Joel Embiid was trained in the Kossengwe Academy in his native Cameroon. Roger Dassi, one of his first two trainers remembers a kid predestined for a career in volleyball, but who, through determination, forced fate to become one of the best basketball players in the world. Tonight, the Cameroonian will participate for the 5th time in the All Star Game which gathers the greatest players of the biggest basketball league in the world.
Roger Dassi, how did you spot Joel Embiid?
In 2011, when I was playing as a player and assistant coach at Kossengwe Academy, my colleague and head coach Guy Moudio was contacted by another coach called Joe Touomou. He told him about a child who was coming to see us. He said that he had seen his photos and that he was quite a big boy. The boy's parents wanted him to play volleyball, but his uncle who was a basketball player living in Côte d'Ivoire convinced them to let him play basketball. Three months later, this boy showed up. He was a rather thin Joel Embiid, but we were seduced by his size.
I think that was the first trigger. The other thing was that he had an NBA player's jersey on him, Mike Bibby (former NBA basketball player). He was nicknamed "Bibby" at the time. But when he arrived, he knew nothing about basketball. We did everything to get him into the mould with head coach Guy Moudio. I was in charge of the newcomers, especially the pivots, because that's where I was playing too.
How was the training of Joel Embiid done?
Coach Moudjo and I were specifically charged with working with Joel. We had a program and I had to stay and work with him after the collective training sessions. Gradually, we showed Joel Embiid the basics of the game. He was a quick learner. He had more potential than the other players, but he couldn't play. We accelerated his training so that he could join the team. We often worked until late at night. His father would come and give him food at the training ground. And he was very determined.
We had two work sessions a day from Monday to Friday. And that lasted for three months. After that, we started to try him in matches at a senior tournament in Nlongkak (a working-class district of Yaoundé, editor's note). It was difficult at first, but he repeated everything we did in training. He was impressive, for someone who had never played basketball before.
Never forget where you came from. My first @underarmour signature shoe tells the story of my Yaoundé 🇨🇲 "Origin." The #EmbiidOne is built for all 5 positions on ANY court. Hit link in bio to get yours. pic.twitter.com/5MVApzBvBM
- Joel "Troel" Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) September 18, 2020
What has helped his development?
After a while, Coach Moudio downloaded videos of a professional basketball player known for his dribbling skills, Hakeem Olajuwon, and gave them to Joel Embiid so he could copy his game. He watched these videos every morning and night. At practice, we tried to replicate the content of the videos. He was very ambitious and really wanted to be the best. He would come to training first. During the sessions, he tried to develop and improve his game. That was his strength: the desire to always improve his game.
In a few months, he became strong at dunking, rebounding and blocking. One day, Luc Mbah à Mouté (a Cameroonian professional basketball player) who had already had the opportunity to see Joel at work during a training camp in Yaoundé came to one of our sessions. He discussed with coach Moudio. He saw Joel's potential and wanted to offer him a scholarship to the United States of America. We directed him to Joel's parents, they talked and that's how Embiid got his ticket to the US.
What is the difference between the Joel Embiid you trained and the one you have today?
I would say that the youngster has grown up. He has kept his qualities. In the way he plays, you can see that he still tries to repeat what we did during his training, but with more maturity. He has kept what we gave him and he has perfected it. I am happy to have contributed to his training. It's a great pride for coach Moudio and me to have taken a kid who couldn't place his feet, move his legs, move around the court and made him the best pivot in the world.
The proof that he is one of the best, Joel Embiid will take part again this year, in the All Star Game scheduled for Sunday night...
It is quite logical considering his immense talent. We are not surprised in any case. You know, we watch all his games. Today, when coach Moudio calls me, he says: "we did an incredible job, we must be proud of it; because God will reward us". When I see the images of his arrival at the club, his difficult beginnings, the training sessions, the efforts he made and what he has become today, I tell myself that Joel Embiid is the best player in the world.
Great win tonight #TheProcess pic.twitter.com/v2RkDZwqtZ
- Joel "Troel" Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) November 2, 2018
As one of his first two coaches in Cameroon, what are your expectations of Joel Embiid?
I hope he will be an NBA champion one day. I also hope that he remembers where he comes from, that he remembers his country Cameroon. There are other young people coming after him. When you have succeeded in sport, you must be able to pull others along. We must encourage the coaches who trained him and give them facilities to train other children. He must contribute to the development of basketball in our country.
