For all street basketball enthusiast, 3x3 basketball on the FIBA Schedule is categorized into Pro Circuit (Clubs) and Championships (National Teams). The highest tournament for these categories are the 3x3 World Tour and the 3x3 World Championship respectively.

The 2016 FIBA 3x3 World Championship which is the 3rd edition of the tournament is scheduled to hold in Guangzhou, China, just outside the Tianhe Sport Complex with a view on the iconic 600-metre tall Canton Tower next week from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 October. This is the first time the competition travels to Asia after being staged in Athens, Greece in 2012 and Moscow, Russia in 2014.

The World Championship � a combination of both male and female � will feature 40 teams (20 men`s and 20 women`s) from 28 different countries and every continent. Asides the defending champions � USA (women) and Qatar (men) � and the host nation China who all qualify automatically, the other participating teams qualify based on the FIBA 3x3 Federation Ranking of each National Federation. Egypt is the only participating team from Africa and they will feature in the men�s event. Africa will not be represented in the women�s event. 

Egypt will play alongside Indonesia, Andorra, Slovenia and Uruguay in Pool B. Egypt feature in the maiden edition of the World Championship in 2012 in Athens, Greece. Their journey ended in the Round of 16 as they were defeated by host Greece (15-12). They were not seeded for Russia 2014. Tunisia represented Africa at the 2014 event and also ended their campaign and the round of 16. 

Unites States� women won both in Greece and Russia. Image - FIBA

In the men`s ranking, Nigeria is ranked 80th below Egypt, Tunisia, Mali, Angola and Ghana while we are not on the women�s ranking. According to the FIBA 3x3 Ranking System, a nation�s ranking is dependent on the number of registered 3x3 players and their accumulated points among other things. For Nigeria to participate in 3x3 Global Tournament, we need more 3x3 players, more 3x3 tournaments.

The Lagos 3x3 Tour tips off in 30 days and registration closes in 10 days. You have the opportunity to put your name on the world 3x3 ranking. Go register now.

In July last year, the BballNaija Newsletter focused on 3x3 Basketball andFIBA�s effort in promoting this form of basketball all over the world. 3x3 basketball combines fun and flexibility; and it provides a platform for players to go from the street to world stage.

Many 3x3 Quest, Challenger and Tours are being organised across the world. Qatar and France recently won the 2016 FIBA3x3 U18 World Championship (Male and Female) respectively. The 2016 FIBA3x3 World Championships will take place in Guangzhou, China in October.

Nigeria will not be left behind in 3x3 basketball.

Be a part of the Lagos 3x3 Tour coming up in November by registering onwww.streetball.com.ng The Lagos 3x3 Tour is open to both male and female between the ages of 18 and 35; and will take place in 4 different locations across Lagos � Ilupeju, Yaba, Ikeja and Ikoyi.

You have the opportunity to put your name on the world 3x3 ranking. Let the games begin. #Lagos3x3Tour

The Division 2 Championship is the second-tier basketball competition in Nigeria. It is one of the routes of getting into the Premier Basketball League as the winners of both the Atlantic and Savannah teams will be promoted to Division 1.

The 2016 edition will tip off at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium Abuja on Friday 30 September 2016. 

The participating teams include � Raptors Academy, Gilali Academy, Impression Basketball Academy, Pearls Academy, Suleja Hornets, Gboko City Chiefs, Solid Heat Nasarawa, Ogun Pacers, Titan Stars, Jigawa Rocks, Harmony Blazers, Sharp Shooter, Jewels Bulls and Divine Favour.

All the best to the participating teams. 

The 2016 Edition of the 3x3 Hoops for Women organised by the AdaMark Foundation for Girls is set to tip off on Saturday 12 November 2016 at the Package B, Outdoor Basketball Court of the National Stadium, Abuja.

Each registered team is expected to have 3 female and 1 male in the team. Registration is N10,000 per team and more than N300,000 is available as prize money. 

For travelling teams, accommodation is free. Contact 08026165966 or adamarkf4g@gmail.com

Nneka Ogwumike wins her first MVP Award, makes it number 3 for Los Angeles Sparks. 

Nneka (362 points) received 31 of 39 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, finishing above Tina Charles of the New York Liberty, Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx, Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky and teammate Candace Parker.

Nneka is a three-time WNBA All-Star and 2012 WNBA Rookie of the Year. She was named Western Conference Player of the Week six times and Western Conference Player of the Month this season.

She shot a WNBA-best 66.5% from the field this season, the second-highest mark of all time, and set league records for consecutive field goals made (23) and most field goals in a game without a miss (12, against the Dallas Wings on June 11).  She also ranked third in the league in scoring (career-high 19.7 ppg) and rebounding (career-high 9.1 rpg) and recorded the second-most double-doubles (18).  

The former Stanford University standout added career highs in assists (3.1 apg) and blocks (1.2 bpg) to go with 1.3 steals in 33 games.

She truly is an MVP. 

As announced by the President and Governor of the Denver Nuggets basketball franchise, Josh Kroenke, the team will retire former legend Dikembe Mutombo�s #55 jersey on Saturday Oct 29 2016, the opening night of the 2016/17 NBA Season. He will become the fifth player and sixth representative in team history to have his number enshrined in the rafters

Dikembe was drafted fourth overall by Denver Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft and he played with Nuggets from then till 1996 when he left for Atlanta Hawks as a free agent.  As a member of the Nuggets, he was a three-time NBA All-Star (�92, �95 and �96), three-time NBA blocked shots leader (�93-94, �94-95, �95-96), named Defensive Player of the Year in �94-95 and was instrumental in helping the Nuggets become the first eighth-seeded team to defeat a number one seed in NBA Playoff history. 

Mutombo still remains the Nuggets all-time leader in blocked shots (1,486)

Dikembe�s humanitarian projects makes him as popular off the court as he was on the court. He created the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, opened the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007 and has been one of the leaders of the Basketball Without Borders program in Africa for over 15 years.

Dikembe Mutombo was made an NBA Global Ambassador in 2009 and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2015.

Congratulations Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo, the true son of Congo

Division 1 debutant - Anambra Flames - started on a very good note, scoring the most points on day 1. They won their first game against Nigeria AirForce (NAF) Rockets 76 - 42.

Newly promoted Nigerian Army basketball team started well yesterday with a slim victory over the Dashion Mambas. The game ended 54 - 53.

The Osun State (OS) Lions`s first game did not go as they planned. They were defeated with 18points by Police Baton. Final scores was 39 - 57.

Tough luck for Ondo Raiders as they fell to Hoops & Read 51 - 58

Other results from Day 1 of the Division 1 Championship are;

Yobe Desert 20 - 0 Zamfara Shooters (Walkover)

Civil Defense 56 - 48 Abuja All Stars

Police Bombers 70 - 62 Raptors Academy

Three teams will be promoted to the DSTV Premier Basketball League from the Atlantic Conference and one from the Savannah Conference. Action continues at the indoor sports hall of the National Stadium, Abuja.

At the beginning of the 2015 season of the DSTV Premier Basketball League, in an attempt to improve the quality of basketball in the team and to gain supremacy in the league, Lagos Islanders signed US-born Ben Uzoh. And boy, did their game change.

Ben Uzoh became the face of the Islanders who moved to Landmark Village as their home court. He led the team to a 12-2 run during the regular season and a Conference Playoff victory with a 5-0 finish.

Ben Uzoh had to join the DTigers` camp for the 2015 Afrobasket Tournament and the team felt his absence. They could not advance pass the group stage at the Final Eight Playoffs, losing the chance to qualify for Continental Championship and finishing 8th on the Final Standings.

Ben Uzoh at a game against Oluyole Warriors. Image � TCD Photography                                                                                                             

Lagos Islanders is one of the three teams suspended from the DSTV Premier Basketball League because of their involvement in the African Basketball League (ABL). Ben Uzoh did not play for the Lagos Islanders team in the African Basketball League.

Today we celebrate Ben Uzoh. To Lagos Islanders fans, who is the new face of the team?

Kwara Falcons� Best Finish in franchise history!

Not only did the Kwara Falcons finished overall fourth � their best finish in franchise history, they also won Fair Play Team of the year and we witnessed a stellar performance from their star player Wilfred Romeo.

Their target was to qualify for the continental tournaments. They aimed for the moon and fell on the stars. What would they aim for next season?

Mark Mentors� �tanked�!

Mark Mentors failed to qualify for the PBL Final Four Playoffs. The first time they won�t qualify since they joined the league 4 seasons ago. They are rumoured to have financial problems which lead to some of their key players leaving the club at the beginning of the season.

Is this the end of the road for Mark Mentors or will they come back bigger and better?

The Return of the Hoopers!

The Rivers Hoopers returned to the league with the objective of becoming champions again but they fell short. They couldn�t get past Kano Pillars at the semis of the Final Four playoffs.

Regardless, they did well. Will 2017 season be better for them?

Kano Pillars Crowned Again

Kano Pillars were again crowned champions of the DSTV Premier Basketball League making it their fifth title in the new era. The won in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014.

Are the Pillars truly unstoppable? Who can stop them?

Customs made Lagos proud

For the first time in the history of the Customs basketball Club, they made it to the finals of the DSTV Premier Basketball League and will represent the country at the continental club tournaments. Being the only club from Lagos in the 2016 season, they made Lagos fans proud. Would they have achieved this feat if the other three teams from Lagos weren�t banned from the league? Are they prepared for basketball outside Nigeria?

As we countdown to the 2016 Division 1 Championship, teams are beginning to prepare the best way they can. The Osun State basketball team (OS Lions) started with the usual ritual - a plea to sport lovers and philanthropist to sponsor their trip to the championship scheduled to tip off on the 16^th of November in Abuja.

Coach Ayo Bakare earlier this month, sensitised all players who played for Comets Basketball Team last year or other players who would love to, to stand by for further information as regards representing the team this year. Comets came very close to clinching the Atlantic Conference DSTV PBL ticket at last year�s Division 1 Championship but Rivers Hoopers were better. Will this year be Comets� year?

Olumide Oyedeji�s Hoops & Read will return to the Division 1 this year having missed last year�s championship. They have started preparing by inviting young aspiring basketball players for tryout at the Lagos State Sports Complex (Rowe Park), Yaba. The Raptors Basketball Team practice all year round, so it is safe to assume that they are well prepared for the tournament.

We are not so sure if the commissioning of a new basketball upright at the Nigerian AIrforce Base in Markurdi is an indication of the return of the NAF Base Hawks to the championship. But we should expect proper representation from Benue State � APA Flames and Benue Braves.

Will the winners of the Abuja City League - The Civil Defenders � participate in the 2016 Division 1 Championship? Will they seek an opportunity to play on a bigger platform � The DSTV PBL? Will the Police Baton and FCT Rocks fight a chance of return? If Police Baton does, will we have two Police teams in the Championship � Police Bombers and Police Baton � or will they be merged into Police 2.0?

Niger Potter at the Division 1 Championship

Although, there have been appeals from several corners � formal, informal, personal � to the Nigeria Basketball League to recall the teams banned last year for their affiliation with the ABL � Lagos (Dodan) Warriors, Stallion Basketball (Union Bank) and Lagos Islanders � to the DSTV PBL, no official statement has been released by the NBBF on this. However, if we take the invitation letter sent by the NBBF to various teams as a communication of its intention, it does not look like three teams will be recalled. At least, not through the Division 1 Championship.

If the three teams are not recalled to the Premier Basketball League, three slots will be available for Atlantic Conference teams in the PBL. Will this make the 2016 Division 1 Championship more interesting or do we risk a further drop in the quality of basketball in the Atlantic Conference of the DSTV Premier Basketball League?

As we countdown to the 2016 Division 1 Champions; let the preparation begins, let the questions pile up and let the anticipation and excitement build up.

The Nigeria Basketball Federation has announced that the 2016 Division 1 Championship will tip off on Friday 18th November 2016 at the indoor sports hall of the National Stadium, Abuja.

The full schedule of the tournament is as follows;

Arrival: 16th November.

Technical Meeting: 17th November.

Games: 18th � 26th November.

Departure: 27th November.

All teams are expected to attend the Technical Meeting as absent teams will not be included in the tournament fixtures. 

The Division 1 Championship is the second-tier league in Nigeria as the top two teams from the event gets promoted into the DSTV Premier Basketball League. Last year, Rivers Hoopers and Niger Potters topped the Atlantic and Savannah Group respectively and were promoted back into the premier league.

We are only about 4 days before the 2016 Division 1 Championship and teams from Lagos are already preparing rigorously for the championship. We can confirm that these three teams � Comets, Raptors Academy and Hoops&Read �will participate in the event.

Anyone that has been to the Lagos State Sport Complex (Rowe Park) lately will witness these team prepare rigorously for the tournament. Comets Basketball played a friendly games with the VGC All-Stars and Raptors Academy. Raptors Academy also played with Hoops & Read Basketball Team.

Asides their game with Raptors Academy, Hoops & Read have also played against VGC All Stars and are scheduled to play against selected players of the Oyo State Basketball Team.

The Division 1 Championship is expected to tip off in Abuja on Friday 18 November. May the best teams win.

FIBA Africa Zone 3 Qualifiers. Image � Titans Basketball

Kano Pillars yesterday defeated their Niger�s AS Nigelec at the FIBA Africa Clubs Championship qualifiers in Togo, securing a ticket to the 31st FIBA Africa Club Champions Cup scheduled for 8 � 17 December in Cairo, Egypt.

The Nigerian league champions have won all four games played so far against Elan Sportiff (Benin Republic), Modele (Togo), AS Nigelec (Niger) and Nigerian Customs. Regardless of the outcome of the last game against the ASPAC (Benin Republic), Pillars have picked on of the two tickets available for Zone 3 at the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup. They join other teams who have already qualified including Uganda�s City Oilers (Zone 5).

The 2016 Club Champions Cup is the 31th Edition of the continental championship and it will be Kano Pillar�s 5th consecutive appearance since 2012. The Pillars have not won a medal in the continental championship in over 20yrs.

There will be a huge pressure on the Pillars in Egypt. Confirming this, team�s Head Coach, Coach Sani Ahmed noted �The task ahead of us in Egypt is not one we are taking lightly. The players and management know we will face a huge task when we go for the final round and as such there won�t be any rest�

Coach Sani Ahmed. Image - Titans

Will this year be their year?

At the last two FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup for Women, FirstBank Basketball Team failed to advance to the finals after losing their semifinal games both years. They also lost the 3rd place games, finishing fourth on both occasions, The Elephant Girls now have another shot at glory as they qualify for the 31st FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup for Women in Mozambique. Will the third time be a charm for them?

The team, who reclaimed their national title from Dolphins Basketball Team earlier this year, won all four group games against Togo�s Etoile Filante and Niger�s STT SC. They are the only Nigerian representative at the zonal qualifiers as Dolphins did not participate. First Bank and Etoile Filante will represent Zone 3 at the Continental Championship in Mozambique.

The last time the team won a medal at the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup for Women was in 2011 when they won a silver medal. Will they repeat this or aim to do better this year?

At the last two FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup for Women, FirstBank Basketball Team failed to advance to the finals after losing their semifinal games both years. They also lost the 3rd place games, finishing fourth on both occasions, The Elephant Girls now have another shot at glory as they qualify for the 31st FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup for Women in Mozambique. Will the third time be a charm for them?

The team, who reclaimed their national title from Dolphins Basketball Team earlier this year, won all four group games against Togo�s Etoile Filante and Niger�s STT SC. They are the only Nigerian representative at the zonal qualifiers as Dolphins did not participate. First Bank and Etoile Filante will represent Zone 3 at the Continental Championship in Mozambique.

The FirstBank Team. Image Cred � Titans Basketball

The last time the team won a medal at the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup for Women was in 2011 when they won a silver medal. Will they repeat this or aim to do better this year?

For clubs playing in the leagues organised by country�s National Basketball Federations in Africa, the highest achievement is winning the FIBA Africa Champions Cup. The Champions Cup (both Men and Women�s) is an annual event that features top teams from member countries.

To participate in the Championship, representatives of each member country need to play in a Zonal Qualifier. Since Nigeria is grouped in Zone 3 along with Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote DIvoire, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, and Togo; our top clubs participate in the Zone 3 Champions Cup qualifiers.

This year�s zonal competition, hosted by the Togolese Basketball Federation, tipped off on Saturday 22 October in capital city Lome, featuring 9 teams (6 male&3 female) from 4 countries � Togo, Niger, Benin Republic and Nigeria. This is similar to last year�s qualifiers where only 10 teams from 4 countries participated.

Nigeria is represented by Kano Pillars, Customs and First Bank. Runners � up of the Zenith Bank Women�s Basketball League � Dolphins � did not participate. We understand that most of their key players left the club � either to further their studies or to other clubs � and the team could not put a proper team together in time for the qualifiers.

Nigeria Customs Basketball Team. Image Cred - Titans

The teams will play against other group teams in a round robin format with the top two teams qualifying for the Champions Cup scheduled to hold in Egypt later this year. The male team have played one game each so far with Kano Pillars defeating Benin Republic�s Elan Sportif while Customs lost to ASPAC from Benin. The Elephant Girls of First Bank had an impressive outing with 76 � 43 victory against Togo�s Etoile Filante.

Customs and Kano Pillars are scheduled to play their second group games later this afternoon against Elan Sportif and Modele (Togo) respectively.

Last year, Nigeria teams clinched all four slots at the zonal qualifiers. Can they repeat the same feat this year?

Having won all their 7 games played so far, it is safe to assume that the Hoops & Read Basketball Team will finish top of the Atlantic Conference at the ongoing Division One Championship, thereby clinching a spot on the DSTV Premier Basketball League.

The worse scenario for Hoops & Read is losing their last group game and finishing with 15points (7-1). This will put them head to head with Police Baton (assuming Police Baton wins their next two games) where Hoops & Read have an advantage having defeated Police Baton 81 � 70.

Simply put � Hoops & Read�s worst possible outcome will be better than the best possible outcome for other teams in the Atlantic Conference.

The last time Hoops & Read participate in the Division One Championship was in 2014 where they finished with the same points as Delta Force but lost the top spot based on the head-to-head rule.

We welcome Hoops & Read to the DSTV Premier Basketball Team. Like the Hoops & Read page and drop a congratulatory message for them.

First Bank held off Groupement Sportif des Petroliers from a comeback after blowing a Q1 12point lead. The Sportif des Petroliers came alive in the second quarter to reduce the lead to a 4 point difference at the end of Q2. They took the lead in Q3 finishing just one point above First Bank.

Sportif des Petroliers led into the final 10secs of the game, but Upe Atosu`s 3pt shot with 9sec left and Silva Rodriguuez`s buzzer beating shot were enough to give the First Bank team the much needed win.

Upe Atosu, Nkechi Akashili and Chioma Udeaja had a combined 47 points for FirstBank while Mireille Muganza Nyota led scorers for Groupement Sportif Des Petroliers with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

The other Group B game played between United State International University and Premiero Agosto ended 98 � 41 in favour of the Angolan side. They have won 2 of their 3 group games played so far and are ranked second on the Group B table behind Premeiro D�Agosto.

First Bank Team�s Upe Atosu

FirstBank will play their 4th group game against United State International University (Kenya) on Wednesday.

The Elephant Girls of First Bank played their first group game of the 2016 FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women against Desportos D�A�Politecnic yesterday in Mozambique.

The game was closely contested in the first two quarters with the game tied at 34-34 at half time. However, First Bank pulled away in the 3^rd quarter recording the largest lead in the game with 13points.

The game ended 65-59 with Upe Atosu leading the scorers for the Nigerian team with 18points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, followed closely by Chioma Udeaja�s 12points and 2 rebounds. Nilza Chiziane led the scorers for Clube Desportos D�A�Politecnica with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists, the only double double of the game.

First Bank Team

The other group B game played was between Premiero D�Agosto and Groupement Sportif De Petroliers. It ended 74 � 57 in favour of D�Agosto.

First Bank is scheduled to play against Premiero D�Agosto later today.

First Bank basketball team cruised pass Kenya�s United State International University in their fourth and final group game of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women. The game finished 77 � 33 with first bank dominating all four quarters.

Nkechi Akashili (10pts, 4 reb), Nkem Akaraiwe (14pts, 1 reb) and Chioma Udeaja (16pts, 4 reb) led the scorers for First Bank. DTigress� centre � Olayinka Sanni � who finally joined the team finished with 2points and 3 rebounds.

The team ends the group stage with a 3 � 1 record, finishing second behind Desportivo Premeiro D�Agosto. They will meet FAP Basketball Team of Cameroon in their Quarter Final game tomorrow.

The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Africa U23 World Championship qualifiers will tip off today 7th December 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Four countries including Nigeria will participate in the qualifiers. The other three countries are Algeria, Zimbabwe and hosts South Africa.

Here is the game schedule for Nigeria;

7 Dec - Algeria vs Nigeria

8 Dec (Morning) - South Africa vs Nigeria

8 Dec (Evening) - Nigeria vs Zimbabwe

All the best to the Nigerian Wheelchair Basketball Team

Kano Pillars understood that they had to win their game against GSP for them to stand a chance to win any medal at the continental tournament and they played like they understood.

Although the first half ended with the Algerian side leading with 3 points (36 � 39), the tables were turned around in the third quarter. Kano Pillars took charge on the last two quarters of the game, winning with a 10 point difference (91 � 81)

Abubakar Usman finished with tournament high � 35points � and a +24 efficiency rate. Abdul Yahaya and Ejike Ugboaja followed closed behind with 17pts and 15pts respectively. Mustapha Adrar finished with 16pts, 3 rebounds to emerge as top performer for Groupement Sportif Des Petroliers. 

Kano Pillars will play their semifinal game against host, Al Ahly Sport Club. Their first encounter at the group stage ended 92 - 76 in Al Ahly`s favour. Can Pillars` get a win this time?

The two other teams that made it to the semifinal include CD Libolo and AS Sale 

Sisters, Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike have been elected as Women�s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Players� union executive council members. Nneka will serve as president while her younger sister will serve as one of the vice presidents. 

Nneka who succeeds Indiana Fever�s small forward Tamika Catchings who has served as president since 2004, will hold the position for 3 years. She was vice president for two year under Tamika which might be a reason she ran for the presidency unopposed. 

