This is for you mum
United import on a family mission
MELBOURNE United import Caleb Agada says his mother never cared for basketball.
But who could blame her? Susan Agada escaped a difficult situation in Nigeria in search of a better life for Caleb and his sister Justine.
The trio made their home in Canada, Susan driving home strong values – and the message that education was paramount.
It didn’t sit well with Caleb, who emerged as one of the top hoopers in Canada.
But, instead of rebelling, he used mum’s concern as motivation.
“My mum, like most immigrant parents, she was focused on education first, so, when she saw that basketball was steering me away from school, she was worried and hesitant. She wanted me to focus more on school and my education, as opposed to playing basketball,” Agada said. “My mum’s been my motivation, just to help give her a better life, do as much or try to do as much as I can for her as possible.”
It took time but, once college recruiters came calling, and the accolades rolled in, mum realised basketball could give her son the future she had hoped he’d have.
Susan has stuck to her ethos, leading by example.
“She has two masters, two undergrads and a PhD,” Caleb, who studied economics at the University of Ottawa, said. “I said ‘mum, I want to chase this basketball thing, I’m going to get my bachelor’s degree, but I don’t think I can keep pushing after that, you can get enough degrees for the both of us’.
“She’s 100 per cent supportive, but I’m glad because having her questioning me and asking me ‘are you sure about this?’, that made me push even harder because I was sure and I wouldn’t stop until she knew.”
The trio celebrated a Christmas with a difference – Susan has returned to Nigeria to be with extended family while Justine stayed in Canada to continue her work in helping migrants and refugees settle and find work. Caleb, of course, was preparing to shred the Sydney Kings with 24 points, 14 rebounds – the most ever by a United guard – with four blocks and four steals.
“We had a crazy Christmas, where mum was in Nigeria, my sister was in Canada and I was in Australia so we just got on the phone and that’s actually how we have most of our conversations. Everyone’s doing well in their relative area and there’s just a lot of love,” Agada said.
The 27-year-old has busted out in the best way with three straight 20-plus-point performances, all in United wins.
But it hasn’t all been roses. Foul trouble in the preseason as he struggled to adjust to the NBL and its muchtalked-about referees forced coach Dean Vickerman to make a change.
The versatile 196cm guard-forward was moved to the bench for United’s first two games as he worked with the coaches to get up to speed.
The doubters came for him, saying United needed another import to compete – not that he was listening.
“I never really paid attention to anybody questioning me,” he said. “I put in the work. That’s one thing I do. I knew that, eventually, things would start clicking.”
Click, it has – Agada is now seventh in the league in scoring at 18.4ppg, fifth in threepoint makes at 2.6 per game and top-20 in rebounding, steals and blocks. Exactly what United needs from its sole import.
United stars Matthew Dellavedova and Chris Goulding are now his teammates, but it isn’t the first time Agada has come across the two Aussies.
His Nigerian team faced the Boomers twice this year, once in an Olympic warm-up and again in the group stages in Tokyo, losing both.
“They waxed us, they killed us, so I kind of have a chip on my shoulder, like I’ve really got to come out here and show that Nigerian basketball isn’t as sorry as what we showed,” Agada said.