Exclusive Q&A with Nigerian forward-center Julius Nwosu. "My best time was when I played in Russia for CSKA Moscow. Had lot of fun and we never lost a game at home in the entire season"

Julius Nwosu embodies perfectly the philosophy of Basketball Telegraph. He was born (May 1, 1971) and raised in Nigeria, played college ball at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, then played in the NBA (San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics) before travelling all over the world to do what he liked best. In his pro career the Nigerian forward (6-8, 255 lbs) played in almost 20 different Countries and more than 20 different Leagues: he won the Russian League in 1996 with CSKA Moscow and the French League in 2001 with Pau-Orthez and played with european powerhouses Panathinaikos Athens (Greece) and Galatasaray (Turkey). Julius talked to BT analyst Dr FingerRoll about growing up in Nigeria, falling in love with the game as a teenager and about his best pro season of his long career.

 

Julius, you were born and raised in Nigeria. Can you tell us how you fell in love with the game of basketball?

Growing up in Nigeria was a great experience, if not the best. Being a kid in Nigeria, we knew so much and heard so much about the Western Countries and USA was considered the best.  So often people described USA as a unimaginable place, and it seemed like they were the best in everything, when we used to see them in the Olympics they would blow everyone out, they looked cool. The blacks were more interesting to us, even though the whites were more respected. As youngsters, we played every sports we could as long as it was available to us, but in basketball seemed like everyone had some kind of tie to USA, they were so cool, the style of the game was pure chemistry and graceful. It was the most exciting thing I have ever seen as a kid.
Then the stories that came with the game, the way people told them, stories about Dr J, Micheal Jordan for instance, then we had the chance to watch a few NCAA games that a guy brought back from USA and we saw our very own Akeem Olajuwon, Houston vs Georgetown, and that sealed the deal for me that I must go to the States, and play in college there.

After attending HS in Nigeria, you crossed the Ocean to study and play at Liberty University. How did it happen that you went to the US? And was it difficult to adapt to a new life both on and off the court?

I came to USA through a missionary from my church, that was why I landed at the world most exciting christian University, the Liberty University.
The adaptation was easy, I was finally in the USA doing what I loved. On the court I quickly realized that I was too far behind basketball skill-wise, whereas athletically I was right on point and maybe ahead of almost everyone, so when I made a mistake on one side of the court,  I would make it up on the other side because I was so athletic.
Life was good, I was in a christian school,  so it was a controlled life with lots of rules and regulation, that helped keep us grounded.

Like we said before, you played in so many different places, from Europe to Asia, North and South America, Middle East and, of course, Africa with your NT. If you had the chance to travel back in time for a season, where would you go and play.

My best time was when I played in Russia for CSKA. It was fun - although it was very cold! - because my team was so good we could have given NBA teams a good run for their money: we were so good we spent time playing soccer, not even practicing basketball. We were undefeated in Russian League, and undefeated in European League's home games. We never lost a game in Moscow in the entire season!

Julius, you will turn 40 next year. What are the plans for your future?

Yes, you are right. I am gonna be 40 soon. Well, maybe I have to take a shot of vodka or whisky, a glass of beer, some kind of alcohol for the first time in my life. To tell you the truth, I have not thought of much to do.

"Searching for Redemption: The Kermit Washington Story"

On December 9, 1977, during an NBA game between the Lakers and the Houston Rockets, a scuffle broke out between several players at midcourt. Kermit Washington (born September 17, 1951 in Washington, D.C.) punched and nearly killed Rudy Tomjanovich, and resulted in in severe medical problems that ultimately ended his playing career. The episode changed the lives and careers of the two players and changed the NBA rules regarding on-court fights. During Washington's playing career - he was drafted fifth overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1973 NBA Draft and played for the Lakers, Boston Celtics, San Diego Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors - and after his retirement, he has struggled with the negative perception of him that resulted from that punch.

NBA TV examined Washington's life in the one-hour special "Searching for Redemption: The Kermit Washington Story". Narrated by actor/director Forrest Whitaker, "Searching for Redemption" follows Washington from the playgrounds of Washington, D.C. to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya where he currently works to rebuild lives.

 

Exclusive interview with Maine Red Claws (NBA D-League) Assistant Coach Hernando Planells: creativity, stats and movies in an intriguing coaching path career!

Hernando Planells is currently the assistant coach for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.  The Red Claws are the official minor league team for the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats.  For the past 12 years Coach Hernando has coached at every level. His experiences have also allowed him to choreograph, coordinate and consult on sports action in movies, commercials and print-ads.
Some of his work includes the basketball scenes and the training of the actors on movies such as “Coach Carter” starring Samuel L. Jackson, “The Longest Yard” starring Adam Sandler, “Rebound” starring Martin Lawrence and "Spider-Man 3" starring Tobey Mcguire and others. His production work has also led him to train the athletes of “Extreme Dodgeball”, the highest rated show on the Game Show Network.
Coach “H” has also appeared on on SPIKE TV’s smash hit SLAMBALL as the head coach for the Bouncers . His three year run with the Bouncers saw them qualify for the playoffs while leading the league in scoring.
Besides his work in sports production Coach Hernando works with former NBA Head Coach Don Casey on basketball related projects including the extremely popular blog  The Temple of  Zones.