Nneka was announced as the 2016 league MVP last week and she seem excited at the opportunity to represent the players. In her words �I am looking forward to serving as Executive Committee President and having a voice that will be heard, while representing, collaborating with, and leading our players� 

In her message to Associated Press, Chiney stated �I`m thrilled to team up with my sister again, this time representing the best interests of the best women`s basketball players in the world, both on and off the court. Our league is a sisterhood, and our goal is to continue to expand our unique platform from the locker room to the greater community�

The sisters will be joined on the executive committee by Layshia Clarendon, Monique Currie, and Monica Wright. 

We wish the sisters the best as they continue to fly the Nigerian flag high. 

Wheelchair basketball is a special form of basketball played by a special set of people. It is no surprise therefore when we feel a special type of excitement watching wheelchair basketball. Not only is the game super intense, the level of co-ordination and multitasking involved makes it more interesting to watch.

Saturday 8 October 12, 2016 was the final day of the 5th Edition of the Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship and the final games we as exciting as expected. 

The day started with the 3rd place game between home team, Lagos and the Ghanaian team. Lagos and Ghana were defeated in the semifinals by Oyo and Kano respectively. Ghana won the 3rd place by 25 � 11, picking up a medal for the first time in the history of the tournament.

Women�s defending champions Delta retained their title after winning the final game against Edo. The women�s games are played as in the 3x3 format � half court, 3 players, 10 minutes only. 

The main event � the men�s final � delivered a very memorable experience with a very close and breathe taking game between Kano and Oyo. To show how close the game was, the two teams maintained a 2-3 point margin for the entire first two quarters. The lead was extended to 4 points 6 minutes into the 3rd quarter.

The game ended 37 � 31 in favour of the Oyo team.  

If you have not witnessed any wheelchair basketball game, you are missing a great deal. It is super intense and super exciting to watch, and we can�t help but commend the sponsor, Rt Hon Victor Ochei and the Nigerian Wheelchair Basketball Federation under the leadership of Hon Bukola Olapade for putting this wonderful event together.

With the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation actively promoting sport, we hope to see Nigeria participate on the world stage very soon.

With 4secs left on the shot clock and no time-outs left for both teams, Nneka made a difficult clutch shot to put the Los Angeles Sparks ahead of Minnesota Lynx at 77 � 76. That was enough to win the game for the Sparks and to put a dagger right into the hearts of the Minnesota Lynx fans who were all clad in green.

This will be the team�s first championship victory in 14 years having won the 2002 Championship and the first for both Candance Parker and Nneka Ogwumike. The final game in the 5-Game series was the second with less than two point margin. The first game finished 78-76 in favour of the Sparks. In JayZ�s words �Grand opening, grand closing�

This victory came few weeks after she was announced as the Most Valuable Player of the 2016 WNBA season and few days after she was elected as president of the WNBA Players� Union.

Nneka�s 2016 highlights include All-Defensive First Team, All-WNBA First Team, MVP and WNBA Champion. We are proud of you Nneka, continue to shine.

At the 2015 All Star Game of the DSTV Premier Basketball League, the only all -star player that received a standing ovation from everyone in the arena when he was introduced was Tunji Awojobi. That moment stamped his legendary status.

Tunji played college basketball with Boston University where he established over 11 records including points, rebounds, shot blocked and field goals. In the 96/67 season, he lead Boston University to a record 25 victories. He was inducted into the Boston University Hall of Fame in 2002.

He played professional basketball in Europe, winning the ULEB Cup (now Eurocup Basketball) with Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club in 2004. He was part of the Nigeria team (DTigers) that won the first medal (Bronze) at the 1995 Afrobasket. He also represented Nigeria in other tournaments including 2006 FIBA World Championship.

At the beginning of the 2015 DSTV PBL, he returned to the league as a way to encourage the young players and grow the league. He joined Lagos based club - Lagos Islanders. He also joined the coaching crew of Dolphins Female Basketball Team that won the Zenith Bank Female League.

Tunji Awojobi a legend, today we celebrate him.

Following their remarkable performance at the just concluded FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women in Mozambique, the leadership of the Nigerian Basketball Federation has sent congratulatory message to the management of the club

In the letter signed by the NBBF President, Tijani Umar, the NBBF recognized and commended the bank�s relentless commitment to continue to provide opportunities to young women to better their lives through basketball.

Here is the full content of the letter; 

�The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) wishes to heartily congratulate the players, staff and management of First Bank Basketball Club (Elephant Girls) for ably representing Nigeria and clinching the bronze medal in the just concluded FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women in Maputo, Mozambique. 

Your club has been in the forefront of Nigerian Women Basketball in the last two decades and from this recent result, look set to lead into the future. We identify with the relentless commitment to continue to provide opportunities to young women to better their lives through basketball.

We wish you many more success and look forward to a useful collaboration in our mutual effort to fully integrate women in our public life through basketball.

Congratulations.�

We join the NBBF in congratulating the management of the club.

The Nigerian U23 wheelchair basketball team had an impressive performance at the U23 World Championship qualifiers by making it to the finals where they played against host country, South Africa. Sadly, their performance was not good enough to get them a ticket to the World Championship scheduled for next year.

Four teams were expected to participate in the qualifiers � Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa and Algeria. However, only three showed up as Algeria could not make it. The Nigerian team play two round robin games against each team with South Africa winning with 3 points on both occasion. Nigeria�s best game of the tournament was against Zimbabwe. They won convincingly with 36 points. The game ended 65 � 29.

The South African team won the final game against Nigeria to secure a spot on the U23 World Championship, the only one available for Africa. The final game ended 48 � 36.

We are proud of the Nigeria team for their performance. Without a doubt, they have what it takes to be Africa�s powerhouse in wheelchair basketball, a post currently occupied by South Africa. We only need more investment in wheelchair basketball in form of training equipment and facilities, better player welfare and more tournaments. 

The major wheelchair basketball tournament organised in the country at the moment is the Hon Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.

The Lagos Islanders Basketball Team is known for setting the pace in Nigerian basketball. From being one of the first basketball team in Nigeria, producing a lot of basketball veteran and legends to becoming the first basketball team to have its own home court, charge a fee for basketball games and sell merchandise to fans.

Lagos Islanders recorded another first yesterday with the announcement of its new General Manager, Adekunle Binuyo. The first in the history of the sport franchise. Until his appointment, Adekunle was managing partner and editor of BasketballWithinBorder.

As the General Manager, Adekunle will be in charge of team management, public relations, marketing, general administration and day to day operations.  

In response to questions concerning the team�s choice of GM, President and co-owner of Lagos Islanders, Damoye Oyesike said; 

�Our hiring of Kunle signifies the new direction of Lagos Islanders to make our franchise the premier basketball brand in Africa and to encourage fan participation across all platforms targeting new trends with millennial`

We wish him the best in his new role.

Image Cred - BasketballWithinBorders

Coach Ayodele Bakare a.k.a The Oracle sends sincere and hearty congratulations to Hoops & Read Basketball Team

His words;

`With two days still to go in the tournament and a game in hand, Hoops and Read Basketball team have already sealed their position as the 2016 Atlantic Conference Division One champions, and thus an automatic promotion to play in the 2017 NBBF Premiere League.

To dominate the tournament in such emphatic style is a testimony to the vision and investment of their management; and the hard work, dedication and discipline of their players.

I wish the entire management and team the best of luck in their quest to win the Division One Finals and thus become the outright Division One National Champions. That would be a deserved `icing on the cake` and hopefully a veritable launching pad for what is hoped to be a team that would rejuvenate and reinvigorate the Atlantic Conference of the NBBF Premier League.

The Oracle congratulates you and wishes you the best in your future endeavours`

Coach Bakare�s basketball team � Comets � also participated in the Division One Championship. They were defeated by Hoops & Read 56 � 73 and they finished overall 7th in Atlantic Conference. 

We join Coach Bakare in welcoming Hoops & Read to the big league.

Going into the third place game against two time champions � Premeiro D�Agosto, the First Bank Basketball knew what was at stake. They needed to win the game to break a two year jinx and a five year medal drought. 

The last time First Bank won a medal was in 2011 when Nigeria hosted the continental championship. They finished behind Interclube. Also, in the last two edition, First Bank finished fourth place, losing both semi-final and third place games. 

Angolan side Premeiro D�Agosto took the lead and controlled the game in the first two quarters. However, a second half rally from the Elephant Girls was enough to lift them past Agosto. The game ended 62 � 54.

Chioma Udeaja led the scorers for First Bank with 11pts and 8 rebs. Nkechi Akashili and Magdalene Ukato followed closely with 14pts and 12pts respectively. Leia Dongue led Premeiro D�Agosto with 17pts, 6 rebounds.

We congratulate the players, coaching staff and entire management of the team for their victory. 

Kano PIllars suffer a massive blow out against Club de African as they lost by 40 points in their first game in the 2016 FIBA Africa Champions Cup. The game ended 47 - 87.

The Tunisian side dominated the game from start to finish winning all four quarters. They shot well than the Pillars; shooting 59% 2-point field goal, 53% 3-point field goal and 69% free throw compared to Pillars� 34%, 13% and 43% respectively. 

Although Abubakar Usman finished with 16points, Dele Ademola was the top performer for Pillars with a +14 efficiency rate. Dele finished with 5 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. Kyle Vinales finished as top performer for Club Africain with 18points, 1 Rebound and 6 assists.

The other Group A game between host Al Ahly and Nzui Manto finished in favour of the host club 82 � 53. Pillars� next group game is on Saturday 10 December against Cameroon�s Nzui Manto Basketball Club. 

A stellar performance by Abubakar Usman and a fourth quarter rally by Kano Pillars� pushed the team pass their Angolan counterparts Premeiro D Agosto in their third group game.

The fourth quarter started with Pillars down by 5points but they closed the gap to win the game with 4points. The game ended 83 � 79. Abubakar Usman, Abdul Yahaya and Ejike Ugboaja had a combined 52 points. Islando Manuel finished top performer for Premiero Agosto.  

With this victory, the Pillars qualify for the semifinal regardless of the outcome of their last group game.

In the other Group A game, Nzui Manto lost to Club Africain De Tunisia 77 -79. Pillars� next group game is on Monday 12 December against host club Al Ahly Sports Club. 

Kano Pillars� held on to their second quarter performance to secure their first victory at the continental championship against Cameroon�s Nzui Manto. 

Pillars improved on their game 1 shooting performance to seal the game. They shot 52% with the arc, 36% outside and 59% from the free throw line compared to their opponent�s 40%, 33% and 58% respectively. 

Four of the nine Pillars players who played the game had double digit points including additions � Stanley Gumut, Ejike Ugboaja and Romeo Wilfred. The four of had a combined 53 points with Abdul Yahaya finishing as top performer with 20pts, 6 rebs, 3 assists.

Etienne Kalume emerged top performer for Nzui Manto with 22pts, 5 rebounds and 3 assists 

In the other Group A game, Al Ahly won Angolan side � Premiero De Agosto 68 � 64 to top the group. Pillars� next group game is on Sunday 11 December against Premiero De Agosto. 

It was more than a physical and technical game for Kano Pillars. It was also a mental game as they played against the host club � Al Ahly Sports Club.  The arena was filled with Al Ahly fans who sang, chanted and cheered on their team on the top of their voice. 

Al Ahly dominated the first three quarters lead with up to 34 points during the game. Kano Pillars fought the intimidation in the fourth quarter but it was a little too late. The game ended 76 � 92 in Al Ahly�s favour.

The usual suspects - Abubakar Usman, Abdul Yahaya and Ejike Ugboaja - finished with double digit points with 14pts, 14pts and 19pts respectively, while Markeith Cummings finished as top scorer for Al Ahly with 15pts, 2 rebounds and 6 assists.

Kano Pillars third in the group and will play against Groupement Sportif des Petroliers of Algeria tomorrow in the quarter final game. Other Group A teams that made it out of the group stage include Al Ahly, Club Africain, and Premeiro D Agosto.

The semifinal game between Kano Pillars and Al Ahly was a very exciting one. Al Ahly played in front of their very loud and intimidating fans while the Kano Pillars were determined to pay Al Ahly back for the group stage defeat. 

The two teams traded baskets all through the game and were tied at 34pts at the end of the first half. The game entered the last minute with Al Ahly ahead by 2points and hope for Kano Pillars. However, El Dahshan�s 3 point shot with 45s left and three consecutive 3 point shots missed by Pillars� Stanley Gumut and Abubakar Usman was enough to seal the victory for the host team. 

Abdul Yahaya and Ejike Ugboaja shooting percentages and efficiency dropped; leaving Abubakar Usman to carry the team. However, Abubakar�s 35points were not enough. 

The game was Kano Pillars� opportunity to end the decade long continental medal drought as a final game would have guaranteed them a medal. They will play against AS Sale in the 3rd place game while Al Ahly and CD Libolo battle for the trophy.

The last time Kano Pillars won a medal at the continental championship was over two decades ago. Sadly, that drought will continue as they lost the opportunity to finish third to Association Sportive (AS) De Sale. 

Although with a very slim margin, AS Sale won all four quarters to finish with a 12 points difference. The game ended 88 � 76. 

Abubakar Usman, Matthew Onmonya and Abdul Yahaya had a combined 48 points but could not match Brandon Freeman�s 30 points for AS Sale.

The continental medal drought continues for the Nigerian champions

In July last year, the BballNaija Newsletter focused on 3x3 Basketball andFIBA�s effort in promoting this form of basketball all over the world. 3x3 basketball combines fun and flexibility; and it provides a platform for players to go from the street to world stage.

Many 3x3 Quest, Challenger and Tours are being organised across the world. Qatar and France recently won the 2016 FIBA3x3 U18 World Championship (Male and Female) respectively. The 2016 FIBA3x3 World Championships will take place in Guangzhou, China in October.

Nigeria will not be left behind in 3x3 basketball.

Be a part of the Lagos 3x3 Tour coming up in November by registering on www.streetball.com.ng The Lagos 3x3 Tour is open to both male and female between the ages of 18 and 35; and will take place in 4 different locations across Lagos � Ilupeju, Yaba, Ikeja and Ikoyi.

You have the opportunity to put your name on the world 3x3 ranking. Let the games begin. #Lagos3x3Tour

The much anticipated Lagos 3x3 Tour tipped off last weekend at the Ilupeju basketball court. Eleven teams registered for the llupeju series � 8 men�s and 3 female teams.

The male teams � grouped into Pools A and B and � played round robin in the group game with the two top teams in each pool qualifying for the semi-finals. The female teams only played group games.

The Ilupeju Zone of the event featured both young and professional players; and the key essentials for street basketball were present � good weather, music, snacks and a loud happy crowd.

In the final game of the day � the men�s finals, DWB team defeated Deepbond 13 � 9 to win the Ilupeju series. This came as no surprised considering the star studded DWB team including vets like Dike Azuoma and Dennis Ebikoro, the two Nigerians on the Abidjan Ramblers� roster. 

The Lagos 3x3 Tour continues this Saturday 12 November at the Ndubisi Kalu Park, Alausa, Ikeja. The Ikeja Series will feature teams like The Mavericks, Mobolaji Princess, Royal Boiz, Stadium Warriors etc. Be there to cheer them up.

Although fewer teams registered for the Ikeja Series of the Lagos 3x3 Tour as compared with the Ilupeju Series, the quality of play was generally better. The six male teams that participated � Mavericks, Rookies Basketball, Stadium Wizards, The Revolutions, Police Baton and Royals Bioz � played a total of 7 games scoring 79 points in the group state and 11 in the finals.

The Royal Boiz and The Revolutions both topped their respective groups and therefore played against each other in the finals. Royal Boiz got the upper hand with a slim 6-5 victory.

Only two female teams � Mobolaji Princess and Soft Work � registered for the series. They only played one game � the finals. Like the male finals, SoftWork won with only a point, proving they weren�t that soft afterall.

At the Ikeja Series, we witnessed everything you want from street basketball � monster dunks, blocks, shots from downtown, buzzer beater. 

The next stop is at the Lagos State Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba on Saturday 19 November. Teams like Hope 4 Girls and Wolves have already registered. It�s going to be fun, you do not want to miss it.

Ajanah Annual inter LGA championship 2016 will hold from 28-31st December 2016 at Okene club, Okene, Kogi State

The Lagos State Sports Complex (Rowe Park) is a popular spot for outdoor basketball. It should be no surprise then that 13 teams registered for the Yaba Series of the Lagos 3x3 Tour; 8 male and 5 female teams. 

The female teams � Above the Rim, Hope for Girls, Team Hope, May Team and Twisters � were all grouped in Group A where they played a total of 10 round robin games. Hope for Girls dominated all through winning all four games. They finished top of the group while Above the Rim finished second having won three games losing only to Hope for Girls.

The two top teams played the final game, Hope for Girls won with 9 points. Final score was 15 � 6.

In the male category, The Laurel Leaders, Dream Team, Deep Dragon, The Thunders, Liberty, The Bulls, The Heat and The Sixers were seeded into two groups for round robin. The Thunders and Liberty finished top of Group A, while The Heat and Bulls topped Group B. The 4 teams played in the semifinals.

The Heat emerged winners having defeated The Bulls in the final game 13 � 9. 

The next stop is on Saturday 26 November at the YMCA basketball court, Ikoyi.

The Lagos 3x3 Tour ended in grand style at the Teslim Balogun Stadium with the two finalists from each series competing for the grand price; a total of 8 teams per category.

One interesting thing about the male category is that the two finalists from Ilupeju (DWB and Deepbond) and Ikoyi (Ogra Hoops King 1 and Border Basketballers) qualified for the semi-finals. The final was a show down between DWB and Deepbond. The athletism and youthfulness of Deepbond was enough to secure a victory over the experienced DWB. The game ended 12 – 7.

In the female category, the Hope for Girls won all the games of the grandfinal to emerge champions. They defeated Mobolaji Princess in the group stage  8 – 3. They met again in the finals and they crushed the Princess 11 – 2.

The two winners walked away with N200,000 each.

 

Image Cred – Titans Basketball

The international governing body for basketball FIBA, last year started holding serious constructive talks with key stakeholders towards taking a bold step and creating a new basketball competition in Europe called Basketball Champions League. Between then and now, several meetings have been held with representatives of member federations and clubs to get their confirmation of participating in the maiden (2016-2017) edition of the League.

A major selling point of the league is that it will feature champions of the national league of the member federations as up to 23 national league will participate in the Qualifying Rounds for spots in the Basketball Champions League. Other benefits of the league is that a sum of 30million Euros jointly contributed by FIBA, investors and member federations will be provided annually for the participating teams. 

Official logo of the FIBA Europe’s Basketball Champions League

FIBA has promised to ensure that the league fixtures are integrated with the new FIBA Competition Calendar System. 

Although, the modalities have not been concluded, there are plans to have two tiers; the Basketball Champions League which includes a qualifying round, regular season, best of 3 playoffs and final four; and the FIBA Europe Cup (a second tier competition). A number of clubs and national federations have already committed to participating in the Basketball Champions’ League. 

In my opinion, this is a move by FIBA and FIBA Europe to reposition itself as the organisers of the most elite professional basketball competition in Europe after the advent of the Euroleague Basketball Company in 2000. 

The Euroleague Basketball Company is a private basketball company established in 2000. The company created Euroleague Basketball and since the name was not trademarked by FIBA, they had no legal recourse to do anything about it. The Euroleague Basketball Company had the advantage of strength, organisation and financing, therefore absorbing FIBA’s Euroleague. 

The Euroleague Basketball Company also created a second tier basketball league – Eurocup (formerly called ULEB Cup) which resulted in the folding up of the second and third tier competitions organised by FIBA Europe – Saporta Cup and Korac Cup. 

European club competitions are now fully integrated under Euroleague Basketball`s umbrella.

The same thing comes to mind when thinking about the recently launched African Basketball League (ABL). The ABL is a private league set up to create wealth, empower the youth and promote tourism in Africa through basketball. The maiden edition of the league will feature 6 teams from 4 different countries – Nigeria, Gabon, Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire. The regular season will take a round robin format which each team playing home and away games while the playoffs will be the best of three.

The plan of the ABL management team is to expand the league to 30 teams from 15 countries in 5 years. That implies that the ABL will mirror the national leagues of participating countries, respective FIBA Africa Zonal qualifying tournaments and FIBA Africa Champions Cup all at once. 

What does this mean for teams? 

Participating teams will have to choose between combining the two leagues and withdrawing from the DSTV/NBBF league. Combining the two leagues means more games for players and the fans. The three ABL teams from Nigeria – Lagos Islanders, Dodan Warriors (now Lagos Warriors) and Union Bank (now Stallions) – all play in the DSTV/NBBF Basketball League. The only advantage of the DSTV/NBBF League is the opportunity to represent the country at FIBA organised continental games and invitation of players to join the national team.

What does this mean for national leagues? 

The popular saying is “innovate or die”. The national leagues must ensure constant improvement to make the league competitive and attractive enough in order to retain its followers. ABL might become a more rewarding platform for private clubs. 

What does this mean for FIBA Africa organised tournaments? 

This is a right time to re-affirm its commitment towards promoting clubs in Africa. There is need to expand the FIBA Africa Champions Cup to accommodate more member federations and also to support participating clubs financially. A starting point is to ensure that the tournament is televised across the continent. Again, the ABL might provide a platform for clubs in countries who do not stand a chance of qualifying for FIBA Africa organised tournaments via their national leagues. 

Will the ABL become a preferred option for continental club games? 

No matter what happens, 2016 will be a very eventful year for basketball lovers across the country. The ABL and the DSTV/NBBF League have announced March 4 and March 11 as respective tipoff dates and both leagues are expected to have final games around the same time. This means more basketball action. 

Landmark Event Centre is expected to host all ABL games in Nigeria, the All Star Weekend and Final Playoffs (about 30 games in total). Likewise, the National Stadium will be the venue of all Lagos games of the DSTV/NBBF League, the All Star Weekend, Conference Playoffs and the Final Eight tournament. A bumper package for Lagos fans.

The conversation about a particular sport is loudest during its competitions, events or tournaments. The excitement and anticipation that builds up before the tournament as well as the celebration or disappointment – as the case might be – afterwards makes sports one of the most efficient connections to people’s emotions. 

