Basketball in The Gambia- The Rough Guide


Oko Drammeh

HISTORY OF THE GAME IN THE GAMBIA
Basketball in The Gambia was almost as huge as soccer in the 70's and
80's..The game was officially made Famous by The Kent street Vous in the
late 60's.The boys of Kent street vous boys were the Americans of The
Gambia at that time (in the 70's&80's). Most of them later migrated to
America and were instrumental in bringing Kwame Toure(Stokley Carmicheal
and Miriam Makeba) to the Gambia and some of these Gambian
Revolutionaries together with Kwame Toure and others started the ALD
progression in the United states.They had strdents in The Gambia from
colleges in Roxbury, Haarlem,Chicago and from Oakland  Some of The Kent
street boys were also students or teachers,some at the Yundum
College.The passion of The game was brought to the Gambians by Saja
Taal. He drew the courts ,kept the balls and the nets,he was a referee
and coach for referees.He was the leading scorer and captain of the
first National team (70's) that went to Dakar.There were other
non-Gambian players of the game and these other players were priests
like Father Coma, Father Fagan and Father little etc,These Church
Fathers (priests) were not aviable for the trip to Dakar with the
Gambian team and the team was filled- in by the tall field force police
officers for rebounding but they could not dribble (always it double
dribble).So they were asked only to pass the ball and run to the other
basket to wait for a rebound and pass it on to Saja. He was the Kobe
byrant of The Gambia.He was never dressed ,always in basketball clothes
and sports shoes with no socks, ready to play day or night. When he left
all Gambia for Milwakee we all thought that he would make it to the NBA.
He is a Legend.

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S HIGH -The intro
St. Augustines was a school highly known for sports but also in fueling
competitionon. They made up a team of students and teachers. It was a
young team but very promising team, they brought in Felix Gomez, Felix
Ceesay ,Mike Baldeh, Patrick Njie, and young Donald Sock and many other
boys. Donald sock was an artist with the ball.He was like Iverson He is
steady with the ball and neverv miss a lay up but had knee trouble very
early in his career but he was permanent in The Gambia national
team.that yearly visited Senegal and participated in all regional
tournaments. The Kent street vous did not have a court so they would use
St.Augustines. Right across the school there lived a great would-be
player who later captianed the National to great height and that was no
other than The great Ousman Sabally ( Sabs).Ousman was Bill Russell.
Ousman Sabally came from Crab Island and a youth at Kent street vous.
Saja Taal, Ousman Sabally and Sol Jarra ran the Crab Island school camp.
Abdou Aziz Ceesay started the basketball programme there before handing
over to Cherno Touray.

CRAB ISLAND-The game
At crab Island ( none- students of the High schools were not allowed in
high school lawns , so they had to go to play ball at Crab Island).They
were groaming the street boys and girls and primary school leavers who
were later to become the stylist of the game and the proud players of
the game who will cry and fainth just for the gamwe. They were spirited
players. One of such players was EBRIMA JOBE "Mbat" He has been
forgotten.He was the greatest player that ever lived in The Gambia. He
was the genie,the acrobate, the brave attacker ,the scorer, the crowd
puller (people pay in numbers in Dakar in huge stadiums to see Mbat at
work), he was the Micheal Jordan of Africa at that time.He was counted
as one one the best in an all -African selection. The only one ever !
The Senegalese players by then who played in France said so.They were
Pierre Sagnia, Addidas, and Ebrima Jallow "Gozeh" They, the Senegalese
team was Africa's best and they were neck to neck with the Gambian
team..They beat us and we beat them.It was a mutual rivalary business.
Every attack Mbat made was a basket.He had power and agility and twisted
eyes and he could fake a Riock. He was unstoppable. He played for Crab
Island and later Foyer with Gran Badou Mbenga with Abou Camara and
myeslf. The brain products of Mbat were Mam Essa Gaye,(lived at James
Senegal but went to the GHS, Modou Njie (New Street) Abou Allen (yundum
College), Buhari Njkie , Baaba Sillah (late Manneh Sillah's brother),
Momodou Samba"Americene" and Sengan Ndow. Crab Island is the Crown that
produced all the stars and jewels in the Gambia field of sports They are
brave people. Thery had Shiek Fye ( one of Africa's best highjumpers),
Biri (one of Africa's best footballers) and Ebrima Jobe Mbat, ( one of
the greatest basketball players in the continint).

