Can Ball Report: Tell us how you ended up on the London
Lightning this past season?
Antwi Atuahene: I was scheduled to go to Holland to play Jan.
1st and we had a huge snowstorm. The
flight was cancelled and so did the opportunity. A week later I got a
call to play with London, the top team in the NBLC. I never thought
I would ever end up playing in the NBLC again. After my first experience
I wasn't really too fond of playing in the league. I
wasn't certain if I wanted to go but my mother was the first person who
influenced me into going to London because she told me she has a good
feeling about it. It was a great opportunity to train, build relationships and
play the game I love on home soil. The London Lightning are a first
class organization from the top to bottom. They treated me really
well and accepted me with open arms.
CBR: Give us a few highlights from the season that
was for you.
AW: The things I liked best about the season was
starting in the playoffs, winning the championship, making the all star team in
such a short period of time and setting the All Star assist record with 17assists.
CBR: What's one thing that you thought could have
been better this year?
AW: Things I didn't like was just seeing a lot of
Canadian players around the league that were talented but not getting the chance
to showcase it. Everything else for me
was a learning experience.
CBR: Tell us about your role on this year's
championship Lightning team.
AW: I think I played well in my role for the
Lightning which was to be kind of like a Pablo Prigioni of the Knicks
– show some leadership on the floor, run the show, get everyone shots
and control the tempo. It’s just had to keep reminding myself how
important (my) leadership is to a team. You know you’re a great leader when you
can get another great leader to follow you. That's what I try to focus on,
being that type of player.
CBR: Tell us what you you have going on for
yourself right now?
AW: Where I want to go from here is keep
progressing on and off the floor. Off the court, I started my own youth organization
to help kids in the city called Youth R Us. Our slogan is "Hidden
Gems become found jewels". A good friend named
Clive Williams, also president of Off Court Management, and myself
run this organization in the Rexdale area of the Toronto. Our mission
is to provide the highest quality life skills and mentorship to the
youth within the community. We are dedicated to uplift and motivate
our youth. We believe that the best way to protect our
future is to nourish and mentor our present, which in turn will build
a fruitful tomorrow with our youth today.
I also had the chance to be a
guest on NBA TV's The Hangout with Akil Augustine and Ryerson University head
coach Roy Rana. That was fun to just talking about Canadian basketball. (Check him out here and here.)
On the court, opportunities
are starting to present themselves so I just want to work as hard as possible
to capitalize on them. I recently got an invitation to an NBA and D-League
exposure camp taking place in June in Los Angeles and I've also been getting
contacted by some pretty high level overseas general managers. I know I'm the underdog and
things haven't been a straight a narrow path for me but I embrace it.
It gives me that edge I love to have on the court. It's like
I have permanent chip on my shoulder. That being said I'm a true
believer of signs from the higher power. So wherever those signs lead
me to I will follow. I just keep my faith in God and not in flesh
and everything always works out how it's supposed to. Positive law of
attraction.
CBR: Thanks for the time Antwi and we'll be
looking out for you over the summer.
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