Pops’ Seed Academy empowers basketball coaches in Leadership Conference.
Seed Academy Ghana, a basketball organization held a Coaches Leadership Conference in its fourth edition of a two-day basketball camp which seeks to empower young people through basketball on Thursday.
Over 30 basketball coaches were taken through techniques of coaching in Basketball such as court movements, ball handling, passing, and defense as well as communication by officials from the Basketball Africa League(BAL) on the final day of the basketball camp at the University of Ghana Basketball Court.
Lee Ann Osei, a member of the Coaching Development Team for the Toronto Raptors led the session.
“At Seed Academy, Ghana we focus on youth empowerment, community service, work skills, training, and life skills.”- Former NBA Player and Founder of Seed Academy Ghana, Pops Mensah-Bonsu told Asaasesports.
“So we want to empower them as players, but we also want to develop and empower them as human beings too because Africa’s population by 2040, is going to be the largest on the planet, with half of them being under the age of 21.”
“So investing into the youth right now, is our focus. But we’re using basketball as a tool to do so.”
“So we want to also empower the coaches, teach them and let them know that they are not raising, just basketball players, they are developing human beings- with the idea that they have a lot of power in their hands.”- Props added.
President of the Ghana Basketball Federation Ato Van-Ess was present at the session and highlighted the significance of the program in developing basketball coaches in the country.
“All these aspects are very important for the makeup of the coach.”
“For you to get a very good coach, it takes a lot of processes. So it’s not just one off program, and of course, a plan of action.”
“They’ve gone through several programs, several technical activities, this is a part of it.”
“Sometimes some of these programs are a refresher for the coaches.”
“Some do come here learn new things, or they want to re-integrate what they know already.
“So this is not only a no single program, it’s a combination of programs- and this is one good program for them.”
The Ghana Division of SEED, (Sports for Education and Economic Development) Academy was launched by Pops Mensah-Bonsu in 2018 and works in partnership with the Ghana Basketball Association to help support and enhance the development of basketball, coaching, and infrastructure for the sport in the country as well as mentor, coach, and signpost future basketball talents.
Story By: Princeton Wiredu