In 2008 Coach Hernando returned to the United States after serving as Head Coach of the Ryukyu Golden Kings an expansion team that is a part of the BJ League (Basketball Japan). Coach Hernando was responsible for a roster that was the youngest in the league and spent everyday building and instilling a championship attitude and work ethic.
For the 2006/2007 Coach Hernando served as the Head Basketball Coach for The Hollywood Fame, a team that participated in the American Basketball Association. (ABA) Coach Hernando started the season as the assistant coach and Director of Player personnel to former NBA head coach Don Casey. Coach Casey left the Fame in January and Hernando took over leading them to a second place finish in their division and making it to the second round of the playoffs.
During the last three years Coach Hernando has served as a scout for Marty Blake who is the Director of Scouting for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Since 1971, Marty Blake and Associates have provided professional basketball scouting and consulting to the NBA and to clients around the globe. In his role as a scout Coach Hernando puts together scouting reports evaluating NBA prospects which are circulated to every NBA GM and player personnel director. During his time in Japan, Coach Hernando will continue to serve as a scout for Marty Blake, specializing in scouting the Asian countries.
In 2005 Hernando Planells Jr. was named the first Vice President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach in Wyoming Golden Eagle history. At that time 28 year old Hernando Planells was the youngest professional basketball coach in the country.
Prior to scouting, Hernando founded ELITE athlete training which specialized in personal training and consulting services for athletes. Through his work with ELITE, Hernando trained and assisted over a hundred athletes reach their goal of gaining a college scholarship or playing professionally.
From 2003 to 2005 Hernando served as assistant coach in charge of offense for Citrus College, one of the top Community Colleges in the State of California. While at Citrus he assisted the Owls in winning consecutive Tournament titles, post back-to-back winning season in 20 years, guided Citrus to its highest State ranking in school history (6th), established highest single season scoring average at 86ppg and defeated the regular season No. 1 rankedLos Angeles City College and California State Champions, Compton College.
Other coaching stops include the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Head Varsity Coach at Los Angeles High School and Immaculate Heart High School in Tucson, Arizona and as an assistant at Monrovia High School.

Hernando, when did you first know what you wanted to do for a career?

I played all the sports growing up and as I got older coaching become something I was very interested in.  I always wanted to stay involved with basketball and coaching gave me an outlet to stay involved.  No one in my family was a coach but I take the qualities of my parents and from coaches I have met around the world and have been able to learn how to coach, motivate and develop players.  As time goes on I wanted to give myself some coaching goals such as coaching professionally, coaching overseas, coaching a countries National Team – goals have really allowed me to keep my focus…Ive accomplished a few already but have many more to go!
   

You are young but you have had great experiences so far: high school and college basketball, you have been in Japan... Can you tell our readers a little bit of you and your resume?

I appreciate you telling me im still young!  Coaching can make you feel real old very quickly!  Im 34 now and have been coaching since I was 21.  I ‘ve coached at every level, High School, College and professionally.  I had the distinct pleasure in working with former NBA head coach Don Casey; I was his assistant with the Hollywood Fame in the ABA before he resigned and currently work with him on coaching materials for coaches all over the world.  We run a fairly popular blog The Temple of Zones.
One of my coaching goals was to coach overseas and had a great opportunity to coach in Japan and it was an unbelievable experience.  Coaching in another country is such a unique experience, building a team with Americans and Japanese players was challenging yet enjoyable.  I learned so much while dealing with players and management.  Being half Filipino I had a great honor in helping with the National Team from the Philippines a few years back and that was a great experience personally.
Basketball has opened the doors to other opportunities, I have also coached on the TV sport SLAMBALL




and I also have done the basketball choreography on movies such as Coach Carter, The Longest Yard, Spider-Man 3 and others.  Ive also been able to do numerous commercials and work with some great actors.
I’m now the assistant with the Maine Red Claws in the NBA Development League – we are the official minor league team for the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats.  Austin Ainge who is the son of Celtics GM Danny Ainge is our head coach and former Celtics assistant Jon Jennings is the GM – both are quality people and have really made the organization one of the top 2-3 in the league.

Now you are the assistant coach of the Maine Red Claws in the D-League. You've been here for a few weeks, what are your impressions of the team and the guys who are here and are coming?

