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BASKETBALL: OTIS LIST UPE ATOSU, AKHATOR, KALU IN NIGERIA’S 2020 PRE OLYMPICS QUALIFIER SQUAD

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Nigeria’s D’Tigress Head Coach, Otis Hughley has announced a 12 man roaster for the 2020 pre Olympics qualifiers coming up in Mozambique from November 14 to 17.

Otis has recalled United States based Upe Atosu, whose last game for Nigeria was at the 2017 Afrobasket final win over Senegal.

The 2019 Afrobasket Most Valuable Player Ezinne Kalu, Promise Anumakara, Atonye Nyingifa, Sarah Imovbioh and Evelyn Akhator have also been included in the 12-man list alongside team captain, Adaora Elonu.

Others include multiple Afrobasket winner Aisha Balarabe, Ify Ibekwe whose first international debut was at the 2019 Afrobasket in Senegal as well as Victoria Macaulay.

Elizabeth Balogun who was named in the 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference Fresh Man Team while with Georgia Tech University is also on line to earn her first international cap alongside Pallas Kunnayi-Akpannah who narrowly missed the 2019 Afrobasket party.

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Nigeria grouped alongside Host- Mozambique and DR Congo in Group A while Senegal will compete against Angola and Mali in Group B will open camp on November 10 in Maputo

According to FIBA, the two group winners will join 14 other teams from Europe, Asia and the Americas to fight for the 10 Olympic slots on offer at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Musa Kida moves from the basketball boardroom to NNPC Towers

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Musa Kida, the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), has been appointed as a non-executive chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the country’s apex oil company. His appointment is part of the sweeping overhaul that the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu made in the first working day after the Sallah break.

The sacking of the board of the NNPC sees the appointment of Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing Mele Kolo Kyari. Prior to his current appointment, Kida was the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water Services, of Total Nigeria.

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NSC DG Bukola Olopade Congratulates NBBF Boss Musa Kida for new appointment as NNPC Chairman

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The Director General of the National Sports Commission NSC, Bukola Olopade, has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Musa Kida, for his appointment as the new Board Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 Olopade said Musa Kida has been one of Nigeria’s most efficient and Productive Sports administrators who has sacrificed a lot for the growth of Nigerian Basketball.

The DG maintained that his latest appointment is a testament to his years of passion, hard work, dedication and a very successful track record in the oil sector for more than two decades.

” Musa Kida is an accomplished administrator whose achievements cut across both the oil sector and Nigerian basketball. I   have no doubt that the NNPC Limited will attain better efficiency and attract more investment under his watch”.

” Under his leadership as the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, we have seen the steady growth of the country’s basketball and how the National teams have continued to achieve new heights.

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” At the last Olympic Games in France, the Nigeria Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress was one of the shining stories for Team Nigeria, where they set a new record by making it to the knockout phase before losing to the United States”.

” I personally know the efforts behind the scenes that kida put in for Nigeria to achieve that feat with the girls in France and the Nigerian girls have been an unrivalled team on the continent for some time now”.

The DG added that he does not doubt that  Musa Kida will use his new position to further earnest the development of Nigerian Sports especially basketball especially now that there is a new focus on growing a sustainable Sports Economy.

” Whilst the Oil sector will benefit immensely from the Expertise of  Musa Kida as the new Board Chairman of the NNPC Limited, Mr President, has further helped to place Nigerian Sports in a better pedestal by putting one of us in a very strategic place like the NNPC”, he concluded.

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FIBA names Nigeria’s Agada among those who starred the most on the last day of the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers

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The 16 teams that will be competing at this year’s FIBA AfroBasket from 12-24 August have been confirmed, with some teams securing their places on the final day of qualifying.

A quintet of individuals put in stellar performances to send their teams to this year’s African championship in style.

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Teams have 169 days to prepare for the 2025 edition of the AfroBasket set to be hosted by former champions Angola, who will be chasing a record-extending 12th title.

FIBA- Africa looked at the matches and the players and featured nine players who were the stars of the final day on Sunday.

Here is FIBA’s analysis: The return of the Tokyo Olympian has been a blessing for Abdulrahman Mohammed’s Nigeria.

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For the second game in a row, Agada was a thorn in their side’s side, scoring 23 points in a convincing 77-62 win over 2021 AfroBasket semifinalists Cape Verde.

The 30-year-old played just over 30 minutes and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double while adding six assists and five steals for an efficiency rating of 29.

Nigeria entered the competition after an 0-3 start, but his disruptive presence on the floor helped them to a 3-0 run to qualify, averaging 19 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

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The other players highlighted are: Ousmane Drame of Guinea, Karim Maneof Senegal, Childe Dundao of Angola, Siriman Kanoute of Mali, as well as Ntore Habimana (Rwanda) Aliou Fadiala Diarra (Mali) Allan Dokossi (Central African Republic)and  Nisre Zouzoua  (Cote d’Ivoire)

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