Boluwatife Larewaju’s journey into the world of basketball began in a puzzling manner.
Despite being tall and athletic, he initially preferred football, largely influenced by his father, a footballer himself.
However, fate had other plans for the 6ft8in giant.
While Larewaju was in JSS1 at Victorroti Private Secondary School in Olokuta, Ogun State, Tunde Adelanwa, a basketball coach, spotted the towering youngster and immediately invited him to join a training session in 2018.
Though initially reluctant, the 15-year-old tells PUNCH Sports Extra that an encounter with a woman, who prophesied about his basketball destiny, changed everything.
And right away, he began embracing his height as a gift and started developing a newfound love for the game.
“I started basketball when I was in Victorroti Private Secondary School, I was 10 at the time. I used to be a footballer because that was what I liked, even though I had always been very tall. I was much taller than others my age and everyone started asking me if I wanted to play basketball. I was always the tallest in my classes, and I even had troubles finding shoes to wear because of my big feet,” Larewaju said.
“When I was in JSS1, a basketball coach Adelanwa was invited to my school and since I was the tallest, I was one of those he picked. The coaches treated me specially because I was younger and very tall. They felt I had the potential, but I just did not have the interest.
“However, there was this day I was just walking down the road and one woman called me but I did not answer her. She ran after me, and asked me if I played basketball, and I said ‘no.’ She then said ‘you must play basketball.’ I was shocked that she could know what was going on, so, I accepted it as ‘this is from God’ and I started appreciating my height more as a gift. That was how I started enjoying basketball and fell in love with the game.”
His parents, despite knowing his love for football, recognised his potential in basketball and wholeheartedly supported his new passion by taking him to a basketball academy at Alake Sport Center in Ijeja Abeokuta, Ogun state.
“My parents were excited because they knew that I liked football and my height was a gift because every single time I went out with them, they always had friends who told them to ensure that I played basketball.
“But my parents didn’t want to force me. They wanted me to do what I love, so when they saw that I had interest, they took it really nice and my dad enrolled me in Vision Basketball Academy, and then he bought me some basketball jerseys, some kits. He started taking me to trainings every Saturday,” Larewaju told PUNCH Sports Extra.
“I spend like three hours a day and he (dad) comes to pick me, and when he is not free my mom takes me to and from training.”
The small forward who grew up in Ogun state, and can also play as a power forward, credits the coaches who have impacted his career as a basketball player.
“I had two great coaches who had a great impact in my life: Temitope Olude of Royal Basketball Academy in Abeokuta and Tunde Adelanwa of Vision Basketball Academy at Alake Sport Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State,” he said.
Reflecting on his best moments in basketball, Larewaju stated, “My best moment in basketball was the first time I dunked. I could remember I felt like I was flying, I was not jumping. My coach was like, ‘Bolu, you’re a flier’ when I started dunking and when I got rid of my fear. When I started I couldn’t do many things, I was just always passing, I couldn’t even dribble, I was scared to dribble, but I knew deep down I could dribble. But each time I played, I just passed it, and when they passed it to me, I passed it back, I couldn’t do stuff. Another great moment was when I got my visa to travel, to leave Nigeria to play basketball, I think that was actually my happiest moment, because that was like my biggest achievement.”
On the other hand, his saddest moment was winning an All-Star award during a camp, but his late father couldn’t witness the achievement.
“He had promised that he was going to come to Sango to watch me play, but he died and didn’t watch me play. I was an All-Star in that camp.
“My dad was there taking me to trainings, was there seeing how coaches were talking about my potential, but he was never really there to see when I really started winning, like when I won the All-Star and when I traveled. So, that was my saddest moment because I was not with my dad at the time that I needed him to push me the most,” the teenager said.
In February, Larewaju embarked on a journey to Serbia for basketball trials and is hopeful of a transfer soon while playing at the Basketball Nation Academy in Belgrade, Serbia.
“I’ve had trials at Fernabahce in Turkey, Olympiacos in Greece, Olimpija Cedevita in Slovenia, Zaragoza in Spain and Bayern Munich in Germany.
“I play for BNA, which is a youth team in Serbia for now, but I will eventually sign for either Olympiacos, Bayern or Olimpija Cedevita because those three teams are the ones interested in signing me. So, either I land In Slovenia, Greece or Germany, this summer I would complete my transfer.”
His mother, Mrs. Moradeyo Larewaju, shared how they encouraged Boluwatife’s passion for basketball from the beginning, “We encouraged him from the start, I used to take him to the stadium, and before his father died, he also took him to play and watch others.
“The sport side never affected his education, he has a passion for basketball but he is also focused on his academics.”
