With the rise of social media, connecting with potential talent from anywhere in the world has become just a click away. This modern convenience is making an impact on varsity recruitment as well.
Take, for example, the case of University of the East Junior Warriors Under-16 head coach Andrew Estrella who discovered 14-year-old Goodluck Okebata through TikTok.
“Actually, nakita ko siya sa TikTok. When I searched his name, minessage ko siya tapos nag-reply siya,” Estrella shared about how he initially reached out to Okebata.
“Same day, nagpunta siya sa practice namin.”
Remarkably, Okebata has only been playing basketball for a year, having initially focused on football. His journey to the court began with a push from his uncle.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Yung tito ko, niyaya ako maglaro ng basketball last year sa club niya. Nung dati kasi football ang gusto ko laruin,” said Okebata, who experienced a growth spurt from 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-2 in just one year.
“Tinuloy ko po yung basketball dahil yun din po gusto ng magulang ko. Gusto ko rin talaga magkaroon ng achievements sa basketball.”
Impressed by his potential, Estrella recruited Okebata from Bacoor National High School to UE.
The youthful coach saw in him the qualities of a hard worker with a bright future.
“That’s why we recruited him, because of his potential. He has a bright future. Alam na niya yun and I don’t need to remind him of that,” Estrella added.
“He is a hard worker. Kung ano nakikita niyo sa court, times two pa siya sa practices. That’s the reason why he is like that.”
Despite being one of the youngest players in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament, the 14-year-old Fil-Nigerian has already shown that he’s not one to back down.
In UE’s 69-51 win over University of Santo Tomas on opening day, Okebata tallied 10 rebounds, three blocks, and three points. He followed that up with an impressive 17-point, 13-rebound double-double in a 91-44 triumph over University of the Philippines Integrated School.
While Okebata’s early performance is promising, he knows there’s still plenty of room for growth.
He remains focused on improving and achieving more in the game.
“Sinipagan ko lang po sa rebounding tapos aayusin pa ang communication sa team,” said Okebata.
“Masasabi ko po na marami pa kong nagagawang mali kaya sisipagan ko pa lalo sa practices.”
