After spending close to three hours weaving through traffic from my home in Gbawe(West Accra) to Adenta(some where in the Northwestern part of Accra), I met Isaac at a place they've decided to call Lotto Junction. Then like magic, the talk begun even before we got to his place.
What was supposed to be an interview turned out to be four hours of discussion between two young basketball savvy entrepreneurs. What didn't we talk about? From what's wrong with the game in Ghana, to sharing business concepts, to religion and creating a new friendship at the end of the day.
Isaac went on to talk about his days at
Wisconsin University and how the whole Dynasty idea came up. He was somewhat surprised when I told him I've read about his beginning in a blog he posted somewhere in 2008. He kept on talking about how much he thinks what he does is a calling from God, siting instances when he nearly called it quits but somehow still had the conviction to stay true to the course till this day.
We will someday soon most definitely sit to chat about Dynasty as an institution.Dynasty is right now one of the most well structured basketball programs in the country and Isaac hopes that the success with Dynasty will wake the basketball community in Ghana to see that it's possible to make the game work here especially by putting together structures and making sure they are executed. Then we finally managed to go on to the real agenda for the day: The Ghana Basketball business plan(the scoreboard).
Rebound Ghana:In the first place how and when did you get involved with the national association?Isaac Robert Kwapong:It was in 2005 when I was trying to find out who were in charge of the game in Ghana and if possible to register the Wisconsin
Basketball Association that I had started.It was also around that time that I came into contact with Mr.Iddrisu Gamel.
Isaac Robert Kwapong,
the man behind the Dynasty dream!
RGH:What did you help put together for the association
IRK:It was a business plan known as theScorecard by FIBA. it's a long term development plan for the game in Ghana.
RGH:How many people put this whole plan together?IRK: We were two, me and Mr. Iddrisu Gamel.
RGH:How long did the entire process take?IRK:It took us somewhere around two months to finish it. You know?, we had the FIBA template which served as a guide for the entire process.
RGH:When did the process take place?IRK:It was in 2007 when I was still in school but I came back in 2009 to do my national service and worked in various roles as an assistant to the then secretary general and the technical manager.
RGH:What does the the Ghana Scorecard entail?IRK:basically, it's a 2-6 strategic development plan which involves all aspects of the game. Be it officiating, players, coaches, media ... everything you can think about that involves running a national federation.
RGH:Someone might wonder, why did you bother to even get involved with national association at all?IRK:The inspiration came from my days at Wisconsin, seeing how much possibility existed in making basketball succeed in Ghana through the little work we did with the school's association.
RGH:Have you seen any part of the Scorecard being implemented in Ghana so far?IRK:No!
RGH:Why do you think nothing has been achieved so far?IRK:It's very simple, nobody has focused on it to even try to make it work.All we need to get this work is focus!
RGH:Maybe it's because nobody has heard or knows about it.IRK:When we finished it we made sure to send copies to all persons involved with basketball in the country. All whom it may concern have copies.All regional associations were sent copies as well. It all still goes down to lack of focus on the plan.
RGH:Thanks so much for all the time and ideas.IRK:Thanks so much too and it's been a very educational experience...all the best.