Basketball conversation in Nigeria was loudest last year when the male National basketball team – DTigers – became African champions for the first time in the history of the Tournament. The conversation is still on as we countdown to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

As expected, the female senior team received similar attention during AfrobasketWomen Competition and the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. 

It is obvious that we need more tournaments to keep the conversation going and to keep the interest of the sport in the heart of the fans. I strongly believe this is the main reason behind the new FIBA Competition System and Calendar.  The new system increases the number of games played by national teams in their home countries. It will also address the threatened economic viability as other sports improve their positions. 

This a good idea. However, there a limit to the number of national team games that can be played in one year. So the most ideal type of tournament needed to promote basketball in any territory are the leagues.

The largest basketball organization in the continent is FIBA Africa and they are responsible for organizing the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup and the FIBA Africa Women’s Clubs Champions Cup. These competitions are the highest level of club basketball and they feature top teams from the professional leagues of member federations. 

Teams from Nigeria that have featured in the male tournament include Kano Pillars, Mark Mentors, Dodan Warriors (now Lagos Warriors), Ebun Comets, Niger Potters, Plateau Peaks, Royal Hoopers (now Rivers Hoopers) and Union Bank. Only Lagos Warriors and Kano Pillars have medals to show for it. 

Female clubs include Bini Queens (once in 1987), Dolphins (5x), First Bank (14x), First Deepwater (4x) and Nigeria Customs (once in 2001). First Bank and First Deepwater are the only clubs with podium finish.   

These participating teams play in a zonal qualifiers in the last quarter of the year. The zonal qualifiers usually span for about a week while the Clubs Championships run for 10-14 days. 

Image Cred – FIBA Africa

Because of the format, frequency and the timing for the competition, there is a major disconnect between the basketball fans in African and these continental tournament. Also since the qualifiers and the championship are played in selected host countries, fans of participating clubs do not get to see their team play against other African teams on home court. 

The African Basketball League (ABL) is a private basketball league which aims to bridge the gap in continental basketball; and in the process, create a system that will support the creation of viable and valuable basketball franchises. 

The maiden season of the ABL tipped off early this year with 6 teams from 4 countries – Nigeria, Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire and Gabon. Games were played in Lagos and Abidjan. For the first time in a very long time, fans of Lagos teams – Lagos Warriors, Lagos Islanders and Stallions (former Union Bank Basketball Team) and Nigerian basketball fans generally witnessed these clubs take on other African clubs right here in Lagos. I am sure this is how the Abidjan fans also during the ABL Final Four in Abidjan. 

This is great development for basketball in Africa and considering that the ABL plans to expand to 30 teams from 15 different countries, continental basketball will be closer to the hearts of the fans than ever.  

However, regardless of the existence and improvement of continental basketball in Africa, the NBA still remain the most popular basketball league in the world and as expected, its reach covers the entire continent. Basketball fans here know more about the NBA teams and their players than they do the clubs in their respective countries. 

Asides the general popularity of the league, the fact that well above 30 players with African descent have played in the NBA at different times including Hall of Famers Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeen Olajuwon has endeared the league more to fans in the continent. 

The league has not rested on its oars. It has also invested in African through various youth development programmes including Basketball without Borders, Power Forward, NBA Jnr etc. The NBA also gave the fans a first-hand experience with an exhibition basketball game between Team World and Team Africa in Johannesburg last year.

The latest effort from the league to harness the relationship with Africa was the multiyear partnership with Econet media for the delivery of live NBA games and programming across TV, internet and mobile to fans in sub-saharan Africa via Kwese Sports. 

Based on the followership of this elite sport in Africa, it is safe to conclude that basketball is full of potentials that is yet to be fully optimised in the continent. 

So, as the appetite for basketball increase, who conquers the African market – FIBA, ABL or NBA?

If you thought Soft Work is the coolest name for a basketball team, wait till you hear the names of the female teams that registered for the Ikoyi Series of the Lagos 3x3 Tour. The six female teams that registered are Jazz Queens, Team Bae, The Shock, Madam Blues, Golden Girls and The Amazons. 

Sadly, no games were played as most of the female teams forfeited their games. The Shock only won because they showed up and stayed till the end. 

Ten male teams registered for the Ikoyi Series but only 9 participated as Team X did not show up. The other teams that showed up are Ogra Hoops Kings 2, The Killers, Border Basketballers, Spartans, Mavericks, Dodan Keideth, Ogra Hoops Kings 1, VGC Bball and Warrior Kids. 

Spartans, Border Basketballers and the Ogra duo made it semifinal. We would have witnessed an all Ogra Hoops Kings final but Ogra Hoops Kings 2 lost their semifinal game with just one point to Border Basketballers 6 – 5.

The Ogra Hoops King 1 emerged winners having defeated Border Basketball 9 – 8. They avenged Ogra 2’s semifinal defeat.

The grand finale will take place at the indoor sport hall of the Teslim Balogon Stadium on Saturday 3 December 2016. You don’t want to miss it

The second edition of the Olumide Oyedeji Intercollegiate Basketball Championship will hold from Friday the 13th to Saturday 21st of January 2017. The invitational basketball tournament, which will be hosted by the University of Lagos, will feature 10 tertiary institutions from Nigeria and Ghana.

The Olumide Oyedeji Intercollegiate Basketball Championship is one of the programmes of the Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation established to provide a unifying platform where all tertiary institutions – universities, polytechnics, colleges of education – can compete to determine the overall best and also to bridge the gap between institutional and professional basketball.

The maiden edition was held in September 2015 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere. Federal University of Technology Minna emerged as champions. The second edition will take place at the Indoor Sports Hall of the University of Lagos Sports Complex  and the lineup of events include the Media Day/Photo Session, the basketball games, the 3-Points Shootout and the Slam Dunk Contest. 

According to the organisers, a Press Conference will be held next year where the teams will be officially announced and grouped; and the jerseys will be unveiled. 

We look forward to an exciting tournament.

Many people stayed up very late, woke up very early just to watch DTigers play. Many people cheered loudly for them game after game, even when they did not get the much need wins. And we they did not advance to the next round, fans still appreciated them. 

Basketball followership has increased in Nigeria and the DTigers` story - from Olympics qualifiers in 2012, Afrobasket in 2015 and 2016 Summer Olympics - has inspired lots of kids around Africa. Don`t stop working hard, don`t stop believing.

To the entire DTigers 2016 Olympics team, the coaching crew, media personnel and basketball fans in Nigeria, it has been a rather interesting Rio Olympics. The dream ends here.

We look forward to Afrobasket 2017 in Congo.

2015 Afrobasket Most Valuable Player and tournament’s three-points leading scorer, Chamberlain Emeka Oguchi will be a part of Sole De Mexicali’s roster for the 2016-17 campaign. Chamberlain will leave his Poland club Anwil Wlocawek to join the California side.

This announcement was made on the club’s official website on Wednesday September 28 and on Chamberlain’s social media platforms yesterday.

Chamberlain says “I`m happy to announce that this fall I`m going to take my talents to South of the California border to join the Soles de Mexicali of Baja, California. I`m excited for the opportunity to play for a heralded club in hopes to bring another championship to the city and fans of Mexicali”

He has played professional basketball in different countries around the world including France, Lebanon, Spain, Russia, Philippines, Venezuela, and recently, Poland. He was instrumental in Nigeria’s victory at the 2015 Afrobasket and was also a member of the 2016 Summer Olympics team.

MVP at the 2015 Afrobasket. Image - FIBA

We wish the Champ all the best in California. 

Salute

The host institution - University of Lagos - is ready for the Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament.

Unilag will be the first institution to host the tournament. The maiden edition was held at Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The Head Coach of the University of Lagos basketball team - Coach Emmanuel Okolo - stated that the team has started practicing although turnout is still low as the school just resumed from the Christmas and New Year holidays. He expects a full team next Monday.

Answering questions about University of Lagos being the host, Coach Okolo said `It is a very good thing that we are the first institution to host the event considering that we have the necessary facility to host such event`

He added that the event will help in rekindling the dying basketball culture in the University campus and will also show the student athletes that there is a future for basketball in Nigeria.

The event will tip off on Sunday 15th January

Yesterday, the Lagos State Basketball Association honoured some basketball veterans and inducted them into the Lagos State Basketball Hall of Fame. 

In his opening remark, the Chairman of the Lagos State Basketball Association, Mr Babs Ogunade, stated that the history of basketball development in Lagos and Nigeria is not complete without acknowledging and appreciating the impact of the inductees. 

The inductees include;

Chief Olukunle Adelana

Major Alexander Babatunde Pannok (Rtd)

Late Major General Joe Garba

Mrs Love Ebito

Mrs Grace Otaenigbagbe

Coach Ganiyu Otaenigbagbe

Prince Alabi Adelanwa

Coach Agboola Pinhero

Mrs Mosunmola Dorcas Eric

Coach Ayodele Bakare

Col Samuel Ahmedu

Mr Toyin Sonoike

We join the Lagos State Government in appreciating these veterans.

Next stop - ABUJA!!!

The Megaptera 3X3 African Tour is coming to Abuja this weekend - 7/8 January 2017. You can register on www.3x3planet.com

Abuja, are you ready?

Lead City University Ibadan is the first private university to be invited to the Intercollegiate Basketball Championship. They join institutions like University of Lagos (host) and Federal University of Technology, Minna (defending champions) who have already confirmed participation.

The university`s Director of Sports, Mrs Aloba, expressed her delight over the invitation. She stated that; "As the first private university, it is a great honour to be a part of this championship. It means we are being recognised and were selected based on our past record as defending champion among private universities in Nigeria. This will add more value to the University and also promote the institution`s image"

Knowing well that an intercollegiate championship is not an easy task, she added that the institution is trying its best in terms of training and preparation for the event to ensure that they have a proud performance.

The championship will tip off on Sunday 15th January at the Indoor Sports Hall of the University of Lagos. We hope that Lead City University students alumni and people connected to Ibadan one way or another will come out to cheer the team.

Mrs Aloba assured that the fans will not be disappointed; "We will not disappoint them. We will make sure we do all we can to make them proud with their full support"

We look forward to an exciting tournament.

The Lagos Youth Alive Junior Basketball League will commence its third season on Saturday 21st January 2017 as agreed at the stakeholders` meeting held on two days ago at the Lagos State Sports Complex (Rowe Park) Yaba. The basketball league was established to serve as a platform for young basketball players to be discovered and nurtured.

The regular season of this year`s edition will be played on two different courts in Lagos - Ilupeji Basketball Ground and Rowe Park Sports Centre - while the finals will hold at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Hall, Rowe Park between 26th and 29th May.

In its tradition, the league will feature academies from neighbouring states including Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and Delta. According to the communique released after the meeting, teams from outside Lagos State will play very few games in the regular season and have automatic qualification to play in the finals in May. 

Speaking about the impact the Youth Alive Junior Basketball League has had since its establishment, the programme coordinator Mr Gbade Latona stated that; "It is a platform for several young talented players to gain admission into higher institutions both home and abroad. Some of the beneficiaries have even graduated. It has also a platform for premiership league clubs (male and female) to shop for players. To date, the platform has produced several players that has represented both country and their respective states at the youth level"

The Youth Alive Programme is not only targeted at players. It is also an avenue to develop young referees, coaches and table officials.

The teams will be grouped into four different categories. These are 12 Under (boys and girls), 16 (Under boys), 19 Under (boys) and 19 Under (girls). Over 20 teams are expected to participate.

On what to expect this year, he added that;"We plan to improve upon certain areas including proper documentation of age of participants. We also expect high moral and skillful teaching from coaches and display of good skills and sportsmanship from the athletes"

We wish the organisers and all participants a successful and injury free season.

Nigeria`s Efemena Abogidi becomes the first kid out of Nigeria to join the inaugural class of 12 elite basketball prospects at the newly commissioned NBA Africa Academy in Thies, Senegal. 

According to the Vice President and Managing Director of NBA Africa, Amadou Fall, Efe was selected based on his exemplary on-court and off-court skills. In the confirmation letter from the NBA Africa Academy, he stated; `Based on Efe’s standout performance at the recent development camp, and his exemplary on-court and off-court skills, we are pleased to offer him the opportunity to join the very first class at NBA Academy Africa.`

As part of his scholarship, Efe will partake in academic studies, daily basketball training and competition, and holistic athletic development with other elite athletes from all over Africa.

Olumide Oyedeji, former NBA players expressed his delight over the announcement; `This is a very good development for Nigerian basketball and our youth programmes. Efe is a spectacular player and I am happy that NBA Africa has recognised this. He was the Most Valuable Player at one of our basketball camps and he was also part of the Hoops&Read Basketball Team that won the Division One Championship in December 2016. I am certain that he will make the Foundation and the entire country proud.`

Division One Championship. Image - 9jaHoops

The NBA Africa Academy is NBA`s elite training centre in partnership with the Sports For Education and Economic Development (SEED) Project located in Thies. The academy is the NBA`s sixth elite training center around the world but first in Africa. 

All is set for the tip off of the 2nd Edition of the Olumide Oyedeji Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament as confirmed today during the technical meeting held today at the board room of the Indoor Sports Hall of the Unilag Sports Complex. 

In the welcome address given by the sponsor of the event, Olumide Oyedeji, he thanked the officials and the Directors of sports for their commitment and their passion of the game. `We welcome the institutions to the competition and we thank the University of Lagos for hosting us. The competition is not only for institutions to play competitive basketball but also for the students to learn proper moral values of life. We therefore expect good behaviour from all participants.`

At the technical meeting, they jerseys were unveiled and presented to respective institutions. The eight instititions that confirmed participation were grouped into Groups A and B as follows;

GROUP A - Federal University of Technology Minna; Ahmadu Bello University Zaria; University of Lagos; and Yaba College of Education.

GROUP B - College of Education Minna; Obafemi Awolowo University Ife; Lead City University Ibadan; and Houdegbe North America University Benin Republic. 

The defending champions, Federal University of Technology Minna will open the competition tomorrow when they play their first game against Ahmadu Bello University by 4pm. The Director of Sport of Federal University of Tech Minna, Seidu Buba expressed confidence in his team; `We can win the title again. We have three experienced players still in the team with new and very energetic young players who are thirsty for glory`

Veteran basketball coach and Head Coach of Ahmadu Bello University, Oliver Babatunde Johnson (Coach OBJ) added; `I am looking forward to an exciting tournament for the youth to express themselves and show the stuff they have trained for all year round.` 

The Intercollegiate Basketball Championship will tip off today with opening game between Ahmadu Bello University and defending champions FUT Minna. The rest of the fixtures are as follows;

Sunday 15 January

FUT Minna vs ABU Zaria - 4pm

Monday 16 January

COE Minna vs OAU - 1pm

UNILAG vs YABATECH - 2.30pm

Lead City vs North American University - 4pm

Tuesday 17 January 

OAU vs Lead City - 11am

North American University vs COE Minna- 1pm

YabaTech vs FUT Minna - 2.30pm

ABU Zaria vs UNILAG - 4pm

Wednesday 18 January

COE Minna vs Lead City  11am

OAU vs North America University - 1pm

ABU Zaria vs YabaTech - 2.30pm

FUT Minna vs UNILAG - 4pm

Thursday - FREE DAY

Friday 20 January

Classification Games

A3 vs B4 - 11am

B3 vs A4 - 1.30pm

SemiFinals

A1 vs B2 - 3pm

B1 vs A2 - 4.30pm

Saturday 21 January

Classification Games - 9am

Third Place Game - 12noon

Finals - 4pm

Some call it the Stakeholders’ Conference, some call it the Stakeholders’ Meeting, while some call it the General Assembly. Regardless of what we choose to call it, we can all agree that the gathering is the first official event on the calendar of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF). 

The gathering is attended by all “stakeholders” of basketball in Nigeria – local club owners, club managers, players, sponsors, coaches, referees, technical commissioners, statisticians, table officials, media representative etc. The event sets the tone for basketball activities for the calendar year as it at the gathering that proposed basketball activities will be announced. 

The Presiden of the NBBF Tijjani Umar once explained that “The stakeholders meeting is not a repetitive yearly ritual, but necessary stock-taking and account rendering for all those entrusted with the federation’s duties as well as adoption of valid ideas and feedback.”

However, some people disagree. According to sport journalist Oni Afolabi; “Many have described the annual stakeholders meeting of the NBBF as a sheer waste of time and resources, an avenue for the NBBF President to ask questions which he would answer in return while blowing his rusty whistle to high heavens and friends meeting and sharing some liquor”

The question is - which of these descriptions is more accurate?

In my opinion, if the NBBF want to prevent the annual gathering from losing relevance, then it needs to focus more on implementation. Over the years, the same set of activities are announced but no practical steps are taken towards implementation or execution and the ideas die are buried only to be resurrected at subsequent meetings. Enforcement of the Code of Conduct for the basketball league, improved welfare of player including medical and insurance cover, and national championship are examples. 

One of the announcements that was made during last year’s meeting was the full implementation of 3x3 basketball and that efforts were already underway. Asides a 3x3 exhibition game during the DSTV League finals, not much was done by the Federation to promote the form of the sport. Thanks to 3x3 basketball enthusiasts, a number of 3x3 events were held during the year such as the South South 3x3 Tour, the Lagos 3x3 Tour, the Megaptera 3x3 African Challenger, AdaMark 3x3 etc.

One key information that comes out the summit is the tip off date of the professional leagues – The DSTV Premier Basketball League and Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League. The technical officers – referees, technical commissioners, statisticians, coaches and officials - also have their respective refresher courses during the event.

This year’s edition will hold in Abuja from Monday 30th January to Friday 3rd at the National Stadium Package B Abuja and the agenda is similar to prior years. What the NBBF needs to do is to start the event with an implementation report that shows what steps were taken in achieving all the proposed activities and what the outstanding action points are. The NBBF should also consider having a different summit for team owners, club General Managers and player representative so issues regarding the leagues and player welfare can be discussed and sorted. This will never be achieved at the annual gathering with the way it is currently set up.

If this is not done, the annual event might lose its relevance as the same set of issues will be discussed and it will become a repetitive yearly ritual; a jamboree.

If the first game of the defending champions FUT Minna is anything to go by, they would have a really hard time defending their championship title. They lost by 39 points to Ahmadu Bello University.

ABU outplayed and dominated the boys from FUT Minna in all four quarters of the game. Their shooting percentages were better; 53% - 42% on 2Pt field goals, 57% - 45% from the free throw line and 30% - 20% three point shots. They were also better on rebounds, both on offense and defense. 

Four of the ABU players finished with double digits points. Adamu Itopa (18pts, 10 rebs) and Emmanuel Nwaneri (13pts, 11 rebs) finished with double double.

The game ended 55 - 94

Today`s games are;

COE Minna vs OAU - 1pm

UNILAG vs YABATECH - 3.30pm

Lead City vs North American University - 5pm

The basketball team of the Niger College of Education put up a show yesterday in their second game of the tournament against Houdegbe North American University, Benin Republic. With their 115 - 46 victory, they are now the only team to have two back to back wins scoring over a hundred points and the team with the largest margin of victory in the the history of the championship.

They defeated OAU 106 - 79 in their first game and have now won two of their three group games. This should be enough to earn them a spot in the semi finals. 

University of Lagos and Ahmadu Bello University also rekindled their decades long basketball rivalry in an epic performance in front of a capacity crowd. The game is arguably one of the most intense so far as the two teams traded shots, dunks, blocks and steals. The game went down to the wire with ABU Zaria emerging as winners with a 4 point margin. The game ended 62 - 58.

In other games played yesterday, Federal University of Technology lost to YabaTech 67 - 83 making their chances of defending the championship even slimmer. Having lost two of their three group games, it will take a miracle for them to advance to the next round. Obafemi Awolowo University recorded their first win of the tournament with the victory against Lead City University. Final scores 62 - 57

All teams will play their last group game today as scheduled;

Niger College of Education vs Lead City University - 11am

Obafemi Awolowo University vs Houdegbe North American University - 1pm

Ahmadu Bello University vs Yaba College of Technology - 2.30pm

FUT Minna vs University of Lagos - 4pm

Federal University of Technology Minna needed to win yesterday`s game against Unilag to keep their hopes of making it to the semi finals alive. However, the host school and the intimidating home crowd made it very difficult for the defending champions. FUT Minna lost to Unilag 57 - 63 and finished last in Group A. They, and Houdegbe North America University are the only two teams that lost all group games. 

Ahmadu Bello University and Niger College of Education finished first in Group A and B respectively winning all three group games. Niger College of Education extended its records to three consecutive games with over 100 points after winning their third group game against Lead City University 119 - 82. 

University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University both won two of their three group games which is enough to take them to the next round.

The semi final games are scheduled for tomorrow as follows;

Ahmadu Bello University vs Obafemi Awolowo University - 3pm

College of Education Minna vs University of Lagos - 5pm

Coach Ishaka Yahaya confirmed the team`s readiness for the task ahead; `We are very happy about our fine performance, we have a very good team and each player is very committed to the success of the team. We are confident of reaching the finals, but we do not underrate any team because anything is possible. We main focus to our objective and which is top emerge champions at the end of the competition`

The big question is; `Who will win the epic battle between University of Lagos and Niger College of Education Minna?`

University of Lagos are the host and they enjoy massive support from the crowd. Niger College of Education have been spectacular, averaging 113 points per game in the group stage.

Regardless of who wins the game, it will surely be a hell of a game. 

In the second semi final, Obafemi Awolowo University will play against Ahmadu Bello University.  Ahmadu Bello University has not lost any game since the beginning of the tournament.

Today`s schedule is as follows;

Classification Games

Yaba College of Technology vs Houdegbe North America University - 11pm

Lead City University vs Federal University of Technology Minna - 1.30pm 

Semi Final Games

Ahmadu Bello University vs Obafemi Awolowo University - 3pm

University of Lagos vs Niger College of Education - 5pm

The final game was dubbed `The Epic Final` as people expected a showdown between the two team. Niger State College of Education has had a very impressive performance setting championship records with every game while Ahmadu Bello University prided themselves as the best university basketball team in Africa. 

