While I appreciate most sports, basketball takes most of the time that I set aside to follow professional athletes. Being in Northern Ghana, we don't even get highlights or scores. From time to time, I go online to check the scores and standings and to see how my hometown squad is doing.

After an era of crumbling, the Raptors are now in the midst of rebuilding. There's a hint of optimism in the air. I have stood by Head Coach Sam Mitchell, even when he was unjustifiably named as the NBA's worst coach by Sports Illustrated. Furthermore, I see a major link between my position with JHR as a Journalism Trainer and Sam's role as an NBA coach.

It is about giving as much as you can off the floor to your players, as well as finding their strengths and addressing their weaknesses. By the time a player reaches the NBA, they are pretty much already formed. This is similar with many journalists working in the field. However, as is true of Sam's roster, there are many young and impressionable journalists eager to get a chance to prove themselves.

Like Sam, my role here is not to play. Sam had an NBA career. He has the skills, but his job is not to play, it's to coach his players to a winning record. You have winning streaks and losing streaks, injuries and other unexpected challenges, and great turns of fortune in your favour. Once the tip-off occurs, though, the ball is in the hands of the players.

Continuing with this metaphor, I feel like a combination of the Toronto Raptors and the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs, because they are on a 12 game winning streak. The Raptors, while they were looking to lean on the play of team vet Mo Pete (who is in his contract year), they are finding W's from the play of guys like Jorge Garbosa.

At Justice Radio, there are core staff who, based on their positions and skill sets, would seem to be the ideal canidates for the work that we are sent to do with JHR. Instead of those top prospects pulling through, the greatest contributions are coming from some unexpected names on the roster.

If you have been following the articles that I have been publishing, you will be aware of Layata Issa-Haque. She is the station secretary who is now hosting "Freedom Thursdays" (which is bringing her expontial growth). She has also been one of the main contibutors to our Human Rights Public Service Announcement Project.

While her performance has been clutch, another key contributor has been Samed. He is a critical component to the news department, but he is not actually being paid. Samed is refered to as an Attachee. While he really should be an employee, as the news would not get done properly without him, he is making great sacrifices and doing excellent work without compensation.

I had been focused on working with other staff members recently, but have found Samed's eagerness and passion to be infectious.

I continue to work with staff throughout the station, but my two key players right now are an attachee and the secretary...and that's why I feel like the Raptors.