Basketball
BLACKMAIL WILL NOT DETER US, SAYS NBBF
The leadership of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has condemned attempts to blackmail the federation into making a hasty decision over its continental representation at the 2017 FIBA Africa club championship.
The comment is sequel to the protest letters by two clubs, the Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls. The two basketball clubs reportedly petitioned the Secretary General of the continental body, FIBA Africa and copied the Nigerian National Assembly.
But in a communiqué signed by its President, Musa Kida, the NBBF described the petitions as “mere smear campaign against the NBBF for no justifiable reason.”
The federation described the two petitions which were published in the media as attempts to ambush the NBBF and portray its board in bad light before the basketball community and the world.
According to Kida, “The NBBF recognizes the right of all its affiliates and individuals to seek redress whenever the need arises.
“It is against all norms of established protocol for a club to write a petition to an international body without first discussing the matter involved with its national federation or at the least copy its petition to the body and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) on the subject matter.”
According to the press statement from the NBBF, Kida linked the episode to the antagonistic stance of the former NBBF Board led by Tijani Umar over their refusal to cooperate with the new board in line with their agenda to remain in office after completing his term of eight years in office.
“The two teams involved are all supporters of the antics of the former president of the NBBF Board who has refused to hand over to the new board. Kano Pillars are operating from Kano which is the adopted “Headquarters” of the former NBBF Board, while Gombe, home of Gombe Bulls, is the base the former President who was elected onto the last board from the North East Zone.
Explaining the genesis of the problem, Kida said “After the National Sports Federations election and the subsequent swearing in of the Board on 21st July, 2017, the board permitted the former Board to conclude the regular season of the Premier Basketball League so as not to disrupt the programme which had already started before it was sworn in, with a directive to hand over at the end of the regular Season preceding the Final 6 whose fixtures at the time had not been drawn since no one was sure of the qualifiers then.
“When the regular Season came to an end, rather than comply with the NBBF’s directive, the out gone Board invited all the qualified clubs to Ilorin and Kano for the Atlantic and Savannah Conference Final 6 Tournaments respectively.”
The NBBF president explained that “without recourse to the NBBF which apart from being recognized by the Federal Government, the NOC and the FIBA letter dated 26th July, 2017, the former board led by Tijani Umar defied the new board’s directive by enticing clubs for the National Final 8 based on monetary inducements from monies received from a sponsor for the Nigerian Premier Basketball League which however found its way into private accounts.”
Kida explained that despite several acts of defiance, the NBBF was still magnanimous enough to write a letter to the clubs with a deadline of 9th October, 2017 to explain why disciplinary actions should not be taken against them for defying the federation.
“As at today only Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club of Port Harcourt have replied to the query issued, while others, including Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls have refused to reply, thus defying the NBBF’s directive once again.
In the case of Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls, they have taken the matter to the National Assembly while orchestrating a campaign of calumny in the media and other strata of Nigerian life against the NBBF.”
Kida wondered why Tijani Umar and his cronies chose to create a faction out of all the 34 National Federations whose elections were conducted under the supervision of the NOC and the subsequent inauguration of the authentic Boards by the Minister for Youths & Sports, Solomon Dalung.
Meanwhile, the NBBF will decide on several issues, including its representatives in the FIBA Zone 3 Champions Cup Qualifiers for Men within the next few days, taking into consideration all the attendant issues that will ensure the best for basketball in Nigeria.
In preparation for the Chief of Defence Staff Independence Day Basketball Championship, Brigadier General Aliyu Abdullahi (rtd), Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, has highlighted the objectives of the event.
According to him, it is aimed at fostering Civil-Military cooperation and Inter-Agency collaboration.
The championship, set to take place from October 2 to October 6 at the Mo Arena in Abuja’s Zone 5, aims to engage Nigerian youths positively and contribute to enhancing security through a non-kinetic approach.
He emphasized the importance of the competition in providing a platform for Nigerian youths from across the country to participate in a constructive activity. He noted that the Chief of Defence Staff, General C.G. Musa OFR, a passionate basketball player himself, believes that organizing such competitions can help cultivate the interest of Nigerian youths in the sport.
Additionally, it offers them a legitimate means of livelihood and the opportunity to showcase their talents on the international stage, thereby bringing accolades to Nigeria.
The championship will feature 16 teams representing the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, promising an exciting display of basketball skills and teamwork.
Brigadier General Abdullahi expressed confidence that the competition will not only promote sportsmanship but also serve as a deterrent against negative behaviours such as crime, drug abuse, and other forms of delinquency among the youth.
Petro de Luanda Becomes First Sub-Saharan African Team to Win BAL Finals (BAL.NBA.com); Libya’s Al Ahly Ly Forward Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. Named 2024 BAL Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
Angola’s Petro de Luanda this Sunday defeated Libya’s Al Ahly Ly 107-94 to win the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Championship, which took place at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda and reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages. Petro de Luanda, the 2022 BAL runner-up and one of two teams to have participated in all four BAL seasons, is the first sub-Saharan African team to win the BAL Finals after previous champions from Egypt and Tunisia.