In the pre-game interview with ABU`s Coach Emmanuel Shibi, he confirmed their readiness to win the championship; `It has been a tradition, basketball in African universities belong to ABU. Look at our records from time, there is no time we go Africa university games or NUGA games that we don`t come back with the title`

COE Minna started the game well leading in the first three quarters. The ABU side were able to cut the 7 point deficit at the end of the second quarter to just 2 points at the end of the third and in the last quarter, they turned things around to win the championship for the first time. ABU outscored and out rebounded COE Minna to win the game ended 88 - 79.

ABU Zaria`s victory might have come as a surprised to some spectators as since ABU did not even make it past the group stage last year and lost one of the group games compared to COE Minna who won all games prior to the finals. COE Minna are now the only team in the history of the championship to win all games, get to the finals and lose the finals - another record, although one they will not be happy about.

Expressing his disappointment over the loss, COE Minna`s coach said; `Our goal was to win the trophy. From the results of all games we played to the finals, you can tell that we came to win the trophy. But it is sad that we could not win for the second. I guess it is how God wants it`

`We thank God that we made it to the finals. Not every one makes it to the finals of such tournament` he added

Veteran basketball coach, Coach Oliver Babatunde Johnson popularly referred to as Coach OBJ has emphasized the need for the youth and aspiring basketball players to get proper education. 

Speaking on the importance of education in sports development at the just concluded Olumide Oyedeji Intercollegiate Basketball Championship; "First and foremost, to all our aspiring basketball players, you can only play this game for a short while. So it`s on you to get education. Use basketball as a tool to better your life."

"We are encouraging those youths that are out of school to get back into school. If they have one or two skills, there are schools looking for those skills. Also the youth should be looking at a better way of life for themselves after basketball."

"Basketball and education go together, you cannot do one without the other. I have used basketball as a means and I`m still using basketball as a means but I`m using it in the Universities to try to encourage our players to stay in school and get their degree, diploma or certificate. It is very necessary for all of our youths to get their education."

This message is consistent with the objectives of the Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation and the Intercollegiate Basketball Championship. Basketball should be used as a tool to get access to education simply because not every student athlete will become a professional player. Education will provide an alternative platform. Also, professional basketball can only span a couple of years or decades The youth need to also consider what life will be for them after professional basketball.

"If basketball give you the opportunity to do so, then make good use of that opportunity" - Coach OBJ

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has kicked off its first photography competition tagged `The Biennale House of Basketball Photo Contest. The contest requires basketball players to submit one to three of their best action photos. The chosen themes of the contest are humanitarian, social or education and their link to basketball. The submitted photos must represent either of these themes.

A jury will choose the thirty best photos amongst all submissions and the choose thirty be exhibited in the House of Basketball at the FIBA Headquarters. Prize will be awarded to the ten best photographs as well as the most popular photograph as follows:

1st Prize: 5’000 CHF (N1,000,000)

2nd Prize: 2’000 CHF (N600,000)

3rd Prize: a TISSOT watch with a value of 1’000 CHF (N300,000)

4th to 10th Prize: 150 CHF (N45,000)

Public Prize: The most popular photo according to the votes will be reward by a special prize.

Put Nigeria on the map, put your court on the map, put you picture on the map. Participate in the contest. Check out FIBA Biennale Photo Contest for additional information.

The Olumide Oyedeji Intercollegiate Basketball Championship ended on Saturday. But that will not be the end of tertiary basketball activities this quarter as the maiden edition of the Nigeria University Games University (NUGA) 3 Aside Championship will tip off on the 17th of February at the University of Lagos Sports Complex.

The championship which is aimed at promoting basketball and the 3x3 format within universities will be held in phases in three universities across the country - University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University and University of Abuja as follows;

ROUND 1 - Preliminary Stage for Southern Universities

Date: 17th and 18th February 2017

Venue: University of Lagos

ROUND 2 - Preliminary Stage for Northern Universities

Date: 24th and 25th February 2017

Venue: Ahmadu Bello University 

ROUND 3 - Final 10 Playoff

Date: 3rd and 4th March 2017

Venue: University of Abuja

Each preliminary stage is expected to feature at least 20 university and each university is expected to select its team. The main events are the games, dunking and shooting competitions while side attractions include music and dance. 

According to the Secretary General of NUGA, Mr Bola Orodele; "We hope the championship will be a continuous one. As this is the maiden edition, once we are done, we will evaluate the competition and if all things go as planned, we will make it an annual tournament"

We look forward to an exciting tournament and we hope subsequent editions will be FIBA Endorsed to enable the participants and the country earn some 3x3 ranking points.  

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) is less than a week away and part of this year`s agenda is an awards night to recognise and appreciate outstanding stakeholders for their contribution to the development of the sport.

In a statement released by the Head of Media of the Federation, Patrick Omorodion; `On January 31, 2017, the federation will  also hold an Awards Dinner to recognize, appreciate and honour deserving athletes, administrators, technical officials, sponsors, partners, contributors as well as the Media for their meritorious service and outstanding contribution to the development and growth of the game in Nigeria`

Among those to be honoured are two former NBBF Presidents HRM J.D. Buba and Senator U.K Umar. Posthumous awards will also be give to the late Vice President of the federation, Dr Segun Erinle, late fiba referee,Chris Obojememe and late National Coaches,Danjuma Lemmy Harry and Danjuma Danazumi.

The AGM is the avenue through which the leadership of the federation gives all stakeholders an account of the events for the past year. This year`s gathering will hold from Monday January 31 in Abuja and scheduled events include the AGM, Awards Dinner and refresher courses for all technical officials.

On Saturday 25 February 2017, Mfon Udoka will join the set of outstanding DePaul University alumni to be inducted in the DePaul University Athletic Hall of Fame. She will be joined by 9 other individuals including former NBA player Bobby Simmons and the 2000 Women`s College World Series team.

The DePaul University Athletics Hall of Fame was established by the DePaul University Department of Athletics in 1976 to recognise and honour individuals - students athletes, coaches and administrators - who have made exceptional contributions to the achievements and distinction of DePaul University in athletics, and who have continued to demonstrate the values learned by their participation in intercollegiate athletics in their lives beyond the university.

Mfon Udoka was a member of the Nigeria women`s basketball teams that won the FIBA Africa Women Championships in 2003 and 2005 - the first and second respectively for Nigeria. She led the Nigeria women`s national basketball team to the 2004 Summer Olympics - the first ever for Nigerian basketball - where she finished second in the tournament in scoring and rebounding; and to the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women.

She was a member of the First Bank Basketball Team at the FIBA Africa Club Championship for Women in 2003 and 2009. She was named as the new Assistant Coach for the Nigeria women`s national basketball team in May 2011, a position she occupied for short period. 

At the 2015 Afrobasket Championship for Women, she was honoured by FIBA Africa with the Golden Basket Legend Award in recognition of her contribution to the sport in Africa.

The DePaul Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the McGrath-Phillips Arena. Congratulations Mfon Udoka, on a well deserved honour. 

The Nigerian male premier basketball league might not bear the sponsorship title – DSTV Premier Basketball League – from this season as hinted by the Strategy and Marketing Manager of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF), Mr Kunle Raji.

Briefing delegates at the Annual General Meeting of the Federation, Mr Raji explained that the tenure of the sponsorship agreement with DSTV ended last year and the Federation has communicated with the management of DSTV expressing interest to renew. However, the Federation is yet to receive any formal response.

“This notwithstanding, we are actively pursuing alternative sponsorship options. We are very close to finalising another sponsorship deal, a 5 year deal worth about $12m. A more profitable one than we currently have. We are not at liberty to disclose the details until it is formally announced because of non-disclosure clauses”

Over the year, stakeholders have decried the underdevelopment of the male premier league and have blamed it on the inadequacy of funding due to the singular sponsorship of DSTV. This announcement might indicate a change in the right direction. 

As part of this year’s NBBF stakeholders’ gathering, veterans who have contributed to the development of basketball in the will be honoured. There will also be awards for players and teams who have performed exceptionally in the past year. 

The focus of the award will be the professional leagues – male and female – and the lower divisions in Nigeria. Here are the nominees;

Player of the Year (Male)

Abubakar Usman – Kano Pillars 

Dele Ademola – Kano Pillars

Romaric Yamalin – Nigeria Customs

Romeo Wilfred – Kwara Falcons

Player of the Year (Female)

Nkechi Akashili – First Bank

Atosu Upe – First Bank

Okpe Patience – Dolphins

Young Player of the Year (Male)

Osai Godspower – Delta Force

Oriakhi Owen – Hoops & Read

Liman Lesu – Gombe Jewel

Abogidi Efemana – Hoops & Read

Young Player of the Year (Female)

Edeh Amarachukwu – Enugu City Coal

Ruth Udueyin – Zamfara Basketball Club

Ifunanya Okoye – First Deepwater

Adeola Badmos – First Deepwater

Team of the Year (Male)

Kano Pillars Basketball Club

Nigeria Customs Basketball Club

Hoops & Read Basketball Academy

Gombe Jewel Baskeball Club

Team of the Year (Female)

First Bank Basketball Club

IGP Queens Basketball Club

Nigeria Customs Basketball Club

Dolphins Basketball Club

State Chairman of the Year

Dr Joseph Adeyemo – Kwara State Basketball Association

Pastor Skambo Morrison – Kaduna State Basketball Association

Mr Levmus Malkwap – Plateau State Basketball Association

Young Referee of the Year

Joseph Patrick Agbo

Babamuda James

Iyoha Obehi Brian

The Awards Dinner will start by 7pm at the NAF Conference Center and Suites, Abuja.

In preparation for the 2017 Afrobasket and Afrobasket Women tournaments, the Nigerian teams are expected to play at least two international friendly games. These games are scheduled to take place in July.

The President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation Tijjani Umar confirmed this during his presentation at the Annual General Meeting held on Monday at the NAF Conference Centre and Suites. The countries include Lithuania, Australia, France, Serbia and China

`As I`m speaking to you, the Federation has already sealed two friendlies each for the male and female teams. The games will be played in July. Everything is being paid for by the host - ticket, accomodation, local tranport. All we have to do is present a team. This is a huge move forward` 

He attributed the invitation to the success of the basketball teams in the 2015 Afrobasket, the Rio Olympics and the Women`s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. 

`Our team played in Rio and they did - people would say not very well - but in my mind, they did well. Because after the tournament, we moved up 9 spots on the FIBA Ranking.`

Nigeria was the only African team at the basketball tournament at Rio Olympics finishing overall 11th, one spot above China. The female team, however, failed to pick up one of the available tickets at the Women`s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in France. Regardless, the President expressed satisfaction over their performance.

`What we did with the WOQT was to take DTigress from the African level and put them at the level of the world. So that this year 2017, for Afrobasket Women, there won`t be any competition. I`m telling you, our ladies will win Afrobasket for this year`

DTigers will defend their title at the AfroBasket 2017 which will be held in Brazzaville, Congo-Brazzaville from 17 - 31 August. However, the venue for the women`s event is yet to be announced. 

The continent`s basketball regulatory body - FIBA Africa - will on Tuesday 7 February lay the first stone of its new headquarters in Abidjan.

The new facility to be located on the banks of the Ebrie Lagoon in the Treichville borough will be built on a 4.000 square metre plot of land and is expected to be completed by early 2018.

The ceremony will be presided over by the Vice President of Cote d`Ivoire Daniel Kablan Duncan and will be witnessed by a number of dignitaries including the country`s Minister of Sports, Francois Amichia; FIBA Africa President and FIBA Vice-President Hamane Niang; FIBA Africa Regional Director Alphonse Bile; FIBA Chief Operating Officer Markus Studer; and FIBA Treasurer Ingo Weiss.

Finally, Africa gets its own House of Basketball.

Nigeria`s basketball sensation, Charles Bassey will participate in the third annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global which will be held in New Orleans as part of the NBA All-Star 2017. A total of 67 top boys and girls from 32 countries will participate in the training camp.

NBA and FIBA players and coaches including Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets; Democratic Republic of Congo), Cheick Diallo (New Orleans Pelicans; Mali) and Thon Maker (Milwaukee Bucks; South Sudan; BWB Americas 2015/BWB Global 2016) will coach the campers. Toronto Raptor`s GM and co-founder of Giants of Africa, Masai Ujiri and three others will serve as camp directors. 

The other African players attending alongside Charles Bassey are Dongua Geovana (Angola), De Sousa Silvio (Angola), Buiamba Glofate (Angola), Coulibaly Aissatou (Mali), Coulibaly Abdoul Karim (Mali), Keita Blaise (Mali), Sissoko Moulaye Mamadou (Mali), Sarr Khadidiatou Bigue (Senegal), Tchamwa Tchatchoua Jonathan (Cameroon), Mwamba Patrick (Democratic Republic of Congo), Raafat Tarek (Egypt), Doumbia Souleymane (Cote D Ivoire), Faye Cheikh (Senegal) and Marnaoui Oussama (Tunisia)

The campers will attend the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, State Farm NBA All-Star Saturday Night, and the 66th NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center. 

Charles Bassey at the Giants of Africa Camp

Speaking about this year`s camp, NBA Vice President, International Basketball Operations & Head of Elite Basketball, Brooks Meek said `The Basketball Without Borders Global Camp is a great opportunity for the top male and female prospects from around the world to compete against one another, learn directly from NBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches, and experience the excitement of NBA All-Star. The BWB program was founded on the belief that basketball brings young players from different backgrounds together and transcends cultural boundaries” 

The BWB programme is a joint initiative between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) sponsored by Nike. The inaugural BWB Global Camp was held at the NBA All-Star 2015 in New York City, where it became an annual All-Star tradition.

We are proud of Charles Bassey as he continues to fly the Nigerian flag high.

The management of the Savannah Conference Team, Gombe Bulls earlier today released the team list ahead of the 2017 season of the Premier Basketball League. 

The players are;

1 - Yakubu Sylvanus (Captain) - Guard

2 - Chibuozo Njoko - Forward

3 - Mohammed Fofana- Centre

4 - John Mathias - Forward

5 - Timothy Kwaor - Guard

6- Ajodoh Victor Dennis - Forward

7- Nasiru Mohammed - Guard

8- Gar Kator Shedrack - Guard

9- Agu Ibe Abuchi – Guard

10- Dahiru Ahmed – Centre

11- Suleiman Adamu – Guard

12- Adamu Ibrahim Abubakar - Guard

13 – Onyeka Okeke – Centre (from Anambra Flames)

14 – Simon Owoicho – Guard – (from Lagos Warriors)

15 – Akeem Sulaiman – Guard – (from Kano Pillars)

16 – Abdulwahab Yakubu – Guard- (from Kano Pillars)

The four new players added from Anambra Flames, Lagos Warriors and Kano Pillars will replace Ehison Dauda Udoje, Samson John, Eli Abraham and Austine Ese. 

It the last two DSTV PBL seasons, Gombe Bulls made it to the Final Eight Playoffs. They lost the semi final game to Kano Pillars in 2015 but could not advance to the semi finals in 2016 having lost two of their three layoff games.

We wish the AbdulRahman Mohammed led team a successful season.

After the long wait, the Nigerian Basketball Federation has finally announced that the two available slots in the Atlantic Conference of the Premier Basketball League will be alloted to Police Baton and Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Rockets. The two team emerged the chosen ones out of the four teams that bade for the slots based on their performance at the interview conducted by the Technical Committee of the Federation.

In the statement released by the Federation, "Their admission is provisional and subject to their meeting certain conditions stipulated in the offer. The successful clubs are expected to bring their previous experience in the league to bear when the new season tips off"

The other two teams that bade for the slots are Raptors Basketball Academy and White Cap Chiefs Basketball Club.

Following the suspension of the three league clubs that participated in the African Basketball League early last year - Lagos Islanders, Dodan Warriors (now Lagos Warriors) and Union Bank Basketball Club (now Stallions Basketball) - only five teams played in the Atlantic Conference of the Premier Basketball League in the 2016 Season. This left three open slots in the Conference. In the usual tradition, the winner of the National Division One Championship - Hoops & Read Basketball Club - gained automatic qualification to the premier league.

Police Baton were relegated in 2015 when they finished at the bottom of the Atlantic Conference table. Both teams have tried repeatedly to gain promotion back to the Premier Basketball League by participating in the Division One Championship. 

We welcome the two teams back to the Premier Basketball League.

The entire continent was more than elated in 2015 when the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the NBA Africa Game 2015 - the first NBA game on the continent. It turned out to be a huge success as the Ellis Park Stadium was sold out for the game. Luckily for us, that will be the only time we will witness such historical moment.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has announced that the NBA Africa Game 2017, the NBA’s second game in Africa, will take place on Saturday, Aug. 5 at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa. The announcement was made at the annual NBA Africa All-Star Luncheon in New Orleans by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts and NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall.

They were joined by NBA Africa Game 2017 players Bismack Biyombo (Orlando Magic; Democratic Republic of the Congo), CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets; Democratic Republic of the Congo).

“Basketball is witnessing explosive growth in Africa.  Our return to Johannesburg this summer is part of the league’s continued commitment to bring the authentic NBA experience to fans around the world.  I would like to thank the NBPA for their participation and for being terrific partners on this game and surrounding events.” - NBA Commission Adam Silver

The exhibition game will see Team World play against Team Africa. Team Africa will feature Bismack Biyombo, the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and a member of Team Africa in NBA Africa Game 2015, and Emmanuel Mudiay, 2015-16 NBA All-Rookie Second Team member Mudiay. Christain James `C.J` McCollum, the 2015-16 Kia NBA Most Improved Player, will play for Team World.

Biyombo and Mudiay both expressed their delight returing to play for Team Africa. CJ McCollum is also excited about the opportunity to visit Africa. “I’ve heard so many great things from players around the league who traveled to South Africa in 2015 for the first NBA Africa Game and Basketball without Borders. I can’t wait to suit up for Team World in Johannesburg this summer.”

The NBA Africa Game 2017 will take place after the 15th edition of Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa and wil be played in support of UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA). It is expected that initiaives like this will help in the promotion of the basketball in Africa.

“NBA Africa Game 2015 was a resounding success, and we are grateful for the support of the players and team personnel who participated.  While we are investing more than ever in grassroots programming and in delivering locally relevant content to our fans across the continent, there is no substitute for live NBA games.  I hope fans from throughout Africa will join us in Johannesburg or on Kwesé’s platforms on August 5 to see some of the NBA’s best players compete on African soil.” - NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall

The game will air live in sub-Saharan Africa on Kwesé’s TV, Internet and mobile platforms, including Kwesé Free Sports, Kwesé Sports, select free-to-air channels, Kwesesports.com, and the Kwesé app. Full rosters of players, coaches and legends, along with ticket information will be announced at a later date.

The two-day action packed 3x3 event, the first in the history of the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA), was held at the outdoor court of University of Lagos Sports Complex with the host Unilag and the University of Ibadan emerging overall winners of the male and female categories respectively.

The ten teams that particiated in the Preliminary Round One represented the South Eastern, Western and Southern Zones and they played round robin format and knock out rounds. The overall winners and the other top teams qualified for the Final 10 Playoffs in Abuja. 

Top 5 (Male)

University of Lagos

University of Ibadan

Nnamdi Azikwe University

Benson Idahosa University

Enugu State University of Science and Technology

Top 5 (Female)

University of Ibadan

University of Lagos

University of Nigeria

Nnamdi Azikwe University

Enugu State University of Science and Technology

The second preliminary round featuring North Eastern, Western and Northern will be hosted by the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria this weekend 24 and 25 February. Five universities from each category - male and female - will also advance to the Final 10 Playoff.

The Final 10 Playoff will be held in Abuja in the first weekend in March. The event is sponsored by AMK Foundation.

Images courtesy Titans Basketball

Better times are ahead for the entire management, players and fans of the Kwara Falcons Basketball Club as the Kwara State Government has announced the complete renovation of the Indoor Sport Complex of the Kwara Stadium. This announcement was made a few weeks ago where the proposed plan was unveiled.

The Indoor Sport Complex which is located within the Kwara State Stadium on Ibrahim Taiwo Road Ilorin is used by many federations for their sporting activities including volleyball, handball, table tennis, badminton and basketball. Kwara Falcons use the indoor arena as their home court for the Premier Basketball League games. 

The Chairman of the Kwara State Basketball Association expressed delight on the announcement saying that the project showed that the present administration is indeed committed to the development of sports in the state. `The project will help in the promotion of basketball in the state and will also raise the status of the Kwara Falcons in the premier league. Improvement in infrastructure is very important. We are already working on strategies on generating revenue through ticket sales, increasing fan experience during our home games and improving the quality of our games. These will be implemented as soon as the renovation is done`

The project will include the gym, the bleachers, all the offices, the car park and the immediate surroundings. The sitting capacity will be expanded and obsolete equipment will be replaced with state of the art facilities. The renovation which is expected to gulp around N700m should be completed at the end of 2018. 

While the renovation is on, the Falcons will play their home games of the Premier Basketball League at the indoor gym of the University of Ilorin. Secretary of the basketball association, Mr Azeez Bello hopes that the first game of the 2017 PBL season will be played at the State Indoor hall before the renovation starts so the fans can be properly informed.

Once completed, the arena will be one of the best in the Nigerian Premier Basketball League

At the 2016 FIBA Africa Champions Cup held in Cairo Egypt, Mark Mentors` Stanley Gumut played for the Nigerian league champions Kano Pillars and this raised brows. The question many asked was "Is the Captain abandoning the ship too"? 

The 2016 season of the DSTV Premier Basketball League was one that Mark Mentors will want forget quickly being the first time the club did not make it to the Final Four since they joined the league. The club lost some key players at the beginning of the season due to what was rumoured to be internal crisis. However, the 6`6" captain has reaffirmed his commitment to the club.

"Kano Pillars is a great club and it will be an honour to play for them. But I can`t play for teams at a time and my loyalty remains with Mark Mentors. Every team has its trial period and we had ours last season. I chose to stay because I believe in the dreams of Igoche Mark and I know I have a huge role to play in helping to fix it. We just have to mend the mistakes of last year and move on in the coming season"

As the captain, the rest of the team looks up to him to lead. However, with the quality of players in the Premier Basketball League, it is almost impossible for Stanley to carry the team on his shoulders alone. He needs support. At the beginning of the 2016 Season, the management of the club recruited 10 new players, retaining only four from the team that won the league in 2015. Most of the new recruits do not have prior league experience. They have to sign on experienced players for them to be title contenders again. 

