Ballers Bridge catches up with the founder of one of the most successful AAU organizations in the country: Etop Udo-Ema.
Etop Udo-Ema’s, Compton Magic routinely produce some of the nation’s best college basketball players. We had the chance to sit down with Udo-Ema and hear about the history of his great organization.
How did the Compton Magic come to be?
Rod Palmer, who played at Dominguez High School and UCLA, was hired by Compton High School in 1993. Shortly after he got the job, he asked me to come on board as an assistant. Initially we weren’t that good, but we continued to get better as time went on. It was right around the time when we had Jeff Trepagnier [former University of Southern California standout] at the school when we said, ‘why don’t we start a travel team to better develop the players we have on our high school team?’
Have you guys always been called the Compton Magic?
At first we were called, Team Reebok. By 1997-1998 we had some really good players, guys like Tito Maddox (former Fresno State standout), David Hamilton (former Auburn standout), Ellis Miles (former Louisville standout) and a host of others. Once Reebok saw what we were building, they decided to give us money from their Urban Marketing budget. Once we had the resources, we incorporated and became the Compton Magic.
Where do the majority of your players come from?
Up until 2004, we did not have any guys who did not live in the Compton area. Once our resources continued to grow, we began to bring in guys from different parts of the country. But, at the end of the day, Compton is who we are and it will always be where we started. Again, we didn’t start this to be an AAU team; we started it to become a better high school team. We weren’t trying to get rich off a shoe deal, we were trying to protect our kids and help them reach opportunities.
What are your affiliations to the other Magic teams across the country?
It wasn’t like I woke up one day and said, ‘okay, I want to have teams in Memphis, Louisville and Oklahoma!’ My guy, Eric Robinson, whom we call Cowboy, was in Memphis at the time, and he was running a team called The Memphis Pacers. Eventually he came to me and said, ‘I want to bring the Magic brand to Memphis.’ And the same thing happened in Oklahoma and Louisville; I had some contacts in those areas that would represent our brand. It was important to me that I trusted in these guys to maintain the Magic image.
How have you seen AAU basketball change over the years?
It’s different now from when we started. When we first started, there were a few major programs that were getting the lion’s share of the resources, and then there were the guys like Dino Trigonis (Pangos All-American Camp Director) and me who were working with less but still finding a way to get it done.
Also, there was a lot more money in shoes back then. Everyone was getting paid to wear shoes back then – nowadays, no one gets paid to wear a company’s shoes. With the evolution of shoes, other than Jordan’s, people don’t wear basketball shoes with jeans. Shoe companies reevaluated how they spend money. It has leveled the playing field.
What is the one quality outside of talent that you look for in players?
When you run a team you have to make sure that you have a blend of big time players and complimentary players. Those guys who don’t disrupt the flow of the locker room are key. A guy like Mike Caffey (Long Beach State sophomore standout) embodies this; right there is a big time player who made the decision to come off of the bench to back up Jahii Carson.
When I think about the Compton Magic, I think about family. Talk about the atmosphere you guys have been able to create.
In addition to recruiting kids who have that selfless spirit, we also recruit families who aren’t going to be disruptive forces. We stick with our guys and we are going to build around you. Once I take you, I ride with you for life.
Who are some of the players currently playing college basketball who came from the Magic organization?
Roberto Nelson (Oregon State), Jahii Carson (Arizona State), Ski Booker (Colorado), Bryce Johnson (UNLV), Justin Hawkins (UNLV), Kareem Jamar (Montana), Wesley Sanders (Harvard), Gabe York (Arizona), Isaiah Austin (Baylor), Allen Crabbe (Cal), Deonte Burton (Nevada), and Michael Caffey (Long Beach State).
A lot of people say that AAU basketball hurts young players’ development. Thoughts?
My house has open doors. Guys like Jahii Carson and Arik Armstead lived with me. We don’t just go play games, we are looking to really help guys in any way that we can. Isaiah Austin lived in my house for a summer. These guys lived with me, with the kids, with the wife. We are true nonprofit. Adidas gives us a budget but we still have to raise money to make sure all cost are covered. I show the parents of our kids the tax statements so they know that we are not paid for this. No one is getting a salary.
We are doing some major community service. The mid 90’s, when we first started this, were very real for us. It wasn’t always sexy, but we didn’t have any ulterior motives. We just wanted to keep our kids together. I have worked a full time job until about two years ago; my role with the Magic organization has never been a job to me. We have outlasted a majority of organizations out there because most get the money and use it for themselves, as opposed to for the kids.
It really makes me mad when people say things like that about AAU Basketball.
Advice for up and coming prospects?
Kids have to realize that you never know who is watching you. I went to a high school game recently and no one in the gym knew that I could make a phone call and get them a scholarship to any number of schools in America. You can always make an impression on somebody. Whenever you step foot on the floor, you have to act like it’s the last time, because you never know who is watching.
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