Ajayi Elebire basketball camp targets more scholarships as fifth edition begins

Organisers of the Ajayi Elebire Elite Basketball Camp are targeting more scholarship opportunities for young players as the annual development programme prepares for its fifth edition later this month.

Olalekan Ajayi, founder of the camp and former international basketball player, said foreign coaches would participate in the selection process as organisers seek to identify promising talents from Lagos and neighbouring states.

The camp will begin with a screening exercise in Lagos on Monday, 19 October, before selected players and the coaching crew travel to Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, the following day.

The training programme is scheduled for 21 to 23 October and will end with an All-Stars game.

Mr Ajayi said the organisers hoped to build on the previous edition, which awarded scholarships to 10 players.

“Last edition, we gave out scholarships to 10 players, and we are waiting for the coaches to arrive and see how many will be making it this time around,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the fifth edition would improve on previous outings, citing the participation of foreign coaches in the screening and training exercises.

“I can bet you that we are going to be having a bigger and better camping this time around,” he said.

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“The foreign coaches are going to be arriving in Nigeria on Monday and will head straight to the Lagos screening to select the best players from Lagos and other states within the vicinity before proceeding to Ado-Ekiti.”

The camp, established in honour of Mr Ajayi’s late father, Babatunde Elebire Ajayi, will return to Ado-Ekiti for the second consecutive year.

Participants are expected to depart on 24 October, a day after the conclusion of the programme.

The fifth edition comes as the organisers continue to use the camp to develop young basketball players and give promising participants opportunities to advance their education and sporting careers.