Regardless, Stanley enjoys playing for the Mentors. He calls it special.

"I enjoy playing for Mentors. The club is special because my boss happens to be my friend too"

Stanley Gumut also plays for the male national team, D`Tigers. He played up for the country during the FIBA Africa Championship (Afrobasket) in 2009, 2011 and 2013. He also played for Nigeria at the 2015 All Africa Games and the Four Nation Invitational Tournament in South Africa.

D`Tigers are the current African champions and will defend the title at the 2017 Afrobasket in Congo this Summer. Stanley says that if he gets the opportunity to represent the country, he will be ready.

"I am a professional athlete and I am always ready to play. I will focus on working hard to stay in shape and see how it goes"

We wish Stanley the best this season.

As the tip off of the 2017 Premier Basketball League beckons, the defending Champions Kano Pillars are making a loud statement that they plan to retain their title. The most recent is the signing of shooting guard, Dike Azuoma.

If there is something we know about Dike Azuoma, it is that he knows something about winning. He has won four champions in the last 6 years. He won the DSTV Premier Basketball League with Royal Hoopers (now Rivers Hoopers) in 2011 and 2012, he won with Mark Mentors in 2015 and he played for the Abidjan Ramblers team that won the maiden season of the African Basketball League (ABL) last year.

Confirming this move to Pillars,the 6`2" shooting guard says its the best decision for him; "Kano Pillars is one of the biggest teams in Nigeria basketball and it will be a honour to play for them again. I`ve been with the team before when I played for them at the FIBA African Champions Cup about five years ago.I like the organisation. Most of the players are also my team mates at the national level and we have played together."

Although he got offers from other clubs include Lagos Islanders and Abidjan Ramblers, he chose the Pillars as he feels he will make more impact over there.

"They believe in me and I know I have the experience and all it takes to help them defend the league championship." 

Dike has been busy during the off season. He participated in the Lagos 3x3 Tour where his team DWB won the Ikeja Series. He will join other veteran players including Abubakar Usman (Nda Abu), Matthew Onmonya, Dele Ademola and Yahaya Abdul in Kano City. 

Image cred - Titans Basketball

Port Harcourt based team and two time DSTV Premier Basketball League champions, Rivers Hoopers, continue preparation for the new season as they announce the team roster for the 2017 Season. The team let go 4 of the 14 players that featured for them last season and recruited 5 experienced players including legendary guard, Anyebe Ujoh. 

Anyebe Ujoh was part of the Rivers Hoopers (then Royal Hoopers) team that won the DSTV Premier Basketball League championship in 2011. The first in the franchise history. Subsequently, he won the league championship every year with all the teams he`s played for from 2011 to 2015 - Rivers Hoopers (2012), Kano Pillars (2013 & 2014), Mark Mentors (2015). He is about the only player in the male league that has won the championship for 5 straight years. 

Speaking on the decision to bring Anyeba back, Rivers Hoopers` General Manager Ifie Ozaka said "Anyebe Ujoh brings stability to our guard position, something that was lacking a bit last season. His experience is extremely valuable to the team, both on and off the team"

The message is clear Rivers Hoopers are gunning for the title this year. "The message is not subtle in any way. We intend to compete for the title this season." He added.

Other new recruits to the team include Emmanuel Balogun (Nigeria Customs), Solomon Ajagbeyi (Nigeria Customs), Oghenetano  Emuhowo (Delta Force) and Buchi Nwaiwu (Plateau Peaks). This means that more than half of the team will be experienced players contrary to the last season where only a handful of players had league experience.

"You really can`t win the league without parading some experienced players. We have looked at positions where we needed to improve and added the necessary personnel to have a more stable and competitive squad. The additions do not guarantee success; We must dig deep and work hard then pray for that bit of luck to achieve our goal." - GM Ozaka

Here is the full list of the 2017 Rivers Hoopers team;

Victor James (PG)

Victor Atisele (PG)

Anyebe Ujoh (PG)

Ronald Alalibo (SG)

Emmanuel Balogun (SG)

Victor Dakoru (SG)

Idikibiebuma Ogan (SF)

Zidougha Bodisowei (SF)

Somto Managor (PF)

Belema Alamina (PF)

Buchi Nwaiwu (PF)

Ngowari Bobmanuel (C)

Oba Tonye (C)

Solomon Ajagbeyi (C)

Oghenetano Emuhowo (C)

Rivers Hoopers will play in the Atlantic Conference alongside Delta Force, Kwara Falcons, Nigeria Customs, Oluyole Warriors, Hoops & Read, Police Baton and NAF Rockets Basketball Club. The 2017 Season is expected to tip off in April.

In preparation for the new FIBA Competition System which will commence with the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers, the governing body organised the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers Marketing and Communication Workshop for African national federations.

The two-day workshop which was the last of the series was held on Sunday and Monday March 12 and 13 in Abidjan and member federations sent delegates from their Marketing, Communications and Strategy departments respectively. The delegates included Kunle Raji, Head of Marketing and Strategy for the Nigerian Basketball Federation; Yvan Ntabazi, Vice President and Head of Marketing of the Uganda Basketball Federation; Samba Gueye, the Head of Communications for Senegal Basketball Federation.

Kunle Raji expressed delight on the workshop; `It is a good initiative to bring African national federations together to discuss a new way forward for basketball with FIBA`s new competition system.

"FIBA is very forward looking and is massively supporting the National Federations to be self-sustainable in their various domains. So, the new FIBA Qualifiers Calender and the Windows System are definite plus for National Federations`

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers are scheduled to start in November this year with a total of 80 national teams playing. The qualifiers will be played over 6 windows of 9 days each. The window dates are 20 - 28 November 2017, 19 - 27 February 2018, 25 June - 3 July 2018, 30 August -18 September 2018, 26 November - 4 December 2018 and 18 - 28 February 2019.

Five teams are expected to represent the continent in the FIBA World Cup. The tournament will feature a total of 32 teams - 12 European countries, 7 Asian countries, 7 countries from Americas (North and South Americas), 5 African countries and host China.

On the impact of the new qualification system and calendar on basketball in Nigeria, Mr Raji added; `Considering that our national team players are not based here, the new home and away games will bring them closer to their fans, thereby helping to boost basketball followership in Nigeria. It also portends to raise revenues and grow the game appreciably`

The Oluyole Warriors have commenced preparations towards the tip off of the 2017 Season of the Premier Basketball League. The club will start its screening for new players this morning at the outdoor basketball court of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.

The club has about two weeks to finalise its roster and start training. Acknowledging that this might be too close, Head Coach of the club Taiwo Sobogun still thinks a lot can be achieved; "We are more than prepared despite the late start up and we are optimistic that we will put up a very impressive performance this year"

The last time Oluyole Warriors retained most of its players was in 2014 when only 5 new players were added to the roster. Subsequently, the club replaces about 70% of its players on a yearly basis. We are not so sure if that is the same approach that will be taken this year but we expect that the ability to reach an agreement with the current players will be a determinant. 

Oluyole Warriors finished overall 8th last year while they failed to advance to the Final Eight Playoffs in 2015. Pressure will be on the new recruits to perform better this season.

The Nigerian Basketball Federation has announced that the 2017 Season of the women`s basketball league will tip off on Monday 10th April 2017 in Abuja. 

This announcement was made at the Zenith Bank headquarters in Lagos where the management of the bank announced its intention to renew the sponsorship of the league. The 2017 Season will be the 12th year of sponsorship of the women`s league.

“We take sports seriously and that is why we have been with basketball for this long period. It is a delight that many of the players have developed to represent Nigeria at international competitions and that is a success story for us. There have also been testimonies of players discovered through the league who are now playing abroad. This has given us joy that the initiative we started from humble beginning has grown to become a very big league" - Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Zenith Bank`s Deputy Managing Director 

The partnership between Zenith Bank and female basketball in Nigeria, which started in 2005 when the league had only 5 teams, will not end anytime soon. 

“We will continue to support the initiative, we have already signed on for the next three years. For as long as we see the continued professionalism there, we don’t see reason why we will stop the relationship because you don’t stop a winning team. We believe our collaboration is a winning one and our youths have now got commitment and we can only but make it bigger.” 

Eighteen teams participated in the league last season and except Immigration who have opted out, the same set of teams will participate in the season this year. According to the President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, six additional teams have indicated interest and have applied to be a part of the league. 

"We are looking at a situation where we have to create a second tier league to care of the six new teams and the six weakest ones in the league while the top 12 teams will form the new Premier League like it is with the men’s league"

The teams expected to participate this season include;

1. AHIP Queens

2. Benue Princess

3. First Bank

4. First Deepwater

5. Oluyole Babes

6. Plateau Rocks

7. Sunshine Angels

8. Taraba Hurricanes

9. Coal City Queens

10. Customs 

11. Delta Force

12. Dolphins 

13. FCT Angels

14. GT2000

15. IGP Queens

16. Nasarawa Amazons

17. Zamfara Babes

Except a new format is announced, the league will be played in three phases; the first phase in Abuja and the Final Playoffs in Lagos. The venue for the second phase is yet to be announced.

The 2009 - 2016 era of the Male Premier Basketball League is one that will always be mentioned in the evolution of the professional basketball league in Nigeria. This era which saw DSTV become the title sponsor and broadcast rights owners, brought the league to satellite television and as expected, the audience increased. With live games, basketball had people`s attention, then curiosity. This in turn led to the spring up of many basketball focused media platforms both traditional and digital. 

Although we owe a lot to this era, one thing is certain; the basketball league can only move forward and get better. So, as we patiently wait for the Nigerian Basketball Federation to announce the new sponsors and the dawn of a new era, we should also be excited about the new opportunities, possibilities, prospects and impact on the basketball league. 

At the Federation`s Annual General Meeting held earlier this year, the President hinted that the new sponsorship deal is worth $12m over a 5 year period. This is a big leap from the prior deal and this translates to more money for the participating teams, an increase in price money for winners and hopefully, a more elaborate All Star Weekend. 

However, asides financial perspective, we expect a lot of activities in this new era. Here is our top five;

1. Active Front Office

In the past, the most relevant set of people in a team are usually the players and coaching staff. Interactions with the public is usually through the coaches and journalists had to speak with the coaches for information. Going forward, we see club employing people to fill front office roles and we see these people becoming the reference point for the public. The popular roles for now include a General Manager and a Media Officer. 

A very good example is Rivers Hoopers` General Manager Ifie Ozaka and Media Officer Queen John. We believe that other clubs will follow suit and that these front office executives will play a very active role in the development of the clubs. 

2. New Audience

We expect to witness an expansion and extension of the audience/fan base of the basketball league. The clubs and the NBBF have not done so much in the past to attract fans to the live games. This will change in the new era. 

The feedback so far indicates that people outside the conventional basketball circles are interested in the league games. We have also confirmed that one of the league teams - Hoops & Read - will adopt the Indoor Court of the University of Lagos Sports Complex as home court. The club also has plans to sign some of the institution`s players/alumni to the team. 

One thing we are certain about is that the students of the prestigious University of Lagos love basketball. Hoops & Read will help connect them to the league.

3. Increased Focus on Players

Players are the heart of the club and by extension the heart of the league. Before now, there has been little focus on players` performance, personality and lifestyle. That`s about to change. We have already reported that Dike Azuoma joined the star studded Kano Pillars, that Stanley Gumut has pledged loyalty to Mark Mentors and that Anyebe Ujoh has returned to Rivers Hoopers for a chance to win his 6th championship, the third with the Port Harcourt based club. 

Expect more contents centered around league players on this platform and other basketball platforms. 

4. Revenue from Merchandise Sales

Lagos Islanders is about the only club that has generated a sizable amount of money from merchandise sales. The club launched its branded t shirts and snap-back caps during the 2015 season when they made the historic move to Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island. The acceptance probably surpassed the club`s expectations.

If the league attracts new audience and there is increased focus on players as expected, then there will be demand for replica/swing-man jerseys. 

5. Expanded media content

The coverage of the basketball league has improved in the last era especially on social media platforms. Regardless, there is so much to be covered, so much content to be generated, so much ideas to be executed. We will see all these come to life in this new era. 

BballNaija will continue to promote the culture of basketball in Nigeria by providing the best digital content with our various initiatives on our several platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

The 2017 Season is expected to tip off later this month and we can`t wait.

Traditionally, the male premier basketball league tips off around March and spans for about four to five months with each team playing a total of 14 games in regular season (7 home games and 7 away games). Last season, the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) had to improvise as there were only 5 teams in the Atlantic Conference. This saw teams play the same opponent twice a week leading to a total of 16 games for the regular season for the affected Atlantic Conference teams.

However, the NBBF is making a huge jump from previous years by announcing a total of 28 regular season games for the 2017 Season of the Premier Basketball League. There will be four rounds of action in regular season with each team playing against all the other teams in the conference in each round. At the end of the four rounds, each team would have played 2 home and 2 away games against every other team each respective conference. 

In the past few years, basketball stakeholders have expressed displeasure over the few number of games in the league arguing that it is not enough for the development of the players, the teams and the league as a whole. This move from the NBBF will be the first time in recent years that the teams will have a sizable number of games and the reaction from club representatives is as expected.

"This is a good one. It is good for the players and teams. With the number of games, players now have enough time to understand themselves, master their plays and perform better. Teams can also properly for the season, come up with revenue generating ideas and increase fan attendance. The grand finale is in September which means the top two teams that will represent the country at the continental championship won`t be rusty when its time for qualifiers" - Azeez Bello, Secretary of the Kwara State Basketball Association. 

In the news bit released by the Rivers Hoopers, the Head Coach Ogoh Odaudu also expressed his delight with new format. “It is way better than what we had last season because we are playing more games, the more the games the better it is. By the time the players are getting into form, that’s when they find out the games are over after playing 16 games in the regular season. But with 28 games, you have lots and lots of opportunity to correct all your wrongs that you may find. If it were to be more than that, it would have been better but we will make do with what we have right now”

Not all teams pay their players all year round. A number of them pay only for the duration of the league. With this 2017 format, such players get to earn to little bit more. Making it to the Final Eight Playoffs gives them an additional month`s pay including other allowances and match bonuses.

Although, this is a good initiative, it can get better. What we would like to see is for games to be played across conferences. Teams from the Atlantic Conference need to travel to the Savannah to play teams there and vice versa. Not only will this increase the number of games to 30, it will also increase the competitiveness and fan experience.

The Conference Six Playoffs and the Final Eight are played in Lagos. So the Savannah fans never get to see the Atlantic teams play and the Atlantic teams do not get the opportunity to host the Savannah teams in their home court.

Coach Odaudu feels the same way; "I would have preferred more games like we had 8 or 9 years ago when the road trip was in existence where you have to go to the Savannah Conference and still play all the teams there. It would have been better if we had opportunity to face the teams in the Savannah Conference before the final. I am hoping they will work on it in the near future and the road trip will be reintroduced.”

The 2017 calendar is as follows;

Regular Season - April 13 to August 5 2017

All Star Weekend - June 17 2017

Conference Six Playoffs - August 14 to 18 2017

Final Eight - September 4 to 9 2017

Championship Game - September 9 2017

Images - Image Realm Works & Titans Basketball

You can download the full fixtures of the 2017 Season of the male Premier Basketball League.

Download Now

You can follow actions of the league here. You can also follow BballNaija on other social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Econet Wireless` Kwese Sports has confirmed that the 2017 season of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League will be available live on its digital platforms -the Kwese App and Kwese Free Sport channels. This announcement was made via Kwese Sports` official Twitter account.

This is a great development as this is the first time the games from the regular season of the women`s basketball league will be broadcast live on any platform. This will go a long way in promoting the women`s league.

"Finally, I can now watch the ladies play. I could not access any ladies game before. Thanks to Kwese Sports for this exposure for the ladies` league" - Onyebuchi Onyejieke 

The first phase of the league is scheduled to tip off on Monday 10th April in Abuja and the opening game to be broadcast are;

Dolpins vs FCT Angels

Customs vs GT 2000

Download the Kwese app or check the Kwese Free Sport website. Tip off time is 2.30pm

The President of FIBA Africa Zone 3 and Founder of the Dodan Warriors Basketball Team, Col Sam Ahmedu has written a tribute to legendary coach and grandfather of Nigeria basketball, Coach Oliver Babatunde Johnson, to celebrate his birthday.

Read below;

"A lot of my friends have their birthdays today. Of the lot, one person`s birthday stands out. Stand and be recognised Coach Oliver B Johnson, my mentor in every facet.

Coach, glory be to God that since that historical day in 1969 or thereabout when I met you in Dodan Barracks for the first time, while you were on transit from Nairobi to the US, you have never waivered in your love and commitment to basketball. We miss your Chicago Bears American Football Jersey with the number 80 - 80. We miss your slangs; "huzzle back, huzzle back" , though at that time we thought you were saying "Castle back, Castle back". We miss the NBA pre - recorded games you use to take us to watch at the USIS, Broad Street, Lagos, in 1973. I remember vividly the 1970 NBA Finals where Willis Reed led the likes of Bill Bradley ( later Senator) and the New York Knicks to victory for the NBA title , injured foot and all and was nick- named "Captain, my Captain".

You have done great things like bringing Kareem Abdul Jabber (Lew Alcindor) and Oscar "the Big O" Robertson and the Sports Ambassadors with Eldridge Brussard, the Wheaton College Alumni and Big Centre Scott Magnusson to Nigeria. Those of us who saw them live can never forget those memories.

We miss the Junior National Camp in Ife in 1974 when everyone was on their toes when it became clear you were on your way to take charge of the Camp. I remember Coach Oscar Yala Yala`s words"; OBJ is around and so first selection is cancelled; he can change you, he can change you". I was among those dropped. In my case I was too small. 

We met again years latter in ABU, Zaria where you taught us the Technical benefits of keeping statistics, creating dinausours like Tari Preh, Musa Kida, TJ Ahmed of Kano ( Emir of Samaru), Scott Nnaji, Bello Ajibarede, Adamu Ibrahim, Athanasius Tyoden and yours sincerely, among others. 

Coach OBJ being presented the Special Recognition award by Dr Yakmut during the 2015 All-Star Game. Image - Aiyekootoh

I remember the 2 days road trip you and I took in your FGN numbered Beatle car from Zaria to Lagos for NUGA 1978, during which we had a stop -over in Challenge Area in Ibadan where we met the great Archie Moore, the American boxing legend who gave us a round by round account of his fight with the great Muhammed Ali some years back. We eventually got to Lagos via the Lagos - Ibadan Express Way which was still under construction. Under your tutelage supported by Jonathan Chagu, ABU won a lot of Luarels. In my time it was 3 NUGA Medals in addition to many National luarels while, competing for Kaduna State as well. Add the exchange programme with Richard Green of Crown Heights Collective Inc, which the ABU Male and Female teams benefitted from after I had graduated, your legacy in basketball and the impression you have left in our lives can never be forgotten. 

You were indeed a mentor to us all and its not a surprise that Masai Ujiri, one of your little protégé from "Jean`s Club", has grown up to be the GM of the Toronto Raptors, one of the Top teams in the NBA. A great achievement by all standards. And as a pioneer author of Nigerian basketball, a trait which I copied by writing my own book on Nigerian basketball after yours, you a have always blazed the trail. And with Basketball for Peace ( BB4P), your present pet project which is taking the game to all nooks and corners of Nigeria, you have established another legacy for our generation.

Dear Coach, I can go on and on but it will take a book to tell your story. You deserve a National Award my Coach. You have built people, and you have built lives.

Please accept this little tribute as my appreciation for what you stand for and for all you have done for Nigerian basketball. You have taught us well. 

Happy birthday Coach OBJ.( 80 - 80)."

We join Col Sam to celebrate a legend

The first phase of the 2017 Season of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League tipped of yesterday at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium Abuja (Package). The eighteen participating teams were group into 3 - A, B and C - and 6 games were played in Day 1;

The Elephant Girls of First Bank are defending champions and as confirmed by the Head Coach Peter Ahmedu, they will leave no stones unturned in their bid to retain the title. They won their first game against Nasawara Amazons. Other teams who recorded victories include Delta Force, IGP Queens, Dolphins, Plateau Rocks and Customs.

Here are full results;

First Bank 89 - 22 Nasarawa Amazons

Delta Force 86 - 29 Coal City Angels

Ekiti Angels 19 - 100 IGP Queens

Dolphins 97 - 60 FCT Angels

Plateau Rocks 52 - 46 First Deepwater

Customs 44 - 41 GT 2000

Six games are scheduled for today and the Ekiti Angels will try to redeem themselves after being dealt a massive blow by IGP Queens.

Day 2 Fixtures

Taraba Hurricans VS AHIP Queens

Zamfara Babes VS Sunshine Angels

Oluyole Babes VS Benue Princess 

Plateau Rocks VS First Bank 

Delta Force VS Dolphins

Ekiti Angels vs Customs

In an effort to develop the women`s league and increase competitiveness, the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) has announced that a new league format will be adopted starting from next season. In the new format, the league will be expanded into two tiers- the Female Premier League and the Division One Female League.

A member of the Technical Committee of the NBBF, Mr Ajibarede Bello, talks about the new format;

"The present league has 18 teams and an additional 6 teams applied to join the league this year. The league is current stagnant with this current arrangement."

"At the end of the season, the top 12 teams will form the Zenith Female Premier League while the remaining teams will become the nucleus of the emerging Division One Female League."

The 2017 Season tipped off in Abuja on Monday 10 April and the 18 teams participating were grouped into 3 groups of 6 teams each. We expect that the top four teams from each group will form the Zenith Premier Female League while the last 2 teams from each of the 3 groups will join the 6 teams that applied to join the league to form the Division One Female League. What we are not sure about is if the new league will be played in a tournament format with phases or if the teams get to play home and away games like their male counterparts.

Dolphins Female team is the only private-owned team in the league with its own basketball facility which comprises an indoor court, workout gym, swimming pool and chalets. An opportunity to play league games in this facility and in front of home crowd will be a major boost to the management of the team. Other state-owned clubs such as Oluyole Babes, GT 2000, Delta Force have existing facilities already being used by their male counterpart in the Premier Basketball League. 

