We caught up with Josiah in between his busy schedule of training, studying and playing matches, for a quick Q&A about his time at New City College Hackney campus and what the future holds for him:
Q. How does it feel to know you will soon be moving to a different country after winning the basketball scholarship?
A. It feels unreal. A lot of kids from the UK dream about things like this, but very few get the chance to do it so to be one of those few is such a great feeling!
Q. Did you set out to get a scholarship to play in America?
A. No , originally getting a scholarship wasn’t really a goal. But when I joined New City College I saw an opportunity for myself. When I started here I was injured and fairly new to sport. The goal was to see how far I could get. I told my coach Andre when I met him that I wasn’t good enough to play on the first team and that I wanted to play for one of the lower teams and work my way up. When I said that to him, he laughed at me and told me I had to be at the next training session. The rest is history.
Q. How did New City College help you develop your basketball skills?
A. The college has a great programme and partnership with the London Lions – and it is getting better as the years go on. For starters, when I first came to college I was injured and lacked the tools to better myself. But I was soon introduced to physiotherapist Casian Todorov who helped me develop the physical aspect of my game. Coach Andrea and Coach Andre both taught me a lot about basketball, their coaching styles not only left an imprint on me, but helped mould me into the dominant player I have become today.
NCC also provides students with the opportunity to play abroad during the regular college year. EYBL (European Youth Basketball League) is a trip that was introduced in my third year of playing for this team, allowing me to compete in some of the top European under 20 competitions. This opportunity helped not only me but other players on the team to gain recognition in the sport at a national level.
