US basketball Olympic champion joins Centennial, The Canadian University of Dubai

The university, located in Dubai, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emirates Investment and Development Company PSC (Emivest).

Oldham has also set up the first professional Basketball Academy of Dubai of which he will be the Director. With an experience spanning 25 years, this former NBA superstar has also played for Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls, making his credentials unequalled in the region.

Dr. Abdelkarim Chelli, Vice President Academic Affairs of The Canadian University of Dubai, said: "We are very pleased to have Oldham in our campus and he will be a great addition to our staff. Oldham brings with him a wealth of experience and we hope that under him a professional UAE basketball team will emerge.
Basketball is a very team and family oriented indoor game which can be enjoyed by everyone and Oldham will teach his pupils both sportsmanship and life lessons through the game.

"The university will strive to provide the best trainers and the highest level of qualified staff in order to successfully meet the needs of our students. The university offers a variety of new and innovative educational and sports programmes because we believe in building a health community that lives an active lifestyle, enjoy sports and feel great."

Before joining the university, Oldham was in Japan for three years where he established the professional Basketball League, Basketball Japan. He joined Robert & Reis, a Sports management company 4 months back and they informed him about an opportunity in the newly opened Canadian university. The university was looking for Sports and Recreation Manager and Oldham fit in the position perfectly.

Oldham said: "I grabbed the opportunity because Dubai is a multicultural society which appreciates innovations. As the interest level in the game is peaking, I think it will be very fulfilling for me to groom a team locally on the same model like in the US, which is professionally tough enough to face the challenges of the game. The greatest advantage the university has is that it is centrally located and easily accessible. Also, the facilities are good and they will become better as the university expands."

He added that already students from all nationalities have enrolled with him which shows their passion for the game. "But to be a professional, one has to have a tough mind and body. Thus I intend to inculcate intensive workouts and moral ethics among amateurs through physical activities including volleyball, netball and aerobics. Later in the year I will choose 15 best students and take them on a university tour to Canada and the US. This will give local students a taste of the professional knowledge there."

Recalling early days, Oldham said: "I started playing basketball in my backyard in Seattle for fun when I was only eight. Soon the passion for other sports also grew in me and I became a multi-talented athlete. In 1978, a year before the Olympics, the US national basketball selection committee, was touring the country's colleges to source talent and train them before the big event. A 500-strong men squad was called in for trials. I wasn't sure and had no intention to go for the trials but one of the coaches pushed me to go ahead.

"I could not believe it when I qualified for the first three rounds and reached the final stage. The feeling was not only great for me but it also brought a lot of pride to my mother, my family and my state. Then for the next six months we trained every single day without respite but in the end it all paid off."

During the 1979 Olympics held in Mexico City the US basketball team won all its league matches and reached the final. Oldham said: "I was told that everyone in Seattle was hooked to their TV sets that day to watch the final. It was tough but we won the Olympic Gold Metal. I did not shout or cry. I was only in a state of shock."

His message to aspiring basketball players is: "Eat healthy food, do regular exercise and respect knowledge." He follows a strict swimming, workout and yoga regime to remain fit, drinks a lot of water and cranberry juice and eats chicken, pasta and oatmeal.