Image - Dolphins/Sule Itopa

Regardless, the new format will increase competitiveness in the league and keep people interested. The quality of games will also improve as there is a risk of being relegated. 

"The expansion of the female league into two tiers will increase the number of female basketball clubs, the games and awareness generally. A lower Division Two League would subsequently emerge to take in new comers into the league. Teams can now aspire for promotion to the upper league". He added. 

Less than 12hrs to the tip off of the 2017 season of the Premier Basketball League, the management of Kwara Falcons have released the official team list for the season. 

From the list released, it seems the team`s stragegy this season is to focus on quality rather than quantity and only twelve players are registered to play this season. Six of the sixteen players from last season did not return including its most outstanding player Romeo Wilfred. The club replaced these players with other experienced players including big man Akeem Akinsanya from Union Bank Basketball Team (now Stallion Basketball) and former Oluyole Warriors and Lagos Islanders forward, Mojubaoluwa Oyeleye.

Here is the full list;

Pappoe James (C)

Akinsanya Akeem (C)

Oyeleye Mojubaoluwa (F)

Rotibi Victor Gbenga (F)

Ajileye Seyi (G)

Alimi Lanre (G)

El-Alawa Tunde (G)

Alegbe Yomi (G)

Ojemeka Johnson (G) 

Ossai Godspower (G/F)

Adamu Siyaka (F)

Solomon Olufemi (F)

The team finished overall fourth last season and will look to consolidate on this effort this year. The team is scheduled to play their first game to against Customs today at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium Surulere. 

The 2016 Division One Champions Hoops & Read are set for their first ever Premier Basketball League game. The team who have adopted the Indoor Sports Hall of the University of Lagos as their home court will play their season opener against returnees, Police Baton.

Hillary Aigbokhaode who joined the team from Lagos Islanders will bring to bear his league experience in leading the team. He will be supported by the 2016 Young Player of the Year Owen Oriakhi. The official team list released earlier today features 12 players to be coached by Coach Charles Osho.

1. Ogunsemore Jide 

2. Akintoye Abiodun

3. Hilary Aigbokhaode

4. Edward David

5. Komonibo Victor

6. Balogun ifeoluwa

7. Azolibe chijioke 

8. Ilouno  Arthur

9. Owen Oriakhi

10. Chimbou chinedu

11. Emilagba Bolaji

12. Oyebanji Mustapha

We expect that the team`s goal this season is to survive relegation and qualify for Conference Six Playoff. We look forward to their participation in the big league.

Kwara Falcons and Hoops & Read started the 2017 season on a winning note as the two teams recorded victories in their season opening game against Customs and Police Baton respectively

Newly signed Mojuba Oyeleye led Kwara Falcons to their victory scoring 14 points and 4 rebounds. He had 83.3% in 2 points field goals and 100% from the free throw line. Yomi Alegbe also finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds for the Falcons. Onyi Darlington`s 14 points and 2 rebounds did not help Customs and Kwara Falcons dominated the game from tip off to final buzzer having a 12 - 0 during the game. 

The Police Baton`s game against Hoops and Read seems like a rematch of the 2016 Division One match and just like they did in Abuja, Hoops & Read control the game exhibiting a profound understanding of basketball fundamentals. 

Final scores for Game Day 1 are:

Customs 50 - 63 Kwara Falcons

Police Baton 58 - 64 Hoops & ReadAction continues today 14 April at the Indoor Court of the National Stadium Surulere for Game Day 2. Today`s fixtures are 

NAF Rockets - Hoops & Read 4pm

Police Baton - Customs 6pm

Kwara Falcons and Hoops & Read started the 2017 season on a winning note as the two teams recorded victories in their season opening game against Customs and Police Baton respectively

Newly signed Mojuba Oyeleye led Kwara Falcons to their victory scoring 14 points and 4 rebounds. He had 83.3% in 2 points field goals and 100% from the free throw line. Yomi Alegbe also finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds for the Falcons. Onyi Darlington`s 14 points and 2 rebounds did not help Customs and Kwara Falcons dominated the game from tip off to final buzzer having a 12 - 0 during the game. 

The Police Baton`s game against Hoops and Read seems like a rematch of the 2016 Division One match and just like they did in Abuja, Hoops & Read control the game exhibiting a profound understanding of basketball fundamentals. 

Final scores for Game Day 1 are:

Customs 50 - 63 Kwara Falcons

Police Baton 58 - 64 Hoops & ReadAction continues today 14 April at the Indoor Court of the National Stadium Surulere for Game Day 2. Today`s fixtures are 

NAF Rockets - Hoops & Read 4pm

Police Baton - Customs 6pm

Everyone that watched the game between Hoops & Read will admit that it was a very intense game. The game was still very much open with 21 secs left in Q4 but Hops & Read again demonstrated why they should not be underrated as they won with two points. 

Isiaka Saliu has the most points (21) in the league so far and recorded the season`s first double double (21pts,12rebs) but these were not enough to get the Rockets a win from their first game. Three Hoops & Read players - Owen Oriakhi, Jide Ogunsemore and Victor Komonibo - had double digits points (10, 14, 12 respectively). Hoops & Read have won the two league games played so far.

Final scores: NAT Rockets 69 - 71 Hoops & Read

In the second game of the day between Customs and Police Baton was another close game with Customs winning with 5 points. It was their first win of the season having lost their first game to visiting Kwara Falcons. Okiki Afuepa led the scorers for Customs with 18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists. Police Baton have lost their two games played so far.

Final scores: Police Baton 69 - 74 Customs.

The last set of games of the first phase of the 2017 Season of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League were played yesterday in Abuja with First Bank, Dolphins and IGP Queens finishing top of their respective groups. 

A total of 45 games were played by the 18 teams and all team won at least one game each except Taraba Hurricanes, Coal City Queens and Ekiti Angels. They finished bottom of their respective groups. IGP Queens, First Bank and Dolphins were unbeaten through out the tournament. 

Phase One gave us some very interesting and historical moments. Ekiti Angels became the team with the lowest points ever in the league scoring only 8 points in their game against GT 2000. They also had the widest margin (81pts) in the loss they suffered against IGP Queens. The game finished 19 - 100.

Here are the standings per group;

Group A

First Bank                P(5) W(5) L(0)

Plateau Rocks          P(5) W(4) L(1)

First Deepwater        P(5) W(3) L(2)

Nasarawa Amazons  P(5) W(2) L(3)

AHIP Queens           P(5) W(1) L(4)

Taraba Hurricane      P(5) W(0) L(5)

Group B

Dolphins     P(5) W(5) L(0)

Delta Force P(5) W(4) L(1)

Sunshine Angels P(5) W(3) L(2)

FCT Angels P(5) W(2) L(3)

Zamfara Babes P(5) W(1) L(4)

Coal City Queens P(5) W(0) L(5)

Group C

IGP Queens P(5) W(5) L(0)

Customs P(5) W(4) L(1)

Benue Princess P(5) W(3) L(2)

GT 2000 P(5) W(2) L(3)

Oluyole Babes P(5) W(1) L(4)

Ekiti Angels P(5) W(0) L(5)

The second phase is expected to tip off in Kaduna on Monday, 1st May. At the end of the second phase, only the top 4 team in each group (total of 12) will advance to the next phase. 

According to popular English proverb, "If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it". This is the approach Kano Pillars are taking as they release their team list for the 2017 Season retaining most of their players from last season. The team won the title last season. So, why change a winning team.

In the 15 player list released by the management of the team earlier today, 12 of the 16 players from last season were retained. The team added veteran players including Dike Azuoma to strengthen the squad in its effort to defend and retain the title.

Here is the full team list.

Usman Abubakar

Okoh Lucky Subel

Omaga Solomon Oche

Adedeji Kunle Sadiq

Echoi Peter

Ademola Dele

Onmonya Mathew

A. Yusuf Ibrahim

Idris Nasiru

Sani Rabiu

Yahaya Abdul

A. Yusuf Mustapha

Dike Azuoma - New

Celestine Nwafor - New

Eli Ibrahim - New

Pillars will play the first game of the season tomorrow 20th April on the road against Bauchi Nets.

All is set for the mid-term congress of the African zone of the world basketball body - FIBA Africa - in Bamako, Mali. The two - day working session, which is expected to feature delegates from all national member federations across the continent, begins today at the Radisson Blu Hotel. 

Important topics will be discussed at the event including a review of the activities for the 2014 - 2016 period. There will also be workshops on the FIBA New Competition System, the restructuring of African National Federations, the promotion and development of the FIBA 3x3 programmes and the implementation of the ONE FIBA concept.

The Congress is one of the six divisions of FIBA and according to the FIBA General Statutes, it must meet once every two (2) years. The first being the elective Congress at which the President is elected and the other being the mid-term congress held at approximately mid-term of the four-year cycle. 

Nigeria is represented by the President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, Tijjani Umar and Mukhtar Malone, the Vice President. 

The FIBA Africa Executive Committee and Central Board members will held their extraordinary meetings yesterday Wednesday 19th April as prelude to the mid-term congress. 

Images - FIBA

Champions, Kano Pillars started their title defense yesterday with an away win against Bauchi Nets. Pillars dominated all four quarters and the host team could not respond to Pillars on both ends of the court. Kano Pillars won with a 20 point margin. The game ended 48 - 68.

In other games from the Savannah Conference, Mark Mentors, Gombe Bulls and Defenders all secured victories over visiting teams. Mark Mentors defeated Plateau Peaks 60 - 48, Gombe Bulls defeated Kada Stars 93 - 69 while The Defenders defeated Niger Potters 66 - 51 

Down south in the Savannah Conference, Customs` Michael Okiki put up spectacular performance in their game against River Hoopers. River Hoopers also known as the Kings Men had a good first half but turnovers, missed shots and an defensive performance by Customs cost them the game. They lost by 11 points as the game ended 60 - 49. Okiki finished with season high 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

"There was no solution for him today I completely agree with you. It wasn’t Rivers Hoopers vs Customs but Rivers Hoopers vs Michael Okiki. He practically took over the game. For a player who is playing his second season, he played well like a veteran today. I say kudos to him.” Hoopers coach Ogoh Odaudu speaking about Micheal Okiki.

Ovi Shedrack also put up a show for the Nigeria Air-force Rockets with 26 points and 5 rebounds in their victory against host Oluyole Warriors. Warriors` Moses Okpoye, Orji Awusaku and Kelvin Odoh had a combined 50 points but it wasn`t enough to secure the team`s first victory of the season.They lost 77 - 82.

Police Baton secured their first victory of the season as they defeated Delta Force 66- 51 while Hoops & Read recorded their first defeat in the 81 - 73 lose to Kwara Falcons.

League actions continue tomorrow Saturday 22nd April.

Oluyole Warriors` attempt to win at least one of the two season opening home games failed as they lost their second game to Hoops & Read over the weekend. The home team started well as they led in the first two quarters with 2 points and 3 points respectively. Hoops & Read came back to finish the 3rd quarter in a tie 52 - 52 and in the last quarter, the home team could not contain the visiting team.

Bolaji Emilagba scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, securing a victor for the visiting team. Moses Okpoye`s 21 points and Orji Awusaka`s double double (11pts,11 rebs) was not enough to win for the Warriors. The game ended 66 - 77.

In other games in the Atlantic Conference, River Hoopers put their Thursday loss behind them and secured a victory against Police Baton; their first for the season. Haruna Friday, Ogan ID and Solomon Ajegbeyi had combined for 35 points with Ajegbeyi finishing with double double (14 points, 17 rebounds). They handed Police Baton their 3 loss of the season as the game finished 63 - 75.

Coach Ogoh Odaudu expressed delight over his team`s victory; "I think they did a lot better today, they were focused mentally. You could see that they played with a lot of ease and no tension. That is because I told them to have fun and forget Thursday’s loss and I think they did.”  

Delta Force suffered a 41 point blow out to Customs as they lost 86 - 45 while Kwara Falcons maintained its unbeaten run by defeated NAF Rockets 81 - 54.

In the Savannah Conference, Mark Mentors and Gombe Bulls had very slim victories over their respective opponents. Mark Mentors won their game against Niger Potters 80 - 79 while Gombe Bulls defeated defending champions Kano Pillars 69 - 68. Bauchi Nets defeated Kada Stars 73 - 52 and Civil Defence (The Defenders) defeated Plateau Peaks 69 - 39. All home teams in the Savannah Conference won their games.

Action continues on Thursday 27 April in 7 different arenas across 6 cities.

Rivers Hoopers will play their first home game of the season tomorrow when they host Kwara Falcons. The game is one of the games to look forward to this week as there is a silent rivalry between these two teams. Rivers Hoopers lost their first home game last season to Kwara Falcons and the Kings Men paid them back by winning the Third Place game during the Final Eight Playoff. 

Kwara Falcons is the only unbeaten team in the Atlantic Conference and Rivers Hoopers` Coach Ogoh Odaudu understands that it will not be an easy encounter.

“I am not going to expect anything less than what we experienced from them last season. They are coached by a very good and experienced coach. You can tell it will be a game of coaches. We are going to work hard and hopefully at the end of the day we should be able to run away victors`

Talking about general preparation of the team to play its first game, the General Manager of the team, Ifie Ozaka confirmed that there`s been a lot of improvement to ensure a great atmosphere for the fans.

The GM has also urged the Port Harcourt fans to turn out en masse to come watch best of basketball as the players will be unveiled in front of the home fans. He made this comment during his visit to Treasure FM, Port Harcourt earlier today.

Kano Pillars with play today without six of their players who have been handed a 3-game suspension for the post-game violence that erupted after their 69 - 68 loss to Gombe Bulls on Saturday 22 April. The was contained in the official statement released by the Media Officer of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Mr Patrick Omorodion.

Others affected include Kano Pillars` Head Coach and Assistant Coach who have been served 2-game and 5-game suspension respectively. Gombe Bulls are to play their next two home games behind closed doors and will repair the damaged Kano Pillars` bus. Kano Pillars will pay N250,000 as fine while Gombe Bulls will pay N150,000.

The Official Statement:

"To nip violence in the Kwese Premier Basketball League in the bud, the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF has slammed a fine of N250,000 and N150,000 on Kano Pillars Basketball club and Gombe Bulls Basketball club respectively. This follows the decision of the NBBF Technical Committee which looked into the fracas that greeted the April 22, 2017 match between both clubs in Gombe Apart from the fine, six players of Kano Pillars namely Abubakar Usman, Ibrahim Yusuf, Abdul Yahaya, Celestine Nwafor, Mustapha Yusuf and Oche Omaga were handed a 3-match suspension each for attacking the spectators and conducting themselves in a violent and uncontrollable manner.

For Gombe Bulls, in addition to their fine, they have been ordered to play their next two home matches behind closed doors. They are also to repair the damaged Kano Pillars team bus for their inability to control their fans. Also affected by the suspension are the head coach of Kano Pillars, Sani Ahmed and his assistant, Ibrahim Makun. While Ahmed is to serve a 2-match suspension for his inability to control his bench, Makun was suspended for 5 matches for attacking a Gombe Bulls player with a serious warning to be of good behaviour henceforth"

Kano Pillars` game today against Plateau Peaks will tip off by 4pm at the Kofamata Sports Hall while Gombe Bulls will travel to Abuja to face Mark Mentors

Going into Game Day 6 of the Premier Basketball League, only two teams - Gombe Bulls and Defenders - were left in the league with unbeaten record this season. We knew only one of them will stay that way after the game between the two teams at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium Abuja when The Defenders hosted the Bulls. The Gombe Bull did.

Bulls dominated from tip off to buzzer, leading with 18 points at the end of the first two quarters. Shedrack Kator Gar and Yakuba Sylvanus combined for 26 points for the Bulls. The game ended 64 - 78. 

In other Savannah Conference games, Bauchi Nets were no match against one time champions Mark Mentors as they suffered 32 point blow out in Abuja. The game ended 80 - 48. Kano Pillars played their first game of the week on Saturday after they walked over visiting team Plateau Peaks who arrived late to the arena. Pillars won their game against Niger Potters 83 - 63. 

The game between Kada Stars and Plateau Peaks.

Down south in the Atlantic Conference, Rivers Hoopers continued their home run as they defeated Oluyole Warriors 73 - 59. Friday Haruna had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists. Ronald Alalibo scored 11 points with 3 rebounds while Emmanuel Balogun contributed 10 points and 2 rebounds

Warriors have not won any game this season. Kwara Falcons defeated home team Delta Force 47 - 81 while NAF Rockets lost to Customs 58 - 74.

Action continues on Thursday May 4.

Lagos based female basketball team and one time champions of the Zenith Women`s Basketball League, Dolphins have arrived Kaduna for the second phase of the 2017 Season of the league which is expected to hold from Monday 1st May to 8 May 2017.

The arrived in grand style. Here are images courtesy of the team.

Dolphins finished top of Group B after the first phase in Abuja and will aim at consolidating on that effort. The two bottom teams from each group will be relegated from the league and will not advance to the third phase in Asaba.

The second phase of the 2017 Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League tipped off yesterday May 1 at the Indoor Sports Hall, Ramat Square in Kaduna. The second phase stands as the second leg of the games played during the first phase in Abuja. 

All the teams that participated in Phase One are expected to participate in this phase at the end of which, the last two teams in each group will be relegated to a lower league. Teams that currently risk relegation are AHIP Queens, Taraba Hurricane, Zamfara Babes, Coal City Queens, Oluyole Babes and Ekiti Angels.

This second phase will span from Monday May 1 to May 8. Results from Day 1 are;

Plateau Rocks 81 - 42 Taraba Hurricanes

Zamfara Babes 48 - 38 Coal City Queens

GT 2000 61 - 24 Oluyole Babes

AHIP Queens 48 - 97 First Bank

Delta Force 71 - 73 Dolphins

IGP Queens 51 - 39 Customs

Sunshine Angels 51 - 35 FCT Angels

Fixtures for today Day 2 are;

Taraba Hurricanes vs First Bank

Delta Force vs Zamafara Babes

Coal City Queens vs Sunshine Angels

Plateau Rocks vs AHIP Queens

IGP Queens vs Benue Princess

Customs - Ekiti Angels

First Deepwater - Oluyole Babes

Today is the Day 4 of the second phase of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League and three Lagos based teams - First Bank, Dolphins and IGP Queens - are the only teams who have not lost any game so far. These three teams went 5 - 0 in the first phase and have extended this feat into Phase Two.

On the other end of the table, Taraba Hurricane, Coal City Queens and Ekiti Angels are yet to win a game this season. They are 0-8, 0-7 and 0-7 respectively. Taraba Hurricanes are officially the first team to be relegated from the Women`s Basketball League. Regardless of the outcome of their last two game in this phase, they`d finish as one of the bottom two teams in Group A. 

Results from Day 3 are;

Nasarawa Amazons 45 - 40 Taraba Hurricane

FCT Angels 41 - 33 Zamfara Babes

Oluyole Babes 36 - 21 Ekiti Angels

First Deepwater 50 - 88 First Bank

Delta Force 61 - 60 Sunshine Angels 

Benue Princess 59 - 58 GT 2000

Fixtures for today Day 4 are;

Sunshine Angels - Dolphins

Oluyole Babes - Benue Princess

Ekiti Angels - IGP Queens

AHIP Queens - First Deepwater

First Bank - Nasarawa Amazons

GT 2000 - Customs

Images - Dolphins/Sule Itopa

Ekiti Angels` only chance of survival in the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League hinged on the result of their game with IGP Queens. Unfortunately, they couldn`t utiise the opportunity as they lost woefully to the Lagos based team yesterday 24 - 96. Victory in their last two games won`t be enough to get them to the next phase. They join Taraba Hurricanes whose relegation has also been confirmed.

First Bank and IGP Queens have now extended their winning streak to 9 and 8 games respectively. 

Results from yesterday`s games are as follows;

Sunshine Angels 44 - 68 Dolphins

Oluyole Babes 36 - 70 Benue Princess

Ekiti Angels 24 - 96 IGP Queens

AHIP Queens 54 - 50 First Deepwater

First Bank 85 - 15 Nasarawa Amazons

GT 2000 46 - 42 Customs

Fixtures for today are;

AHIP Queens - Nasarawa Amazons

Zamfara Babes - Sunshine Angels

Ekiti Angels - GT 2000

Delta Force - FCT Angels

Coal City Queens - Dolphins

Benue Princess - Customs

First Bank - Plateau Rocks

Images - Dolphins/Sule Itopa

Many thought the Customs - Oluyole Warriors game will be a walk in the park for the Customs as the Customs had a four game winning streak and Oluyole Warriors lost all of their four games played so far. But we were reminded that basketball is indeed a game of balls and in the world of sports, anything can happen.

Warriors` guard, Okpoye drained a deep 3 few seconds into the game to set the tempo, one which they maintained throughout the game. The Warriors led the game all through the fourth quarters including a 13-0 run in the Q3. Okpoye made 5 of his 8 3pt field goal to finish with 23pts. He was supported by Richard Odo (16pts,3 rebs,5 asts) and Olatubosun Ajayi (10pts,8 rebs,1 ast).

Seyi Ayodele (20pts) and Okiki Afuwape (16pts) led the scorers for Customs but their effort wasn`t enough to stop the Warriors. The team obviously missed Obum Onyia who did not play.

Other results for Game Day 7 are;

ATLANTIC CONFERENCE

Police Baton 63 - 75 Kwara Falcons

Delta Force 71 - 84 Hoops & Read

Rivers Hoopers 91 - 54 NAF Rockets

SAVANNAH CONFERENCE

Kano Pillars 97 - 64 Mark Mentors

Kada Stars 68 - 64 Defenders

Plateau Peaks 38 - 51 Gombe Bulls

Niger Potters 43 - 38 Bauchi Nets

According to the qualifiers draws held earlier today in China, Nigeria will play in Group B against Mali, Uganda and Rwanda in preparation for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.  

The 16 African countries who will play for the 5 available slots for the continent were grouped into Groups A, B, C and D. The qualifiers will hold in two windows from November 2017 to February 2019. The first window will be for the first round of qualifying games from November 2017 to February 2018 while the second round will be played when the second window opens from September 2018 to February 2019.