AMITAGE SCHOOL-The Competitions
 Many Crab Island school boys later passed their Exam and had to go to a
hih school but there were few places in the schools in Banjul and many
had to go to Amitage. Suddenly they had a good team with Bye Jobe,
Abdoulie Mass Jobe (Lai jobe) etc.Bye Jobe going to Amitage for few
years made all the differencee.They also had Mr. Hassan Joof (a
fanatical spot teacher) and Alpha Khan They were in the school leauge
competition.They had many interesting boys there from Banjul. I was
always keen to go and play refere there. After the game we would drink
palm wine at the Mansu- wankas before coming to the SIKO NIGHT (I still
remembers the songs) at the back of the assembly hall.They would have
this launcheon meat  for breafast for the refrees.and cookies and a lot
of fun; but If they loose, your launch hang on the balance. Amitage
school had few top sporting stars that can cause alot of trouble from
big star studded teams from Banjul.Thebjourney to Amitage was like the
journey to Mecca. It was long and the gravel road was brown colouring.
You have to sit in the back mof an open lorry with the eyes and head
covered for the long drve in the dusty road for hours. As soon as you
arrive,they would want you to play.Amitage had a strong support at home
and had very very good sporting boys and girls. They had the sprinter
Boun Njie, the great Passy Coker,Abdoulie Touray (Baks / Basketball)  a
great football team with Gibou Sang and Petit Mbye Cham.and the all-time
high school player and the youngest basketball player in the national
team Bye Jobe. Bye Jobe, Felix Gomez ,Badou Mbenga and Kebba Ceesay
(Adonis) were later the administration of The Basketball association
partly sponsored by Felix Gomez and Badou Mbenga of Foyer.

G.H.S-The Players
The Gambia High School had a team but was late to come to prominance.
Sonny Joiner who played at St.Augustines went to 6th for at GHS (no 6th
form at St.Augustines then) and brought the gave to the GHS.Sonny was
Wilt Chamblane. He Blocked Addidas (the greatest center in Africa).
Sonny was at one time the captain of The Gambia. He was responsible for
reenforcement at Real but the daily briefing were with Felix Gomez.
Sonny is a styar. He was the real Abdul Karim. He had unbelievable hook
shots and unimaginative shot blocking. He blocked Addids. Later The GHS
had Melems a fifth form team that were friends and schoolmates. They
were C.I wadda, Mr.Joof (arts council) Fayee Joiner,Mustapha Leigh, Pa
Boob ( Late Oussou's Boob's brothr),Lamin Jeng,.I joined Melems after
finishing school and was deejaying at Sahara. I brought in The American
Ambassador Austin Brown ,the Uniforms, balls ,Knee guards and wrists
band and we joined the league.We had Modou Wadda as coach and commard
Sol Sillah as manager. Outside Melems and out of all was Jim Wadda
(brothe of C.I wadda/ former volleyball player ) and the big LATI LEWA
JOHNSON "The great Solomon Johnson"Arch Bishop of The Gambia". He was my
closest pal. We were partners in daily life.We both later played of
Foyer. He was Shaq O'neal.He was the boom !!! I see him in service on TV
whenever I am in The Gambia on Sundays and it gives me great memories of
a player who never look in the eyes of other players , only the Rim and
the ball and power..He was the dunkbuster. The slam Jam and the Grand
slam. The first one to ripped the board.

THE COMBINATION-Team Spirit
The greatest all star team ever to be produced was with team of  Ebrima
Jobe"Mbat" , Sonny Joiner, Felix Gomez, Mam Essa Gaye, Ousman Sabally.
This was the first- five that can play anyone, even the lakers. It was
like the Senegaleses or the Cameroun teams in the soccer world cup. How
can we get back to this professional NBA approach to the game???  By
this time Gambia should have had as many as a dozen players in the USA-
NBA. Maybe each of them could have been making 100 million a year.
That's good for our economy. It is still not late.Before countries like
Nigeria ( Olajuwan) and even Congo( Motombo) all these guys Gambians
were inviting teams from America from the college league and the NBA.
There were players also who were much younger and had the magic of
stardom and were the likes , Look Bangura, Shiek Jobe and brother
Bye.There was Mustapha Njie,Taf construction, Badou Sernghore, Bye Maleh
Wadda, Modou Sallah (English) Assan Jeng and Late Oussou Boob.A much
younger (third generation) of players came to follow .Apart from Real
and Foyer,  Mam John Tamba of Buckle street was infact the one who took
the balls and the nets from Mbat. Mam John was caught in between soccer
and basketball but in the end he lost his place in Starlight soccer team
to contuinue the basketball tradition in The gambia. There were younger
players like the Late Njole Bass Mbye , Ousman Jobe, Malamin (Bopi),
Falang (young Melems), Aconi, Arthur Maxwell, John Richards ( Young
Foyer) and Shrieff Jobe,

