Every kid playing sports hopes to fulfil the dream of going pro, playing in the major leagues and being the best. But sometimes, that isn’t the path. Things shift.
Olutobi Adepitan, alongside his brother Iseolupo Adepitan, left Houston, Texas, where basketball dreams are forged. He came to Lagos to start what would become Educational Basketball, a program grounded in faith, discipline, and excellence.
It wasn’t the most obvious choice. He could have taken a different path. He might have pursued acting, completed a master’s degree, or simply stayed in the U.S. or U.K. and chosen a more conventional path. But for Olutobi, he loved the game from the very start. Over time, he realised he was destined to teach it.
His story doesn’t start in Lagos. It begins in England. Olutobi and his brother were born British, and sport was always around them. Football, first and foremost. “Arsenal’s my team,” he says quickly, with conviction. “Thierry Henry.” Even before Henry, there was the phenomenon of Brazilian Ronaldo. “That’s the first athlete I ever identified with.” Then came Zidane. And when he wasn’t glued to football, he was lost in the theatrics of WWE, the drama and the energy of sport as entertainment.
His family left the UK in 2001, first for New Jersey, then for Houston in 2003. It marked a change in his sports interests. “When we left England, soccer in 2001 just wasn’t a big deal mainstream-wise. So we started watching baseball, trying to find our own niche in terms of sports.” Houston changed that. “2003, bro, I can honestly say I remember the first time I was locked into the Patriots and Tom Brady. From there, my love for sports grew. I was like, man, I gotta do something around sports, whether as a player or something else.”
Basketball didn’t truly arrive until the 2004 Finals. Kobe Bryant became his first real reference point. Then the 2006 Finals deepened that connection. Miami was down two games, and Dwyane Wade turned everything around, carrying the Heat to four straight wins. “That was the first time I identified with an athlete overcoming the odds,” Olutobi says. “That’s when I really started falling in love with the game at a high level.”
Unlike many Houston kids who had grown up in the AAU system, jumping from tournament to tournament since middle school, Olutobi didn’t have that experience. He played every single day at the park. By the time he reached Lamar High School, his dedication was evident. “I made the freshman team, which was a big surprise for me, seeing that I didn’t have any experience on the AAU circuit or anything like that, especially in a city like Houston, where most of the kids had that background. Olutobi learnt all the foundational principles and fundamentals from Coach Mike Glover, who played at the University of Houston.
It was a testament to how good I could be just off playing basketball at the park.” By his junior year, he was called up to the varsity team. It confirmed that his improvement was undeniable. A pivotal moment came when he and his brother transferred to Bellaire High and began working with Coach John Lucas, the former NBA player and coach who had become one of America’s most respected player development coaches.
We spent a lot of time with Lucas. We call it the Lucas lab. We played with NBA players and trained with virtually everyone you can think of as an elite college basketball player at the time. Many people just walked into the gym. It was crazy, but one of the most valuable experiences ever. Looking back now, I’m involved in player development as a coach,” Olutobi says.
For about six months, Olutobi played at a level far above where he’d started. “I became really, really good,” he states plainly.
“I was playing against many guys I had already seen on the AAU circuit, but adding NBA stars, future Hall of Famers, elite overseas & college players to that mix was definitely a challenge, but after a while, getting a bucket and making plays was not a problem.”
But basketball isn’t always fair. The opportunity to break into the American system never materialised. “If we were in that position now, we probably would’ve definitely got a scholarship,” he reflects. “But God had His own plan.”
A Leap of Faith
That plan took them elsewhere. Africa, Nigeria “We just decided, let’s see what’s going on in Nigeria.” What they found was both surprising and sobering. “It was a shock, honestly,” Olutobi recalls. “There weren’t that many basketball courts. There wasn’t much happening in terms of mainstream basketball being played everywhere. Yes, there was a basketball community and leagues, but there wasn’t a lot happening.” And yet, in that gap, they saw potential. “We decided to do what we can to pass this knowledge to younger kids. And from there, things just started to grow and evolve.” Educational Basketball was born.
Educational Basketball is a Christian programme founded on biblical principles, and Olutobi was quick to profess his faith and note where that came from.
“Well, we were raised by a really good, loving, nurturing, and Christian mother who instilled that level of discipline and faith through biblical teachings and reading. One of the things my mum always preached is having faith.