The top three countries in each of the four groups will qualify for the second round of qualifiers. These 12 countries will be grouped into two groups of 6. The top two countries from each of these two groups and the best 3rd country will emerge as the 5 countries that will represent the continent at the world cup. 

The qualifiers is one of the features of the New FIBA Competition System and Calendar. One of the major objectives is to increase the visibility of the national teams in their home country. Nigeria will play home and away games with all other teams in the group as part of the journey to the World Cup. 

Here are the draws for other regions

At the beginning of the 2017 season of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League, it was announced that a new format was going to be adopted to increase competitiveness and improve the quality of games. Twelve teams from the current women`s league will form the Women`s Premier Basketball League and a lower division will be created for the other teams.

Phase Two of the women`s league ended in Kaduna over the weekend and the top four teams in each group will make up the twelve teams that will play in the Women`s Premier Basketball League starting next year. These teams are;  

First Bank

Dolphins

IGP Queens

Delta Force

Benue Princess

Plateau Rocks

First Deepwater

Sunshine Angels

Customs

AHIP Queens

GT 2000

FCT Angels

The bottom six teams will be relegated to Division One and will be joined by other news who have applied to be a part of the league. They are;

Nasarawa Amazons

Zamfara Babes

Oluyole Babes

Taraba Hurricane

Coal City Queens

Ekiti Angels

The third and fourth phases will be held in Asaba and Ibadan respectively between the 22nd of June and 10th of July. The twelve teams will participate in these phases of which only eight will qualify for the grand finale - The Final Eight Playoffs - in Lagos.   

Image - Dolphins/Sule Itopa

The Continental Basketball League (CBL) is set to tip off this Friday May 12 at the Indoor Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium with its maiden tournament dubbed "May Madness".

The 3 week tournament will feature 6 teams from 4 different cities in Africa - Lagos Warriors (Lagos), Yaounde Giants (Yaounde), Eko Kings (Lagos), Izobe Dragons (Libreville), Lagos City Stars (Lagos), Abidjan Raiders (Abidjan) 

The tournament will be played in Lagos, Yaounde and Libreville as follows;

Lagos Challenge - Teslim Balogun Stadium Lagos - Friday May 12 - Saturday May 20 

Yaounde Challenge - Palais Des Sport de Yaounde - Monday May 22 - Wednesday May 24

All Star Weekend - Teslim Balogun Stadium Lagos - Saturday May 27 - Sunday May 28

Final Four - Complexe Sportif Dominique Libreville - Saturday June 3 - Sunday June 4

The first game of the Lagos Challenge will be between Lagos Warriors and Yaounde Giants.

Cameroonian team, Yaounde Giants, have released their full teams for the CBL tournament `May Madness` ahead of their opening game against Lagos Warriors on Friday May 12 in Lagos. 

The team comprises of 9 nationals and two foreign players;

Christian Bayang - SG

Kevin Ngwese - PF

Arnold Kome - SG

Christian Ayangma - SF

Pierre Cedric Essome - SF

Mohaman Aziz Nkene Tsaace - C

Simon Bileg - C

Thierry Bogmis - SG

Yannick Seulle - PG

Ebaku Akumenzoh - PF

Ian Carter (USA) - SF/PF

Lanerryl Johnson (USA) - PG 

The team will play 3 games in Lagos before returning home for the Yaounde Challenge.

Six games will be played in the Kwese Premier Basketball League this weekend (Week 4) - Thursday 11 May - as the first round of the league comes to an end. The games will be played in Ilorin, Port Harcourt, Gombe, Minna, Kaduna and Abuja as follows;

Atlantic Conference

Kwara Falcons - Oluyole Warriors (4pm)

Rivers Hoopers - Delta Force (4pm)

Savannah Conference

Gombe Bulls - Bauchi Nets (4pm)

Niger Potters - Plateau Peaks (4pm)

Kada Stars - Kano Pillars (4pm)

Defenders - Mark Mentors (4pm)

It will be a thriller for the Abuja fans as the two Abuja teams - Mark Mentors and Defenders - will meet for the first time this season. We can call it the Abuja derby. Ironically, there will not be any games for Lagos fans this weekend.

Kwara Falcons have not lost any game in front of their home crowd this season. They would work towards maintaining that record as they host Oluyole Warriors tomorrow. The Warriors snapped out of their losing streak when they stunned Customs in Lagos last week. They would hope to carry on that momentum in Ilorin. We can call this the South West derby.

Rivers Hoopers have the longest winning streak (W5) in the Atlantic Conference. They can extend this if they win their game against their South South neighbours - Delta Falcons. 

Up North in the Savannah Conference, Gombe Bulls host Bauchi Nets with the aim of extending their unbeaten run. If they succeed. They`d be the only team that did not lose a game in Round One. 

Saturday will be a rest day as the second round tips off on Thursday 18 May.

The Abuja based team in the Savannah Conference met for the first time this season yesterday in what was called the Abuja Derby. The first two quarters were closed with the Mark Mentors leading with just a point at the end of the second quarter. But Stanley Gumut brought his experience to bear as he dominated on both ends of the floor. Mark Mentors pulled away in the 3rd quarter and maintained the lead to the final buzzer.

The game ended 73 - 80 in Mark Mentors` favour. 

Although Rivers Hoopers rested some of its key players, the Port Harcourt side extended their winning streak to 6 to finish at the top of the Atlantic Conference table after defeating visiting Delta Force 64 - 49. Solomon Ajegbeyi led the Kings Men with 18 points, 5 rebounds. The 64 points scored by Rivers Hoopers is the lowest they have scored his season in a game they won. Team`s Head Coach, Ogoh Odaudu attributed this to the `rustiness` of the players. 

`I think we did well against Delta Force. I had the opportunity to use a lot of players that I have not used before in a game. I’ll attribute their performance to match rustiness because they have not played enough games like the others.When they got to the court, they were a bit jittery. I think they will get pass it when they play more games`

Kwara Falcons also stayed unbeaten on their home court having won their game against visiting Oluyole Warriors 77 - 68. The Warriors lost 6 of the 7 games played in the first round, but the team is not under pressure says Coach Taiye Sobogun. 

`We are not under pressure, the players aren`t. Considering how late we recruited for the season, we`ve played really well. What we really needed was to play as many games to get the team chemistry at a competitive level and so far it has happened. What`s almost certain now is that we`re confident that the second round of the season will be way better than the first`

Here`s the Atlantic Conference Standing at the end of the first round

The Savannah game between Gombe Bulls and Bauchi Nets was postponed till tomorrow Saturday 13 May 2017. In other games, Kada Stars suffered a 30 point blow out when the defending champions Kano Pillars came visiting. Niger Potters defeated Plateau Peaks at home 62 - 50.

The Savannah Conference`s standings will be released after tomorrow`s game between Gombe Bulls and Bauchi Nets. The second round of the league tips off on Thursday 18th May 2017.

Image - 9jaHoops

The much anticipated Continental Basketball League (CBL) tipped of yesterday at the Indoor Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium with a game between Lagos Warriors and Yaoundé Giants.

It was a game the Warriors would like to forget in a hurry as they were trumped by the Cameroonian side, losing the game by 38 points.

Christian Bayang made the first basketball of the tournament with his free throw 1.22 mins into the first quarter. The Warriors took the lead in the 6th minutes of the first quarter with Scott`s three point shot. The two teams exchange leads couple of time in the first quarter,after which the Giants pulled away and dominated till the end of the game.

Giants` Felix Bogmis had a tournament high 26points. He made more 3 points field goals (7) that the entire Lagos Warriors team (2). He made 15 of his 26 points in the last quarter all from 3 point shots.

Five other Giants had double digits points; Bayang (10), Esters (16), Ayangma (11), Ngwese (10), Bileg (11).

The May Madness continues today at the Teslim Balogun Stadium as follows;

Izobe Dragons vs Abidjan Raiders - 4pm

Yaounde Giants vs Eko Kings - 7pm

Ahead of the 2017 NBA Africa Game which is scheduled to hold in Johannesburg in August, the NBA today unveiled seven corporate organisations as official partners of the event. The partners include;

Kwese Sports - Official Broadcast Partner and an Official Marketing Partner of NBA Africa Game 2017.

Ford Motors South Africa - Official Automotive Partner of NBA Africa Game 2017.  Ford has been the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA in sub-Saharan Africa since 2015.

Castle Lite - Official Beer Partner of NBA Africa Game 2017. There will be series of activation including the Castle Lite Extra Cold Zone pregame fan festival at the Ticketpro Dome.

General Electric - Official Marketing Partner of the NBA Africa Game 2017

Solektra International – Official Marketing Partner of NBA Africa Game 2017.The company will provide sustainable solar lighting solutions for communities as part of the NBA Africa programmes. 

Marriott International – Official Marketing Partner of NBA Africa Game 2017. The company will send one lucky winner from the US to attend the game and will host a series of elite events in Johannesburg.

947 – Official Radio Partner of NBA Africa Game 2017.  The NBA will leverage on 947`s radio personalities to promote the game throughout South Africa. 

According to the NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall; "This blue chip roster of partners for the second NBA Africa Game is a testament to the growth of basketball and the NBA brand across the continent. These like minded partners also share our mission to improve the lives of young people and will work with us to amplify the impact of the game of basketball throughout Africa.”

The 2017 NBA game in Africa will take place Saturday, Aug. 5 at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Images - NBA Africa

In an unbelievable turn of events at the Indoor Hall of the Kwara State Stadium, host team Kwara Falcons dominated and defeated arch rivals with 36 points. The rivalry between these two teams started last season, reaching its peak when Hoopers defeated Falcons during the 3rd place game. The two teams have improved remarkably over the years and both seek to dominate the Atlantic Conference. It was therefore expected that the game will be tough one also considering that first game Falcons lost this season was to Rivers Hoopers and Falcons will want a pay back by ending Hoopers` 8 game winning streak.

Falcons controlled the game from tip off leading with up to 50 points in the third quarter. The only time Hoopers took the lead was few minutes into the first quarter where they led with a point (8-7) . Falcons scored over 30 points from outside the arc while Hoopers` made only one 3 point shot in the entire game from 12 attempts. The game ended 93 - 57.

It was also a very intriguing match up between Customs and Hoops & Read and we thought we`d witness the third OT game of the season. The two teams went neck to neck through out the game, 11-13 at the end of Q1, 31 - 30 at half time and 47 - 47 at the end of Q3. Customs led 65 - 64 with 1.30 mins left in Q4 but a two point shot and a free throw gave Hoops & Read the edge over Customs. Hoopers made 17 of their 24 FTs. Game ended 65 - 67. 

In Ibadan, Oluyole Warriors won their third consecutive games since the start of the season as they defeated visiting Delta Force. Warriors` Kehinde Fadojutimi was three points shy from double double with 7 points,10 rebounds. Four Warriors player - Moses Okpoye (15pts,3 rebs), Sunday Atibiyun (16pts,2 rebs), Sulaiman Owolabi (17pts,1 reb) and Olatunbosun Ajayi (12pts,5 rebs) had double digits points and combined for 60 points. Final scores was 92 - 67.

In the last game of the day in the Atlantic Conferences, Police Baton handed NAF Rockets their 6th consecutive loss this season with their 80 - 63 victory. 

ATLANTIC CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Kwara Falcons

2. Rivers Hoopers

3. Customs

4. Hoops & Read

5. Police Baton

6. Oluyole Warriors

7. NAF Rockets

8. Delta Force

FIXTURES FOR 27 MAY

Kwara Falcons vs Delta Force 4pm Ilorin

Customs vs NAF Rockets 6pm Lagos

Oluyole vs Rivers Hoopers 2pm Ibadan

Police Baton vs Hoops & Read 4pm Lagos

As Kwese Sports` live commentator Ayotunde Onabolu said yesterday; `If you didn`t watch the Kano Pillars - Mark Mentors game, you missed a lot. The scores do not do justice to the game`. It is always a supremacy battle when the defending champions - Kano Pillars and one time champions - Mark Mentors- meet. Yesterday wasn`t an exception.

It was a close game in the first two quarters as the game was tied at the end of the first half 41 - 41. However, in the first quarter, Pillars gradually pulled away ending the third quarter with a 6 point lead. Mark Mentors missed quite a number of their 3 point shot making only 5 in 19 attempts. Pillars took advantage of this as they made 10 of their 23 attempts to seal the victory. 

Okpe Ocheibe and Stanley Gumut led the scorers for Mentors with 24pts and 20ts respectively. Five Pillars` players including 4 of the starting 5 had double digit points - Dike Azuoma (13), Eli Abrahim (16), Abubakar Usman (16), Abdul Yahaya (13), Dele Ademola (10). Game ended 86 - 79. 

In other games in the Savannah Conference, The Defenders defended their home court by defeating visiting Kada Stars 77 - 64 on Ese Austine`s 16pts,8rebs. Gombe Bulls returned to winning ways as they trounced Plateau Peaks 84 - 49. Bauchi Nets defeated Niger Potters 63 - 54 to get their first back to back wins of the season 

SAVANNAH CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Gombe Bulls

2. Kano Pillars

3. Mark Mentors

4. Defenders

5. Niger Potters

6. Bauchi Nets

7. Plateau Peaks

8. Kada Stars

FIXTURES FOR 27 MAY

Mark Mentors vs Kada Stars 4pm Abuja

Defenders vs Kano Pillars 6pm Abuja

Gombe Bulls vs Niger Potters 4pm Gombe

Bauchi Nets vs Plateau Peaks 4pm Bauchi

Images - 9jaHoops

The group stage of the CBL`s May Madness tournament came to an end in Yaounde, Cameroon and the top four of the six participating teams will advance to the Final Four.

These teams are;

Eko Kings

Abidjan Raiders

Yaounde Giants

Lagos City Stars

Earlier schedule to be played in Libreville Gabon, the Final Four will now be held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Friday June 3 and Saturday June 4.

June 3 - Semi Finals

Abidjan Raiders vs Yaounde Giants - 4pm

Eko Kings vs Lagos City Stars - 7pm

June 4 - Championship Game 

Winner 1 vs Winner 2.

After suffering a massive blowout last week against Kwara Falcons in Ilorin, Rivers Hoopers lost their number one spot on the Atlantic Conference to the Falcons. Their 8 game winning streak also came to an end in the process. The Falcons are now back at the top of the league and will seek to repeat last year`s feat where they finished top of the Atlantic Conference at the end of both the regular season and Conference Playoffs.

Kano Pillars got their pound of flesh when they defeated rivals Gombe Bulls in their second match-up of the season. The Bulls had won all their games prior to the lost to Pillars, thereby losing their unbeaten run. Although, the two teams are tied based on points, Kano Pillars (+6) have an edge over Gombe Bulls (-6) using the head-to-head alternative. With this, Kano Pillars now sit at the top of the Savannah Conference, a position they`ve become used to over the years.

Here is a look at the current standings of the Kwese Premier Basketball league going into Week 7 of the 2017 Season

ATLANTIC CONFERENCE

1. Kwara Falcons

2. Rivers Hoopers

3. Hoops & Read

4. Customs

5. Police Baton

6. Oluyole Warriors

7. Delta Force

8. NAF Rockets

SAVANNAH CONFERENCE

1. Kano Pillars

2. Gombe Bulls

3. Mark Mentors

4. Defenders

5. Bauchi Nets

6. Niger Potters

7. Plateau Peaks

8. Kada Stars

In the usual manner, Week 7 will feature a total of 16 games being played across 6 cities on Thursday 1 June and Saturday 3 June. We look forward to an exciting weekend.

Today`s fixtures;

Kwara Falcons  vs Police Baton

Oluyole Warriors vs Customs

Hoops & Read vs Delta Force

NAF Rockets vs Rivers Hoopers

Gombe Bulls vs Mark Mentors

Bauchi Nets vs Defenders

Plateau Peaks vs Kano Pillars

Niger Potters vs Kada Stars

Image - 9jaHoops

Although this is Hoops & Read`s first season in the Premier Basketball League, the players of the club (often referred to as The Students) are already making a name for themselves. Three of the club`s player made it to the Atlantic Conference All Star Team. This will be their first All Star experience. Hilary Aigbokhaode will also feature in the All Star event in the 3 point contest.

Kwara Falcons` Mobuja Oyeleye, Customs` Okiki Michael and Rivers Hoopers` Solomon Ajegbeyi who are fans` favourites also made it to the Atlantic Team. 

ATLANTIC ALL STAR TEAM

Owen Oriakhi - Hoops & Read

Kamal Ayanlere - Police Batons

Oghenetano Emuhowo - Rivers Hoopers

Victor Komonibo - Hoops & Read

Jide Ogunsemore - Hoops & Read

Mojuba Oyeleye - Kwara Falcons

Okiki Michael - Customs

Solomon Ajegbeyi - Rivers Hoopers

David Godwin - Kwara Falcons

Balogun Emmanuel - Rivers Hoopers

Seun Akinwale - Customs

Kevin Odoh - Oluyole Warriors

In the Savannah Conference, the usual suspects from Mark Mentors and Kano Pillars made the list including Stanley Gumut, Abubakar Usman and Dele Ademola. They`d be joined by other stars from Gombe Bulls, Civil Defenders, Bauchi Nets and Niger Potters. 

SAVANNAH ALL STAR TEAM

AbdulWahab Yakubu - Gombe Bulls

Sylvanus Mamaki - Gombe Bulls

Gar Kator Shedrack- Gombe Bulls

Stanley Gumut - Mark Mentors

Abubakar Usman - Kano Pillars

Dele Ademola - Kano Pillars

AbdulWahab Yahaya - Kano Pillars

Azuoma Dike - Kano Pillars

Eli Abraham  - Kano Pillars

Joel Ijigba - Defenders 

Apara Akita - Bauchi Nets

Wisdom Prince - Niger Potters

The All Star Game which is scheduled for this Saturday will feature a couple of events including the Skills Challenge, 3 Point Shooting Contest, Dunking Competition and a Ceremonial 3x3 Challenge.

Players selected to feature in these contests are;

3 POINT CONTEST

Kevin Ikhalo - Delta Force

Roland Alalibo - Rivers Hoopers

Hilary Aigbokhaode - Hoops&Read

Seye Ayodele - Customs

Umar Alhaji Madu - Niger Potters

Timothy Kwaor - Gombe Bulls

SKILLS CHALLENGE

Adeolu Olaiya - Bauchi Nets

Kevin Pam - Plateau Peaks

Anaye Johnson - Kwara Falcons

Sulaimon Owolabi - Oluyole Warriors

Emilagba Bolaji - Hoops&Read

Shedrack Ovi - NAF Rockets

SLAM DUNK

Ibe Agu - Gombe Bulls

Lucky Subel - Kano Pillars

Ossai Godspower - Kwara Falcons

Azolibe Chijioke - Hoops&Read

Richard Odoh - Oluyole Warriors

Idris Brown - NAF Rockets

The All Star Events will be hosted by Kano Pillars at the Kofamata Sports Hall, Kano. It is the first time the event will be held outside Lagos and Abuja.

Image - Aiyekootoh Studio

The fourth phase of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League is expected to tip off on Saturday 8th July at the Indoor Hall of the Lekan Salami Stadium Adamasingba, Ibadan with Dolphins and First Bank standing as the only two teams that have not lost a game all season long.

The 12 teams participating in the fourth round have played 15 games each - 5 at each phase. Dolphins and First Bank won all 15 games. First Bank will seek to repeat their unbeaten run last season where they won all the league games - a total of 21 - to regain their league championship. The last time the Elephant Girls of First Bank were defeated was during the finals of the 2015 season where they lost 72 - 77 to rivals Dolphins.

The schedule of events for the Fourth Phase is as follows;

Arrival : 6th July 2017

Technical meeting: 7th July 2017

Tournament: 8th-15th July 2017

Departure: 16th July 2017

The 12 teams participating in the fourth phase are;

GROUP A

1. First Bank

2. IGP Queens

3. First Deepwater

4. Plateau Rocks

5. Benue Princess

6. FCT Angels 

GROUP B

1. Dolphins

2. Customs

3. Delta Force

4. GT2000

5. AHIP Queens

6. Sunshine Angels

The Finals and the All Star game will be held in Lagos at the end of the month.

Image - Dolphins Basketball/Itopa Sule

In a communique released early today by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (signed by Olumide Oyedeji), the names of the 22 players invited to the training camp ahead of the 2017 Afrobasket Women Competition scheduled for 18 - 27 August in Bamako, Mali were announced.

The invited players are

1. Helen Ogunjimi;

2. Sarah Ogoke;

3. Elonu Adaora;

4. Ndidi Madu;

5. Sarah Imovbioh;

6. Ibiam Elem;

7. Uju Ugoka;

8. Joyce Ekworomadu;

9. Ezinne Kalu

10. Promise Amukamara;

11. Olayinka Sanni;

12. Ugochi Nwaigwe;

13. Ifunanya Ibekwe;

14. Evelyn Akhator;

15. Atosu Upe;

16. Chioma Udeaja;

17. Nkechi Akashili;

18. Nkem Akaraiwe;

19. Gloria Umeh;

20. Ebere Okeke;

21. Elawere Odion Tina; and

22. Christiana Isaac. 

The camp which opens on the 23rd July 2017 will be supervised by a three-man coaching staff headed by Scott Nnaji. He will be assisted by Mauro Procaccini and Kwara Falcons` Adewunmi Aderemi. Players from the Zenith Women`s Basketball League are expected to join the camp immediately after the Final Eight Playoffs. 

These are familiar names as most of these players represented the country during the 2015 Afrobasket Women`s Competition and the Women`s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. We hope we would not have two lists and two camps as recently experienced during the FIBA Africa 3x3 Event. 

Today is the fourth day of Phase Four of the Zenith Women`s Basketball League taking place at the Indoor Hall of the Lekan Salami Stadium Adamasingba, Ibadan. Dolphins and First Bank have both maintained their unbeaten run, extending the winning streak to 18 games this season. 

Here are results of games played so far. 