In my shot time here in Maine I have seen how great our ownership, GM, Head Coach and staff members are.  This is an amazing organization with people who know and understand what it takes to be a great franchise.  We have a very talented and hungry group of players this year – we are young with 7 rookies on the team but the talent is there to win right away.  We have two very good big men in Magnum Rolle and Keith “Tiny” Gallon – both were drafted in the 2010 NBA draft.  Both bring a unique skills set to our team; Magnum is a very good mid-range shooter and knows how to play the game, his basketball IQ is very good for someone who started playing basketball at 16.  Tiny Gallon is young at 19 but is strong and has very good footwork in the post.  On the perimeter, Jamar Smith and Champ Oguchi are two of the better shooters in the league and Mario West (who has played with the Atlanta Hawks) and Paul Harris are two very strong and athletic wings.  Our point guards are Kenny Hayes from Miami of Ohio and Lawrence Westbrook from Minnesota – both are also rookies but are learning quickly.

Speaking of this new group, what do you see as some of their strengths, some of their potential?

The great thing about having a young team is that they are hungry, everyday they come to practice wanting to get better and learn how to be a professional.  Potentially we have the pieces to do very well this year but as with any young team it all depends on how quickly they pick up the information and apply it to the games.

You know international basketball. How do you hope to translate your experiences to Maine?

I’ve been very fortunate to have coached internationally and there are some good coaches in this league who also has international experience, Chris Finch who is the head coach at Rio Grande Valley coached in Europe for years and is now the Great Britain National Team coach.  Nick Nurse also coached in Europe for several years as did Will Voight in Bakersfield .  Those experiences have helped these coaches find success in this league. Although I have had head coaching experience overseas you can never stop learning; and im very fortunate to be working for Austin Ainge, he is an outstanding coach – he grew up around the NBA game and has an understanding of it that very few people have.  My experiences in Japan and in the US and working with athletes have helped me become a more complete coach – overseas or in the other minor leagues in the US you don’t have the resources and you have to find ways to get your players better without video, weight rooms, athletic trainers etc…  I think I have had a very different coaching career path but every opportunity has given me learning experiences that I try to apply everyday!

Switching to off the court, what do you like to do in your spare time?

I don’t get a lot of time off the court but when I do I enjoy spending time with my family… My wife and 2 kids keep me very busy… I enjoy reading and try to read books on leadership and how to bring the best out of people.

Thank you coach for the interview. We just want to know what's your challenge for the future?

You never know what the future can bring, 10 years ago I never imagined having a journey like the one I have had so far - Right now im focused on helping Maine win a D-League Championship and helping our players get better everyday!
Ive been very blessed to have coached and worked with people all over the world – Like any coach you want to continue to move up and make yourself better – I enjoy challenges and im open to any and all of them… 

"If winning isn't everything... Why do they keep score?" Vince Lombardi

“If winning isn’t everything...Why do they keep score?” Inspired by this famous Vince Lombardi’s quote, Basketball Telegraph insider Donte Mathis writes about dealing with winning and losing as a professional player.

One of the best quotes I can remember, dealing with the premise of why we compete was stated by legendary former NFL coach Vince Lombardi.  Lombardi summed it up in a humorous way the motivation that has led to the obsession with winning.  People tend to forget professional sports are a business that operates through investors who have invested in potential outcomes of achievement.  These investments and the responsibilities that come with them trickle down from owners to management, management to staff and staff to players. 

As a professional athlete, years and years of training, visualization and competing are done as way of giving us the best possible opportunity to achieve success.  The higher you move up the scale of competition, the more winning matters.  As a kid we played the game for fun as a way to pass time and as our passion grew, the game became more personal, more emotional with its results being sort of a report card of our dedication and what we put into it.  Some may be more talented than others but you reach a point where everybody peaks in that aspect and decision making separates the winners and the losers. 
Winning makes injuries not hurt so bad, it makes the trip home not so long, as well as the following week very short and bearable.  Losing on the other hand, works at you for all that you could have done but didn’t. Of course you will lose a few before understanding and appreciating the importance of what it takes to win, but one thing is for sure.... you will never get a loss back, it’s yours, chalk it up.  I tend to do things a little differently following a loss.... I try to tweak and work on things differently as a way of flushing it out of my system.  Winning on the other hand, causes me to rethink all the things that may have contributed to my success, things that helped me concentrate and perform at that level that led to the win.  I know a few people can/will say, “What if I played great and we lost,” or “If I played bad and we won”.... all I can say is winning will help you deal with not playing well, you will personally regroup and get it going.... I’ll take the win any day.

Everyone has had their moment on a team where things didn’t go their way or they hit a bad stretch of games where they just couldn’t get it done.  A way to get back on the right track is to rid yourself of any negativity or excuses and take some extra time to work on your game.  If you can commit, concentrate and personally make an effort to make the guy next to you better, it’s a step that will put you in the right direction collectively.  Little details often have the ability to be overlooked and they can be a huge deciding factor in winning versus losing. 
We all may not have the opportunity to be in anybody’s hall of fame, but we will for sure remember the successes and losses that add up over time.  We chase winning because it creates a personal legacy within ourselves.....it makes us feel good.... as well as serving as an opportunity to see the fruits of our labor.  Losing humbles us.... it forces us to evaluate commitment, within ourselves and those around us, and should be used as a tool to seek a better opportunity to win.  In competition.....Winning cures all.