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Nigeria’s D’Tigers begin qualification for AfroCan Basketball Championship
BY MAXWELL KUMOYE
Nigeria’s male senior national team D’Tigers will begin their quest to reach the finals of the 2023 African Basketball Championship scheduled to hold in July in Angola.
The qualifiers begin this Friday at the Palais des Sports de Treichville, Abidjan the Ivorian capital.
The12- man team breezed into Abidjan on Thursday from Lagos.
The President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Musa Ahmadu Kida said travelling by road to Abidjan was never in the Federation’s plan for D’Tigers.
“If well planned in advance, a team can travel by road or ship to Abidjan but as has been our custom and tradition in the NBBF, we make sure all the national team players get the very best travelling experience and that’s what we offered them.” Kida stated.
He further explained that out-right falsehood, half truth and innuendos by a particular online publication in recent times will not be treated lightly again as it’s damaging the domestic game and equally driving away the much needed sponsorship from both the government and the private sector.
Three countries from FIBA Africa Zone 3 and one country from Zone 2 are in Abidjan to fight for the sole ticket from the combine Zone 2 and 3 make shift arrangement by FIBA Africa for next month quadrangle AfroCan Championship in Luanda, Angola next month.
FIBA Africa had to hurriedly arrange this make shift Qualifiers due to the fact that seven countries from domant FIBA Africa Zone 2 did not register for the Qualifiers while five other countries in the inactive Zone 3 turned a blind eye to the event.
Countries from Zone 3 that are in the Ivorian capital are Benin Republic, host nation Cote d’Ivoire and Africa’s number one slamming and dunking country, Nigeria. Guinea is holding it down for Zone 2 in Abidjan.
The opening match of the AfroCan Basketball Qualifiers is the confrontation between host Cote d’Ivoire against new comers Benin while hot favourite D’Tigers of Nigeria under the stewardship of coach Ogoh Odaudu will file out against familiar face Guinea in the second game of Match Day 1.
The head Coach of D’Tigers, Ogoh Odaudu, said that the team is in Abidjan for serious business and to get the job done.
Ogoh Odaudu, who led the D’Tigers to a remarkable outing in the sixth and final Window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Angola in February this year has assembled a twelve man team that will surely give Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea and first timers Benin Republic a run for their money when the Qualifiers tips off today.
Ogoh Odaudu is in Abidjan with the same technical crew, Baba Jubril and Abdulrahman Mohammed. He is confident of a good showing. The roster consists of nine players of the team that represented Nigeria at the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Angola in February this year.
Abdulwahab Yakubu, Israel Otobo and Lekan Olatunji make way for Bayo Oduleye, Tolani Buhari and Abba Adamu Adam.
“We’re not here for sightseeing but strictly for business. Our target is to get the qualification ticket first and then prepare for the bigger battle. Our participation in 2019 was a learning experience and we don’t want to let this opportunity slip off our fingers,” he stated.
Nigeria, finished second from bottom during the maiden edition of the AfroCan in 2019 and the country is eagerly looking forward to returning to the championship in Angola.
The winner of this qualifier will be added to Group A in the 2023 AfroCan alongside Kenya and Gabon. It’s the last qualifying ticket for the 12-nation AfroCan as FIBA Africa will attribute one wildcard to complete the tournament’s line-up.
Host Cote d’Ivoire are the biggest threat to Nigeria picking the ticket in Abidjan.
Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire met twice during the World Cup qualifiers in Abidjan and Luanda.
D’Tigers lost in Abidjan but defeated Cote d’Ivoire in Luanda. D’Tigers also met Guinea on two occasions during the World Cup Qualifiers and they won both games.
At the last AfroCan finals, Cote D’Ivoire were a step above Nigeria on the table while Guinea was first from the rear in 2019. Benin Republic will be hoping to reach the finals for the first time.
The coach of the Cheetahs of Benin Republic, Assad John Kadi, has seven members of Elan Coton Basketball Club, winners of the Benin League to produce the fire power and much needed chemistry for them to succeed at the Qualifiers after two weeks of grueling camping program.
NIGERIA TEAM LIST:
✓ Anaiye Johnson Ojoneka
✓ Anyaoha Wisdom Christian
✓ Ezeh Victor Tochukwu
✓ Oduleye Adebayo Adebola
✓ Chimbuo Chinedu Martins
✓ Afuwape Michael Okiki
✓ Daramola Michael Ilerioluwa
✓ Odufuwa Kanyinsola Joseph
✓ Agu Ibe Abuchi
✓ Koko Victor Anthony
✓ Buhari Tolani Ibrahim
✓ Adamu Adam Abba
COACHES:
✓ Ogoh Odaudu – Head Coach
✓ Baba Jibril – Assistant Coach
✓ Abdulrahman Mohammed – Assistant Coach
Match fixtures
JUNE 30 (Friday)
- Cote d’Ivoire vs Benin
- Nigeria vs Guinea
JULY 01 (Saturday)
- Guinea vs Cote d’Ivoire
- Benin Republic vs Nigeria
JULY 02 (Sunday)
- Cote d’Ivoire vs Nigeria
- Guinea vs Benin Republic
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All’s well that ends well at Lagos International Badminton Classic
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BY JOSEPH ODOEKWU
As the curtain fell on the 7th edition of the Lagos International Badminton Classic, Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat won the topmost prize, the men’s single final after beating India’s Samarveer in a thrilling clash.