She always said, You don’t know how it will happen, but it will happen. Just stick with it, pray, and have faith. I’ve seen things happen where, even as a kid, I was just like, what? I saw all of it unfold before my very eyes. That is faith. Believing in God, having a good relationship with Him and having a good foundation with Him.
None of us is perfect, but having that core foundation with Him is key to success in life, without a doubt. It has helped us on this journey, in terms of growing and evolving the game out here.” Educational Basketball wasn’t built on NBA contacts or old-boy networks. Educational Basketball has been built from Lagos, from scratch, and for Olutobi, that could only be a testament to God’s plan.
Excellence, No Compromise
He discusses the mission of Educational Basketball, and one particular line stands out: basketball is not just a sport but a way to attain excellence on and off the court. For Olutobi, excellence isn’t negotiable.
“That’s why Educational Basketball is different. Every detail matters. Jump shot follow-through. Defensive stance. Conditioning. Weight-room work. Dribbling with both hands.”
“All of these things eventually find their way into the players’ lives off the court, because they’ll know they’re being held to a standard.” There’s no shortcut.
Every kid dreams of the NBA, Europe, and a professional career. While Olutobi doesn’t dismiss that, he also makes sure they understand that basketball is a vehicle, not the destination.
“There’s a great quote that says skills pay the bills. You’re developing this skill to help take yourself forward in life, and you have to apply that same mindset to anything else you choose to do.”
Basketball is their passion, and they definitely want a career in it. However, we let them know that life can take you on a different path. You may become a lawyer, an engineer, an actor, work on the business side of music, a doctor, or even a veterinarian. And that’s okay, as long as the foundation is there. “That foundation is understanding your purpose and knowing who you are. From there, you can apply that understanding and self-belief into developing skills to help you succeed in whatever path life takes you.”
Basketball is the tool. “Basketball is a vehicle to get you to college first, where you need to be. You need to be well-rounded. Don’t be one-track minded.”
Challenges and Standards
Every movement hits a wall. For Educational Basketball, that wall is infrastructure. “Where to play games, where to find talent, where to recruit talent, where to develop talent.” But there’s another wall too, finding kids who are actually committed.
“A lot of kids want to leave the country. They want to travel, but which kid is eager to uphold that standard of excellence? That’s the real challenge.”
It’s hard when you don’t consistently see role models making it from Nigeria to the NBA. “They don’t have someone they can point to and say, so and so did it so that I can do it too.”
In sports, champions are made long before the spotlight, the fight, and the applause. They’re made in the preparation, small details, and habits nobody sees.
Preparation is everything. Olutobi says, “When athletes come to us, I always ask them: Why do you want to be in our program? What makes you better than anybody else? Why do you deserve to be guided by somebody you just watched on TV yesterday?”
The answers don’t matter as much as the proof. “If you want these things, you must show preparation, determination, unlimited fire and desire. Then those things will come to you.”
So what does he tell a 14-year-old with dreams but no opportunities? “Dream big,” he says. “And dreaming big is not just about dreaming. You have actually to think it and visualise it. From there, it’ll lead you to the right place, the right coach, the right gym, YouTube, Instagram, and finding a court.”
Those are the kids he hopes find their way to Educational Basketball. Because dreaming big, with the proper guidance, can change everything.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, he sees success in two things: alumni and standards. “Our alumni will speak for themselves. From there, it’s about what we build, what legacy we leave, and what we continue to leave.”
The goal isn’t just numbers. It’s about the standard echoing through the country and the continent. “We coach tough, we coach with discipline, and we coach with care.”
He sees infrastructure, online community, in-person community, but above all, talent. Talent that carries the Educational Basketball stamp.
For Olutobi, it always comes back to standard. “The right people always connect. I’ve had people reach out to me who I just watched on TV a day before. But they’re always like, We see what you’re doing. If your standards are correct, your allies will always find you.”
That’s what separates Educational Basketball. Standard. “At the end of the day, the only outlook you want in sports is to win. And you can’t win with average.”
As we wrap, he’s clear. “We at Educational Basketball, we’re here to stay. I think the right people, people all over the world, understand our vision, and they understand what we’re about. We’re not stopping for anybody. Our standards are high. We’re going to reach for excellence every single day, and we’re going to keep pushing the envelope.”
Interview by Ukpai Victor Agozirim
Written by Hodovai Ekpe-Iko
