Elvis Ukpong

This weeks Coach of the week is one I had the pleasure of playing under in 2018 with the championship Soweto Panthers. Elvis was the then General Manager of the team and a key contributor in bringing all the best pieces of the championship team together. His professionalism in ateam enviroment speaks volumes about what type of person he is off the court. Anyone that knows Elvis knows what an honest and stand up man he is. His keen eye for the game gives him an edge when coaching and his ability to simplify the game for players as well as push them to their limits makes him a very successful coach. Regardless of win records, Elvis’ teams are some of the most diverse I myself have ever come across. Each player in each position can do almost anything on the floor and I think this is due to his ability to train players to be their best.

I got in touch with him over the weekend to find out more about his history of coaching and DAMN Africa is lucky to have such talent and commitment!

Who/what motivated you to get serious about coaching?

Coaching has always been a part of me. As a founding member of the Railway Compound Youth Association (RCYA), community advocacy and youth development were always big for me. My very first coaching sting was in 2003 when I founded the then Railway Basketball Academy in Lagos, Nigeria. As a resident of Railway compound, who was also involved in professional basketball, my aim at the time was to expose kids from the Railway community to organized basketball. following a successfully held clinic which culminated in a street tournament attend by officials of the Lagos State Basketball Association, my passion for coaching was born.

Have you modeled your coaching philosophy after another coach or has it been “self taught”?

The basketball coaching profession is a copycat one. While over the years, I have had to develop my own coaching philosophy, I have certainly modelled my coaching tendencies around various coaches. But the two coaches that have influenced my coaching approach the most have been Coach Adewunmi Aderemi, popularly known as coach Owolo. He is the current assistant coach of the Nigerian Women’s National Basketball Team, but back then he was the coach of Sea Rovers basketball academy and assistant coach of Lagos Islanders basketball club of the then 7Up premier league. His attention to detail and a knack for player development were second to none. I spent time on the sidelines observing him, and I learned a lot from him in terms of my approach to player development and how I structure my practice sessions. Having said that, my overall coaching knowledge and experience really grew in South Africa and the coach that has influenced my sideline mannerism the most is coach George Bells Makena. His calm and collected disposition even at the most crucial point of a game when most coaches lose their wit, is uncanny. My sideline composure has changed ever the years that I have watched him.

A favorite coaching moment?

I have had my own fair share of coaching moments, but leading Dominican Convent School U16 team to the St John’s tournament title was a big one. We had to overcome a strong host team in the semifinals and a formidable Mozambican team in the final to win it.

A favourite team to have coached?

This is really a tough one! It’s like asking me to choose which of my daughters is my favourite. However, having coached all these teams over the years, the team that I shared the most bond with on and off the court is the Dominican Convent Class of 2015 - we went far back and those boys became my brothers!

Highest level coached?

Assistant coach of a BNL team.

Biggest accomplishment as a coach?

My background in scouting and athlete management influence how I view my success as a coach. For me, scouting, training and guiding a talented kid that I met in grade 4 at Dominican Convent to eventually represent South Africa at the U16 National Team level is a big one. Also having 4 of my high school boys matriculate and immediately feature for UJ First Team in 2016 stood out for me as well.