Female Basketball.:-Heads High
The players like Caroline Bouvert and Nanna Bouvert  were the rock
bottoms. The same kent street Vous and  St. Augustines/St.Josephs
combination.The school produced many girl players like Gifty Tamba, Elie
Eunson,Etta Baldeh,Beredith Campana and Magret Baldeh etc but other
avenues also produced talents like Fatou Ceesay, Micheal Mendy, The
great Binta Nyang and Bassin Ceesay, Kumba Ndour
(Foyer),Yamede(Claudia-Mrs Sowe), Olive Johnson-Mrs.George), Mai Corr,
Katty Wadda ,Yassin Sallah and Gambia's star guard Abigail Joiner. Each
weekend you would go and see a basketball game at night and daytime. It
was an on going programme with coaches like Dave Atkins(an American),
Gary and many more from Senegal in the sport partnership programme. It
was on. All girl training programme was conducted by Cherno Touray. The
Female team was a huge success and pride of The Gambia. The won Gold and
silver Medal at Semin'e National games held annually in Dakar. They
defeated Cape Verte on many finals and that was the bed rock of the
Senegalese national team.

NBA stars visit Gambia-International Exchange
The Gilford College from the USA with M.L Carr (All Star), Hampton
Institute, Moorehouse College and many colleges and universities in
America visited the Gambia. Many would-be NBA players came to The Gambia
( lost names) with the help of The Peace corp office, The American
cultural office and The African American Ambassador in The Gambia then
Mr.Austin Brown. He coached and he provided balls (multi-coloured ball)
nets and regular films every thursday at the American Embessy office. We
were introduced tto text books, and gave plans. We studied Bill Sharman,
Jeerry West (The art of Jump shorts) the Oscar Robertson Guard thricks
and so on.All the players at that time had a book and practice throught
the book for professional and tactical game plan. This was called the
set up.


The Gambia League GNBA-The Organisation
Felix Gomez (from school) later founded Real De Banjul basketball
team.after St. Augustine's and joined by a line of St.Augustine's
leavers, Foyer had all the Senegalese and Lebanese Gambian. Real de
Banjul players from Gambia high and St'Augustines. Cherbel Elhaj used to
come for vacation to Banjul from St. Miceal school in Dakar,played for
Real.Real became a Lebanese team because Kamal Milky sponsored the
soccer team when they foermed with a sponsor,the Cherbeltook over and
now it is Willo and St. Mary's food and wine. He hanged with us everday
and later played for The National team We had a league with many teams:
Real de Banjul , Foyer, Melems,The Peace coprs, Police Depot, Ghetto
Boys (Crab Island). Many of the refrees in The basket league were
Volleyball players. We shared one court and we had to support each. We
refered for them and they  for us. So we had Seydu Sowe (Ala ma) ,
Habibou Sillah Nyankumo, Samba Faal and Demba Faal, Sol Mboob, Bye Mass
Taal, Sam Lewis etc. Later the court was splitted in two one for volley
ball and one otherside to Basketball.

New Coach Needed Now.-The Next Level
We have to get a coach if we can afford one from the United States and
not from England, again ! England or Ghana and Nigeria. Now it is
basketball.We may not need the coach now but to select some boys and
girls and send them to school in America  for free of charge to their
families and coach them professional(12 boys and 12 girls) for 5 years
.While back at home in the Gambia we have to recondition the lawns
(courts) and start the school league programme again and the Club
League. It is intresting to involve foreign companies in to start new
teams and create ongoing competition with each team having a local coach
from former players. A national coach is then next on the menue. It is
too poor and disorganise to bring a coach in these condition from far
and foreign. They need a basketball masterplan with a business approach
and more playing courts in schools and villages. For Banjul we need a
sports plaza thar brings in events, machandise and business.

To be Contuined,

Oko B Drammeh
P/S; Unedited version.

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