International Sport Connection 2012 Basketball Coach Exchange: East Coast Highlights

Timothy Ayeet Odeke, Immaculate "Chocho" Nalwadda, Carol Nyafwono, and Nicholas Twesigye overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, California

The second leg of the 2012 International Sport Connection Basketball Coach Exchange took the Ugandan Basketball Coach Delegation to the West Coast of the United States.  Once reaching California, Timothy Ayeet Odeke, Carol Nyafwono, Immaculate "Chocho" Nalwadda, Nicholas Twesigye, and Dr. Jens Omli explored campuses and basketball programs in the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

The first university on their itinerary was the University of California, Los Angeles.  UCLA’s Athletic Director, Bobby Fields, warmly welcomed the coaches and guided them on a tour of their athletic facilities.  Chocho, Carol, Timothy, and Nicholas went on to learn about UCLA’s Wooden Academy that provided leadership and character training for selected UCLA’s athletes.  Psychology professor, Dr. Tara Scanlan, then took the coaches on a campus tour of UCLA.  Chocho Immaculate described California as “very nice.  The people in California were very welcoming.  UCLA was beautiful and I wish there was a university like that in our country.”

The Ugandan coaches enjoyed meeting many new people, athletes, and even elite rugby players on the UCLA campus.  They listened to the influential words of John Wooden as they watched a filmed psychology class that was taught by Wooden back when he was a coach with UCLA. The Ugandan Delegation also spent time watching videos that were created and used to celebrate Coach Wooden’s life at his UCLA memorial service.  After time on the UCLA campus, the delegation enjoyed Greek food and conversation with Dr. Tara Scanlan.  They finished the day by cheering on the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team.

One of the many highlights of the trip to California was making a public address to media and guests from UCLA and Los Angeles.  Timothy and Dr. Jens Omli spoke to Dr. Scanlan, Los Angeles area media, UCLA students, UCLA Alumni, faculty, staff, and administrators and coaches from the Bruins Athletic Department.  Their speeches focused on highlighting the International Sport Connection Basketball Coach Training and Cultural Exchange Program that was funded by the SportsUnited division of the U.S. State Department.  In addition, they spoke about the continuous influence that John Wooden’s philosophies and teachings have had on the International Sport Connection activities.  LA Times, ESPN, and LA Daily, sent reporters to cover the presentation by the International Sport Connection.  A special thanks goes out to Petrina Long and Bobby Fields for facilitating the press coverage at UCLA and for assisting in the visit of the International Sport Connection Ugandan Basketball Coach Delegation.

After UCLA, the Ugandan Delegation headed to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.  Chocho, Carol, Timothy, and Nicholas attended a pregame meal with the men’s basketball team at Westmont College.  They witnessed pregame talks by the coaches of the men and women’s basketball teams and watched those team play games on the Westmont campus.  The Westmont College women’s basketball program won their 17^th straight game with the Ugandan coaches in the stands.  Chocho explained that the Westmont “girls played well they were aggressive and had good communication.”  In addition to the campus visits in California, the Ugandan delegation took time to visit the Mission Santa Barbara and saw the Santa Monica Pier and the Pacific Ocean.  Carol explained that they “toured the ocean and beach and we’ve had different food.  It was very fun and it’s very fine place on this side of the country.”

            Nicholas shared his excitement about the trip saying, “I was looking forward to attending Westmont training and comparing the coaching philosophies between their university and what we saw at UCLA and Columbia University.  We are learning new drills and seeing how coaches handle themselves.  I’m still waiting for each day to come so I can learn more.”

            Timothy also appreciated his cultural tour of the United States with the International Sport Connection that was made possible by funding through SportsUnited.  He shared that “ISC is doing a great job in connecting coaches from our part of the world to America.  It gives us perspective of how we do things.  We’ve seen there is a gap and we need to bridge that gap so we can improve and impact the people on our ends.  This program and tour has been a great thing and something I recommend to many others.”

            For more information on the International Sports Connection please see the website, www.internationalsportconnection.org.  Thank you to the SportsUnited division of the US State Department for funding this incredible program promoting sports diplomacy.

Here are links to stories about the International Sport Connection Basketball Coach Exchange on the west coast of the United States.

Coach Wooden's Word Reach War-Torn Nation of Uganda
Ugandan Coaches Visit Light Blue on American Basketball Tour

Wooden Still Touching Basketball People A World Away

John Wooden's Teachings Resonate From UCLA All the Way to Uganda

Ugandan Basketball Coaches at UCLA  

The Tao of John Wooden

JohnWooden's philosophy, particularly his Pyramid of Success, has helped break down international barriers via sport. In a recent visit to UCLA, Ugandan coaches absorbed his wisdom in a taped lecture.