially in Accra, are not alien to Coach Ocloo. In fact, he has lived his whole life as a patient man, battling delays, denials, and dismissals.
‘They said basketball is not paying’
First, it was quitting his job at Ghana Telecom when the company was sold for $900 million. The company had a total enterprise value of approximately US$1.3 billion before Vodafone (now sold to Telecel Group) acquired majority stake in 2009.
The British company acquired a 70% stake in the Ghanaian state company, and many employees, like Coach Ocloo, left their roles after the takeover.
Applying for another white-collar job with a Marketing certificate from Takoradi Polyclinic (now Takoradi Technical University) over shouting instructions to kids under Accra’s blazing sun would have been a “free throw” decision for many.