He becomes the only non-Indian that clinched gold in the classic, the biggest and best in Africa.
The allure of the Vietnamese is the fact he was just one of the trio from his country and featured at the tournament without a coach.
He lived up to his calling as the number one seed, beating Samarveer 2-1 even though the Indian had two coaches behind him providing him with technical support.
The game started with the Vietnamese winning the first game by 21-10, but things turned around in the second game as the Indian won by 21-18 to drag the Vietnamese into a third game which was filled with thriller as there was tension packed rising and falling of both players.
Though Le Duc Phat took a lead by 21-20, he could still not be declared winner by the umpire because he needed to win by two point’s difference just as the rule states.
A masterly final stroke from the Vietnamese did the magic after he added the final point to win the third game at 22-20.
The victory did not just deny the Indians an opportunity to cart away all the other gold medals available at the tournament, but it also made Le Duc Phat the second Vietnamese to win the men’s single of the Lagos Badminton Classic since Nguyen Tien Minh first won the championship in the 2019 edition.
In the women singles, women doubles, men doubles and mixed doubles, it was an all India affair, as the Asians who are the only foreign country to come to the championship with the highest number of players cleared all gold available in those categories.
In the women’s singles final, Indian’s Shreya Lele feasted on her fellow compatriot Kavipriya Selvam with two straight wins, to become women’s champion from wins of 21-11 and 21-16.
The women’s doubles and men doubles was also an all Indian affair, as a combination of Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi beat the duo of Vaishnavi Khadkekar and Alisha Khan 2-0 (21-11, 21-16 ) to emerge women double champions.
In the men double final, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Vishnuvardhan Goud PANJALA beat the duo of P.S Ravikrishna and Akshan Shetty with 2-0 (21-17,21-19) to win the gold, while the host, Nigeria’s duo of Alhaji Aliyu Shehu and Uchechukwu Deborah Ukeh, who lost in the final of the mixed doubles bowed to Indians duo of Sathwik Reddy Kanapururam and Vaishnavi Khadkehar by 2-0 (21-12,21-14).
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Amusan lost to conservation of strength, says Falilat Ogunkoya
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Nigeria’s first athlete to win an individual track and field medal at the Olympic Games, Falilat Ogunkoya has offered explanations on why Nigeria’s biggest hope for a medal at Paris 2024, Tobi Amusan failed to make the mark.
Falilat who was Nigeria’s first medallist at the Atlanta ‘96 Games won a bronze medal in the women’s 400 m and a silver in the 4x400m.
“I think Tobi Amusan was tensed up. She was restless. I don’t know what really happened to her. She probably was trying to conserve her energy for the medal race and overdid it”, remarked Falilat while trying to explain the third position that the Nigerian brightest prospect had in the Heat 1 of the women’s 100m hurdles race.
Her chance of qualifying was hit a decisive blow when the third and fourth place in the last heat returned better time than the 12.55 seconds of Amusan.
For most of the Nigerian athletes, Falilat is of the opinion that they were probably over confident and in some instances failed to heed to instructions from their Team Nigeria coaches.
“Most prefer to listen only to their foreign coaches. I am not saying they should discard them, but when they come to Team Nigeria, the coaches should be listened to.”
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Next federations’ elections will change the face of Nigerian sports, says minister, Enoh
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Nigeria’s sports minister, John Owan Enoh has stated that a scrutiny of the sports’ federations’ constitution will be conducted, ostensibly to ensure round pegs in round holes.
This is coming on the heels of the glaring zero medal outing Nigeria is about to record as the curtain falls on Paris 2024.
“There will be stiffer scrutiny of the constitutions governing Nigeria’s sporting federations in advance of the forthcoming elections”, the minister remarked in a press statement issued by Diana-Mary Nsan, his special assistant on media.
“We did everything as a Ministry to prepare the athletes adequately and provide them with every financial support but unfortunately the performance has not produced any podium finish.”
He continued, “As we go back home we must do everything to prevent future occurrence of the Paris disaster and if this will entail the review of how people are elected to lead our sporting Federations, it will be done.”
Emphasizing the importance of upcoming federations’ elections, Senator Enoh noted, “I know that elections into the Federations are coming and it will be the perfect platform to get only those who have something to offer to lead the various sports.”
Reflecting on the complexity of these elections, he added, “I am aware that the Sports Federations Elections in Nigeria are even tougher than our National Elections and you will begin to ask yourself why is it so.”
The Minister concluded, “So for me as a Minister it is important I supervise an Elections where only the best hands will lead the various Federations and I also understand that in some of the Federations their constitutions will need to be reviewed for better inclusion.”
This call for reform aims to enhance the leadership and effectiveness of Nigeria’s sports federations, paving the way for improved performance on the global stage.
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