Following the game, BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall and President of FIBA Africa Anibal Manave presented Petro de Luanda with the BAL Championship Trophy and Al Ahly Ly forward Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. with The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy for winning the 2024 BAL Most Valuable Player Award and The Dikembe Mutombo Trophy for winning 2024 BAL Defensive Player of the Year.
Petro de Luanda went 5-2 during the Kalahari Conference group phase in Pretoria, South Africa, and the Playoffs, defeating Senegal’s AS Douanes and South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to advance to the Finals. Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers defeated the Cape Town Tigers 80-57 in the third-place game yesterday.
Lual-Acuil Jr. is also the 2024 BAL Scoring Champion and was named to the 2024 All-BAL First Team and All-BAL Defensive Team after leading Al Ahly Ly to a 5-4 record during the Nile Conference group phase in Cairo, Egypt, and the Playoffs, recording per game averages of 21.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.
Several former NBA players attended games throughout the 2024 BAL Playoffs and Finals, including BAL Ambassadors and NBA Africa investors Luol Deng (South Sudan), Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin) and Joakim Noah (grandfather from Cameroon); 2015 NBA champion Festus Ezeli (Nigeria), and New York Knicks President of G League Operations Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Ghana).
The BAL has also announced the 2024 Coach of the Year, Sportsmanship Award winner, All-BAL First Team, All-BAL Defensive Team, and Ubuntu Award winner. The voting panels varied for each award and were comprised of fans, coaches, team captains, media, broadcasters, and scouts.
2024 BAL Coach of the Year
Rivers Hoopers head coach Odaudu Ogoh led his team to a third-place finish with a 6-3 record during the Sahara Conference group phase in Dakar, Senegal, and the Playoffs.
2024 BAL Sportsmanship Award
Rivers Hoopers point guard Will Perry received The Manute Bol Trophy for exemplifying the ideals of sportsmanship and camaraderie. Perry was also named to the 2024 All-BAL First Team.
2024 All-BAL First TeamPositionPlayerTeamPoint GuardWill PerryRivers HoopersGuardSamkelo CeleCape Town TigersGuardChris CrawfordUS MonastirForwardJo Lual-Acuil Jr.Al Ahly LyForward / CenterAliou DiarraFUS Rabat Basketball
2024 All-BAL Defensive TeamPositionPlayerTeamPoint GuardSouleyman DiabateAl Ahly LyGuardSamkelo CeleCape Town TigersGuardAbdoulaye HarounaAS DouanesForwardJo Lual-Acuil Jr.Al Ahly LyForward / CenterAliou DiarraFUS Rabat Basketball
2024 BAL Ubuntu Award
AS Douanes guard and team captain Alkaly Ndour won the 2024 BAL Ubuntu Award in recognition of his ongoing efforts to use the game of basketball to positively impact the lives of youth in his native Senegal. Ndour is the founder of “Kayelennioufo” (which translates to “Let’s have fun”), a basketball tournament for nearly 250 amateur players in his home neighbourhood of Bopp in Dakar. Ndour was presented with the 2024 BAL Ubuntu Trophy during an on-court ceremony on May 25 in conjunction with Africa Day.
Nigeria’ Rivers Hoopers beat Rwanda’s Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) 78-71 in the first-ever BAL (https://BAL.NBA.com) double-overtime game and became the first Sahara Conference team to clinch a spot in the BAL Playoffs which are set to tip off at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda on May 24.
Five Hoopers players scored in double digits with Devine Eke (18 points, 18 rebounds) and Peter Olisemeka (17 points, 19 rebounds) dominating the boards as well. Will Perry added 11 points and seven assists in a low scoring affair in which both teams shot less than 40 percent from the floor.
Jean Jacques Nshobozwabyosenumukiza led APR with 16 points and five rebounds, while Dario Hunt finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Going into today’s matchups, APR is currently second in the Sahara Conference and will look to secure a postseason berth when they take on Senegal’s AS Douanes (4th place with 2 wins and 3 losses) this evening.
In the second game of the day, the 2022 BAL champions Tunisia’s US Monastir kept their playoff hopes alive, defeating AS Douanes 75-69 and getting their second straight win in the competition. This is a turnaround for the Tunisian champions who started the Sahara Conference from three straight defeats, but now stand one win away from the postseason. Chris Crawford led Monastir with 18 points and seven assists, Oussama Marnaoui scored 16, and Firas Lahyani finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Abdoulaye Harouna led the Douanes with 22 points, with Adama Diakhite adding 14 points and nine rebounds.
APR, AS Douanes and US Monastir will compete for the last two playoff spots when the Sahara Conference concludes this afternoon – Rivers Hoopers will take on US Monastir at 2:30 p.m. GMT and AS Douanes will face APR at 5:30 p.m. GMT.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Basketball Africa League (BAL)
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