Basketball
WITH PLANS FOR 109 COURTS, BASKETBALL BOARD THANKS NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT
The Nigeria Basketball Federation has thanked the Federal Government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports for its support to funding and approval of its programs which has seen the continued rise of the game in Nigeria.
During a courtesy call on the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare upon arrival from the 2021 Afrobasket qualifiers in Rwanda, the federation said the unparalleled support has made administering basketball easier.
Represented by its President, Musa Kida on Tuesday, the board said, it was there to appreciate and brief the Minister and other high ranking Ministry officials about their Kigali experience and convey the goodwill messages of the coaching crew and players to the minister.
“I came here to personally brief the Honourable Minister about Kigali. Kigali was the first window for Afrobasket 2021 qualifiers.
“I brought in very glad tidings of our successes in beating all the teams we faced, but more importantly I brought the glad tidings of NBBF and the new Technical crew headed by Mike Brown from the Golden States Warriors.
“He is looking forward to meeting the minister. He understood very clearly with his team that the minister had to stay for more urgent national matters but he asked me specifically to send a very personal message
“As we all know, Mike Brown is one of the best coaches in the world, but additionally, I came to personally thank the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports for allowing the Permanent Secretary to also represent him in Kigali which he did ably.
“For us, it shows the support that we have consistently enjoyed from the ministry and the government and we look forward to the continued support.”
In his repose, the Minister commended the NBBF board for putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians as he declared that basketball has come to stay in Nigeria.
“Beyond football, Nigerians have talents and competence in other sports. Our ascendancy in basketball is no longer stoppable. It has been proven; we are African champions in both the men and women with both qualifying for the Olympics.
“It has never happened before. Beyond football and athletics, clearly, basketball as a game has arrived in this country and we are a dominant force in the world.
“We are happy because we are in the hands of good administrators and managers of our teams because beyond the talents we put together, you also need people to manage them. These are the people that have set their eyes on greater glory, podium performance and I am sure so many other Nigerians join basketball revolution”, Dare said.
He seized the occasion to announce a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Sports and the NBBF to have at least one basketball court in each senatorial district across the country.
For him, it is essential that kids in the nooks and crannies of the country find an avenue to chase their dreams as well as targeting the long term dominance of Nigeria on the global stage.
He promised that under his watch, basketball will witness a revolution that will transcend the national team centred around objective grassroots basketball development.
“We hope to start a project to have at least one basketball court in at least one senatorial district in the country through private and public participation. That is a commitment that is being chaired by the NBBF and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
On when the project will likely start, Dare said, “By January, 2021, we should have a template of how this will run, how the funding will be received, how it will be implemented and how those our young ones in primary and secondary schools, villages and some of these senatorial districts can just stroll into a basketball court and make basketball a culture. That is what happens in America.”
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Basketball
God wins with Godwin Enakhena as MFM are crowned NBBF-Zenith Women’s Basketball Champions
Godwin Enakhena, a multi-tasked journalist and sports administrator has expressed great happiness as one of his pet tasks has yielded fruits.
He is the man behind the scenes as the MFM Women’s basketball team again emerged as the NBBF-Zenith women’s Basketball League champions.
It is a back-to-back victory and the team will represent Nigeria at the West African zonal qualifiers for the continental championship. They are joined by runners-up, Customs for the Zone 3 competition holding in Liberia from 29 October.
The founder of Christian Ministry that owns the sports outfit, Dr Daniel Olukoya is excited about the feat of the club and has promised his continued support.
It is gathered that youth empowerment through sports is one of the clergyman’s 70-point youth repositioning agenda.
He’s happy that his support has taken the girls out of the streets and got them involved in profitable ventures.
Enakhena narrates the hidden story of the MFM Women’s Basketball Club. “When I birthed this dream about six years ago, it was to key into the vision of MFM General Overseer’s 70-point youth repositioning agenda.
“He spends millions of naira on 70 different projects for the youths and sports happens to be one.
“From free tuition to free accommodation and other empowerment programmes etc. “
“As my name implies, (Godwin), I like to win always because I give anything I do my all, and I mean my very best and I leave the rest to God.
“I thank Dr Olukoya and his wife for this, the players who are the most important persons, the coaches and other backroom staff, my colleagues in the media for your support. I won’t forget all my well-wishers. Power to the Girl-Child. God bless you all.”
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.
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