Micheal Eric, a 2007 graduate of the Church Farm School, scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the men’s national basketball team of Nigeria to a 108-66 victory over South Korea earlier this week at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China.

Eric, a native of Lagos, Nigera, spent his junior and senior years of high school in Exton, where he earned an athletic scholarship to Temple University. He eventually led the Owls in rebounding as a senior.

Prior to arriving at CFS, Eric excelled at soccer and had not played much hoops. However, his 6-foot-10 frame had basketball written all over it.

“Micheal was extremely raw and new to the game of basketball when he came to Church Farm,” Marc Turner, the former coach at CFS, once told The Temple News. “It was like teaching an infant how to walk. We worked on everything from catching the ball to dribbling. We had to take a couple steps backward first, but he ended up not only as one of our best players in school history, but as one of the most coachable young men I have ever had. He made coaching a labor of love.”

Eric, a 240-pound center, credited Turner with helping him develop a skill set.

“He got me into basketball,” Eric said of Turner. “He wanted me to work on the basic fundamentals like ballhandling. I think that actually helped me become the player I am now.”

Eric, who has played in the G League, the NBA’s official minor league, has played professionally in Greece and Turkey, and he recently signed a two-year contract to compete in Spain.

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