Day 1 - 8 July 2017

First Bank 103 - 62 First Deepwater

Sunshine Angels 67 - 65 Delta Force

Plateau Rocks 44 - 54 IGP Queens

Dolphins 98 - 81 AHIP Queens

GT2000 50 - 57 Customs

Benue Princess 66 - 54 FCT Angels

Day 2 - 10 July 2017

Plateau Rocks 78 - 79 Benue Princess

GT2000 52 - 48 Sunshine Angels

FCT Angels 33 - 94 First Bank

Delta Force 72 - 95 Dolphins

First Deepwater 63 - 60 IGP Queens

AHIP Queens 48 - 65 Customs

Day 3 - 11 July 2017

FCT Angels 51 - 69 First Deepwater

Dolphins 75 - 62 GT2000

Benue Princess 65 - 72 IGP Queens

Sunshine Angels 33 - 65 Customs

First Bank 117 - 42 Plateau Rocks

Delta Force 67 - 65 AHIP Queens

Here are today`s fixtures

Day 4 - 12 July 2017

IGP Queens - First Bank 

Customs - Dolphins

First Deepwater - Benue Princess

AHIP Queens - Sunshine Angels

FCT Angels - Plateau Rocks

Delta Force - GT2000

The NBA earlier today announced the full team list for Team Africa and Team World ahead of the second NBA Africa Game scheduled for Saturday 5 August at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Team Africa which comprises of players born in Africa and second-generation African players will be led Luol Deng and Thabo Sefolosha while Team World will comprise of players from the rest of the world and will be led by Dirk Nowitzki and Kemba Walker. 

Here is are the full team lists;

Team Africa:

1. Luol Deng (Los Angeles Lakers; South Sudan)

2. Thabo Sefolosha (most recently with Atlanta Hawks; Switzerland; parent from South Africa). 

3. Bismack Biyombo (Orlando Magic; Democratic Republic of the Congo)

4. Clint Capela (Houston Rockets; Switzerland; parents from Angola and Congo)

5. Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves; Senegal; BWB Africa 2009)

6. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011)* 

7. Serge Ibaka (Toronto Raptors; Congo), 

8. Luc Mbah a Moute (most recently with LA Clippers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2003)

9. Salah Mejri (Dallas Mavericks; Tunisia)

10. Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets; Democratic Republic of the Congo)

11. Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers; U.S.; parent from Nigeria) 

12. Dennis Schroder (Hawks; Germany; parent from The Gambia).

Team World

1. Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks; Germany) 

2. Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets; U.S.)

3. Leandro Barbosa (most recently with the Phoenix Suns; Brazil)

4. Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics; U.S.)

5. Wilson Chandler (Nuggets; U.S.)

6. DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans Pelicans; U.S.)

7. Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons; U.S.)

8. Courtney Lee (New York Knicks; U.S.)

9. Kyle Lowry (Raptors; U.S.)

10. CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.) 

11. Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks; Latvia).

*will not play

Some of the players will be returning to Africa having participated in the maiden edition in 2015. For some, this will be their first time in the continent. 

“I’ve heard so many great things from players around the league who traveled to South Africa in 2015 for the first NBA Africa Game and Basketball without Borders.  I can’t wait to suit up for Team World in Johannesburg this summer” - CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers/Team World)

"I can’t wait to make my first trip to Africa and join Dirk in leading Team World.  Playing in an NBA game in Africa will be a special moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life” - Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets/Team World)

For fans in South Africa and visiting fans, tickets are avilable ticketpro.co.za. The game will also be streamed live on all Kwese platforms including Kwesé Free Sports, Kwesé Sports, Kwesé partners Soweto TV (South Africa), Canal+ Afrique (Francophone Africa) and other select free-to-air channels, Kwesesports.com, and the Kwesé app.

“Kwesé is fast becoming the destination of choice for sports fanatics across sub-Saharan Africa, and the ability to exclusively carry NBA content, including NBA Africa Game 2017, on all Kwesé platforms is indicative of the strides we are making in the sports and broadcast industries” - Strive Masiyiwa (Founder and Executive Chairman, Econet)

Other activities scheduled for the NBA Africa Game 2017 include 15th edition of Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa. 

Let the countdown begin

Image - NBA

The fourth phase of the 13th Edition of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League came to an end yesterday in Ibadan with eight teams emerging as finalists. The twelve teams that participated in the 3rd and 4th phases were grouped into two groups of six team each. The top four team from each group will advance to the Final Eight Playoffs.

Group A

First Bank 

IGP Queens  

First DeepWater  

Plateau Rocks  

Group B

Dolphins 

Customs   

Delta Force  

GT2000

The year`s Final Eight schedule will look very similar to last year`s as six of the eight team that participated last year will feature this year. Benue Princess and AHIP Queens are replaced by First Deepwater and GT2000.

The Final Eight which is expected to tip off at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium Surulere on Monday 24 July, will feature the All Star Game. 

Championship Game will be held on Saturday 29 July. 

Image - Dolphins/Sule Itopa

The fourth and final round of the regular season of the Kwese Premier Basketball League tips off today in centres around Nigeria with 7 games left to be played by each team. Regardless of the outcome of these games, four teams have secured spots in the Conference Six Playoffs. These teams are the top two teams from the Atlantic Conference (Rivers Hoopers, Kwara Falcons) and the Savannah Conference (Kano Pillars, Gombe Bulls) respectively. 

According to the Rules and Regulations of the Premier Basketball League, teams are awarded 2 points for each game won, 1 point for games lost, and no point for games forfeited. Kano Pillars have won 19 games and lost 2 (40pts), Rivers Hoopers and Gombe Bulls have each won 18 games and lost 3 (39pts) while Kwara Falcons have 38 pts with 17 wins and 4 losses. 

This means that as long as these four teams show up for the last 7 games in the regular season, the lowest possible points they can finish with - 47, 46, 46, 45 - will be higher than the best possible points for the bottom two teams in each conference - Delta Force 39, NAF Rockets 38, Bauchi Nets 40, Kada Stars 39. 

Also, NAF Rockets will start the fourth round with a bit of confidence having defeated Hoops & Read 64 - 61 to end their 16 game losing streak - the longest in franchise history and possibly the longest in the history of the league. The last time they won a game was April 27 when they defeated Police Baton.

With 7 games left in regular season, Rockets` focus will be winning as much as they can to avoid relegation to the Division One Championship. They play Hoops & Read for the opening game of the fourth round.

Other fixtures for today are;

Atlantic Conference

Oluyole Warriors vs Kwara Falcons 2pm

Delta Force vs Rivers Hoopers 4pm

Customs vs Police Baton 4pm

Hoops & Read vs NAF Rockets 6pm

Savannah Conference

Kano Pillars vs Kada Stars 4pm

Gombe Bulls vs Gombe 4pm

Defenders vs Mark Mentors 4pm

Niger Potters vs Plateau Peaks  4pm

 Only the top six team will advance to the Conference Six Playoffs scheduled to tip off in Lagos on Monday 14th August. It is going to be an exciting round.

In an attempt to extend its reach across sub-Saharan African, the world governing body for basketball, FIBA has signed an exclusive media rights deal with Africa`s leading pay TV operator -StarTimes. FIBA confirmed this agreement earlier today in a press statement. 

"We are so glad to offer the very best of national team basketball to our subscribers in Africa by having secured the broadcasting rights for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and all other leading events for the period 2017-2021. We are particularly excited to offer basketball fans in the region the chance to follow their favorite teams as they compete in the Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the Continental Cups 2021." - Vincent Yu, StarTimes Media Division Chief Operating Officer

The free and pay transmission rights cover all territories of Sub-Saharan Africa with over 40 countries including Angola, Senegal, South Africa, Mauritius and Nigeria. The FIBA events covered in the 5 year deal include;

1. FIBA AfroBasket 2017; 

2. FIBA Women`s AfroBasket 2017; 

3. FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and its Qualifiers;

4. FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for Men and Women 2020;

5. FIBA Women`s Basketball World Cup 2018; 

6. All remaining FIBA Continental Cups 2017 (FIBA AmeriCup, FIBA Asia Cup, FIBA EuroBasket, FIBA Women`s AmeriCup and FIBA Women`s Asia Cup); 

7. FIBA Continental Cups 2021 and their Qualifiers; 

8. All FIBA Women`s Continental Cups in 2019 and 2021; 

9. FIBA U19 Basketball World Cups for Men and Women in 2019 and 2021; and 

10. FIBA U17 Basketball World Cups for Men and Women in 2018 and 2020.

This partnership is vital to the promotion of FIBA New Calendar which starts this year and also strategic towards the growth of the sport in the continent as Startimes currently serves nearly 10 million subscribers through Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and Direct to Homes (DTH) platforms with 480 authorized channels. 

"Thanks to this partnership with StarTimes, the extent of our reach across Sub-Saharan African is bigger than ever before and we can cater to the millions of enthusiastic basketball fans. Having the very best of our national team competitions broadcast in the region will go a long way towards growing our sport`s popularity and participation." - FIBA Secretary General, Patrick Baumann

The 2017 Afrobasket is scheduled to hold from September 8 - 16 while the Women`s Afrobasketball tips off in Mali on 18th August. The Nigerian team will participate in both events.

The Final Eight playoffs of the 13th Edition of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League is expected to tip off at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium Surulere. This is the fifth and final phase of this season and it will feature the top eight of the twelve teams that participated in the 3rd and 4th phases. 

The eight teams have been regrouped based on their standing at the end of Phase 4 as follow;

Group A

First Bank

Customs

First Deepwater 

GT 2000

Group B

Dolphins

IGP Queens

Delta Force

Plateau Rocks

The group games of the Final Eight will be played from 10am - 6pm daily from Monday to Wednesday. Classification games will be played along with the semi final games on Thursday while the Championship game will be played by 4pm on Saturday. All Star activities will hold on Friday.

Here is a full schedule: 

Monday 24 July 

GT 2000 vs First Deepwater

Delta Force vs Plateau Rocks

Dolphis vs IGP Queens

First Bank vs Customs

Tuesday 25 July 

IGP Queens vs Plateau Rocks

Customs vs GT 2000

First Deepwater vs First Bank

Delta Force vs Dolphins

Wednesday 26 July

First Bank vs GT 2000

Plateau vs Dolphins

IGP Queens vs Delta Force

Customs vs First Deepwater

Thursday 27 July

Classification Games

Semi Final

Friday 28 July

Classification Games

All Star Game

Saturday 29 July 

3rd Place Games

Finals

All the games of the Final Eight will be televised live on the Kwese Free Sport platfrom

As expected, a second preliminarily list has been released for the National camp ahead of the Afrobasket Women scheduled for Bamako, Mali.

Two camps will be opened to accomodate foreign based players and home based players as follows;

USA Camp

1. Ezinne Kalu

2. Promise Amukamara

3. Adaeze Alaeze

4. Helen Ogunjimi

5. Ayoleka Sodade

6. Ndidi Madu

7. Cecilia Okoye

8. Aisha Mohammed

9. Patience Okpe

10. Sarah Imovbioh

11. Ugo Nwaigwe

12. Balogun Elizabeth

13. Joyce Ekworomadu

14. Evelyn Akhator

Lagos, Nigeria

1. Sarah Ogoke

2. Uju Ugoka

3. Adaora Elonu

4. Chioma Udeaja

5. Nkechi Akashili 

6. Upe Atosu

7. Elawure Tina Odion

8. Akaraiwe Nkem

9. Utako Igere Magdelene

10. Nwamaka Deborah Chidinma

11. Ulabo Queen Roseline

12. Olaosebikan Tokunbo

13. Ume Gloria 

14. Okonkwo Grace

15. Isaac Christiana 

The two camps will resume in Florida, USA and Lagos, Nigeria simultaneously The USA camp will be coached by Vincent James Samuel while the Lagos camp will be coached by Peter Ahmedu (First Bank) and Ochuko Okorogun (Dolphins). The letter was signed by Chimezie Asiegbu, Secretary General of the Musa Kida led NBBF Board

You will recall that a 22 man preliminary list was released earlier this month by the Tijani Umar led Board. 

As part of the NBA Africa Games tradition, the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa will be held at the American International School of Johannesburg from Wednesday August 2 to Saturday August 5.

BWB, which is the NBA and FIBA`s global basketball development and community outreach program, will feature 80 boys and girls ages 17 and under from 26 African countries. 

Nigeria will be represented by 9 players, the second highest no of participants behind Senegal (10) - as follows;

Marvelous Mwoko (F)  

Tena Ikidi (F)

Precious John (F)

Ibrahim Ajadi (M)

Timothy Ighoefe (M)

Chukwudalu Egbejiogu (M)

Obinna Cyril Igboechi (M)

Ameh Peters John (M)

Uchuechukwi Emmanuel Oduah (M)

The campers will be coached by notable NBA and FIBA players, including Dirk Nowitzki, Kristaps Porzingis, Victor Oladipo, Bismack Biyombo, Clint Capela, DeMarcus Cousins Luol Deng , Gorgui Dieng, Joel Embiid and others. These players will be joined by other important NBA personnels including NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo and Raptors President Masai Ujiri. 

The campers will be led through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, shooting and skills competitions, 5-on-5 games, and daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication. At the end of the 4 day camp,  one boy and one girl will be named BWB Africa Camp MVPs.

The NBA and FIBA have staged 50 BWB camps in 31 cities across 26 countries on six continents.  More than 230 current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players have joined more than 185 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to support BWB across the world.

We wish all the campers the best and we hope the Nigerian representatives will make us proud. 

Images - NBA/Getty Images

The apex body of basketball - FIBA - has finally made a statement as regards the election crisis in the NBBF. If you recall, two separate elections were held in Kano and Abuja on the 12 and 13 June 2017 respectively. Consequently, two Boards were inaugurated and two presidents produced - Mr Tijjani Umar and Mr Ahmadu Musa Kida. 

This was followed by a lot of confusion as the to credible board and in the midst of this confusion, two teams were presented for the FIBA Africa 3x3 event, which led to the disqualification of both teams.

In a letter sent to the two presidents - Mr Tijjani Umar and Mr Ahmadu Musa Kida - signed by the Secretary General of FIBA, Patrick Baumann, the following declarations were made;

1. FIBA is not entirely satisfied that either election was carried out in accordance with the FIBA General Statues. Consequently, pursuant to Article 9.10 of the FIBA General Statutes, FIBA cannot recognize either election.

2. FIBA instructs the NBBF to resolve this current dispute internally, whether through new elections of (preferably) through an amicable solution under the auspices of the National Olympic Committee, before 30 November 2017.

3. In the event that a solution complying with the FIBA General Statutes is not found, the NBBF will be subject to the possibility of sanctions, including without limitation, a suspension of its membership with FIBA. 

4. In the event that a solution is not found, regardless of any sanctions, FIBA will appoint a task force that will take any appropriate measure(s) in the interests of basketball in Nigeria.

5. FIBA will communicate, as of now and until 30 November 2017 solely with the persons named as board members on 13 June 2017 namely Mr Ahmadu Musa Kida as NBBF President and Mr Babatunde Ogunade as Vice President using nigeriabballinfo@yahoo.com for official correspondence. 

6. FIBA maintains that while this letter clarifies the line of communication between FIBA and its member and divisions, on one hand, and NBBF on the other, it shall not be understood as a recognition by FIBA of the management elected on 13 June 2017.

7. FIBA will continue to study the allegations of state intervention and non-democratic elections at the NBBF.

The Nigeria Olympic President, Habu Gumel; FIBA Africa President, Hamane Niang; and FIBA Executive Director Africa, Alphonse Bile were all copied in the communication.

On Monday 24 July, the Elephant of First Bank tied their record from last season with longest winning streak in the regular season (21 games). Not only did they extend that record this year to 25 games, they went ahead to win the championship after an emphatic victory over First Deepwaters.

The First Bank team brought to bear their experience as they dominated the game in all four quarters leading with as much as 37 points in the 3rd Quarter. Chidinma Nwakama and Madgelene Uteko were both phenomenal on both ends of the court with the latter emerging as Finals MVP. The game ended 84 - 53.

In the third place game, IGP Queens stunned one time champions Dolphins by defeating them in one of the most thrilling games of the 2017 Season. Amaka`s 3 pointer with 7secs left in the game gave the Queens the edge over Dolphins, one they held on to till the final buzzer. 

The Final Standings of the 2017 Season is as follow; 

1. First Bank

2. First Deepwater

3. IGP Queens

4. Dolphins

5. GT 2000

6. Customs

7. Plateau Rocks

8. Delta Force

First Deepwater`s Coach Sola Somala emerged the Coach of the tournament and Dolphins` Tokunbo Olaosebikan had the most 3 points in the entire tournament. The Top 5 for the tournament are;

Upe Atosu - First Bank

Kasham Emmanuel - First Deepwater

Tina Odion - First Bank

Magdelene Uteko - First Bank

Grace Okonkwo - IGP Queens.

With this, the Elephant Girls have now won 46 consecutive league games. They will represent Nigeria along with First Deepwater during the FIBA African Club Champions for Women (FIBAACCW) qualifiers later this year.  

Image - Sule Itopa/Dolphins

The regular season of the Kwese Premier Basketball League comes to an end this weekend and the top six teams in the Atlantic Conference have all clinched playoff spots ahead of the Conference Six Playoffs scheduled to tip off on Sunday 13 August 2017. 

The top six teams are;

1. Rivers Hoopers

2. Kwara Falcons

3. Customs

4. Hoops & Read

5. Oluyole Warriors

6. Police Baton

The future of Delta Force and NAF Rockets in the league hinges on their last two games of the season. A major decider will be the game between the two teams in Lagos on Thursday 3 August. Delta Force (31pts) is only one point above the Rockets (30pts). Delta Force`s last game will be against Hoops & Read while NAF will play their last game against Conference leaders Rivers Hoopers.

It is very probable that the last game of the season will determine which team gets relegated. 

Thursday`s Fixtures - 3 August

Kwara Falcons - Customs

NAF Rockets - Delta Force

Oluyole Warriors - Police Baton

Hoops & Read - Rivers Hoopers

Saturday`s Fixtures - 5 August

Kwara Falcons - Police Baton

Oluyole Warriors - Customs

NAF Rockets - Rivers Hoopers

Hoops & Read - Delta Force

As the regular season comes to an end, the two teams at the bottom of the Atlantic Conference table are now running against time to save themselves from relegation. Their final game on Saturday will decide which team survives. 

The two teams both have 32 points each from 27 games played (W5-L22) which means that if they both win or both lose their last game, they will finish with the same number of points - 34 or 33. According to the League Rules and Regulation, if two teams tie on points, the head-to-head rule will be applied. This puts Delta Force at an advantage over NAF Rockets. 

NAF Rockets vs Delta Force (Head-to-Head)

Delta Force 69 - 62 NAF Rockets Saturday 6 May

NAF Rockets 60 - 61 Delta Force Saturday 3 June

Delta Force 75 - 70 NAF Rockets Saturday 8 July

NAF Rockets 77 - 48 Delta Force Thursday 3 August

It will seem like Delta Force has a part of their work cut out for them which means NAF Rockets have to work extra hard. They need to win and hope that Delta Force loses.

Rocket`s last game is against Rivers Hoopers while Delta Force will play Hoops & Read. Both Rockets and Delta Force lost their 3 previous match up against Rivers Hoopers and Hoops & Read respectively. 

NAF Rockets vs Rivers Hoopers (Head-to-Head)

Rivers Hoopers 91 - 54 NAF Rockets Thursday May 4

NAF Rockets 64 - 70 Rivers Hoopers Thursday 1 June

Rivers Hoopers 87 - 54 NAF Rockets Thursday 6 July

Delta Force vs Hoops & Read (Head-to-Head)

Delta Force 71 - 84 Hoops & Read Thursday May 4

Hoops & Read 65 - 56 Delta Force Thursday 1 June

Delta Force 71 - 88 Hoops & Read Thursday 6 July

If the status remains same, the odds might be in favour of Delta Force team. NAF Rockets will be playing the most important game of the season this Saturday. 

The National Women`s basketball team - winners of the just concluded Women`s Afrobasket tournament and now 3 times African champions - returned to Nigeria via the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos at about 9.40pm yesterday and waiting for them was a marching band, a large group of fans and a number of photographers waiting to celebrate with the new champions. A truly deserved hero`s welcome. 

The team returned to the country without the Head Coach Sam Vincent, Team Manager Mfon Udoka, WNBA` Dallas Wings` Evelyn Akhator and Nyingifa Atonye who all left from Bamako to their various bases due to club and personal engagements.

Since their victory on Sunday 27, tonnes of congratulatory messages have come in including that of the C-In-C.

"Congratulations to D`Tigress on the 2017 FIBA Women`s Afrobasket tournament win and qualifying for the 2018 FIBA Women`s Basketball World Cup" - President Muhammadu Buhari

"In international relations, there is something we call elements of power. One of it is your population, education, your resources, the kind of human beings you have and another one is sports. By your accomplishment at this tournament, you have become part of the power projection of our country, Nigeria.” - Nigerian Ambassador to Mali, Ken Nwachukwu

“The determination showed by the players and officials of the D’Tigress at the Afrobasket Championship in Mali, tells a lot about the character of the team. They have just set precedence for other national teams in other sports in Nigeria, to remain focused even in midst of political instability in any of the sports federations. Athletes should at all times not get themselves involved with leadership tussle by sports administrators. With an enabling environment, they should get the job done.” - Tijjani Umar

A reception will be held for them today Tuesday August 29 at the Media Centre, National Stadium Abuja by 2.30pm

Image - Titans Basketball

All is ready for the third and final phase of the 2017 Season of the Kwese Premier Basketball League - The Final Eight. The 7 day event will be held at the Kofamata Hall of the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano from Sunday 3 September to Saturday 9 September. 

The schedule of events is as follows;

Group Stage - Sunday 3 Sept to Tuesday 5 September

General Rest Day/Community Service - Wednesday 6 September

Semi Finals & Classification Games - Thursday 7 September

Classification Games - Friday 8 September

Final and Third Place Games - Saturday 9 September

The eight teams that advanced from the Atlantic and Savannah Conference Six Playoffs have been grouped into two A and B based on their ranking at the end of the playoffs.

Group A

Kwara Falcons (1st Atlantic)

Niger Potters (2nd Savannah)

Hoops & Read (3rd Atlantic)

Plateau Peaks (4th Savannah)

Group B

Kano Pillars (1st Savannah)

Rivers Hoopers (2nd Atlantic)

Gombe Bulls (3rd Savannah)

Customs (4th Atlantic)

You`ll recall that Kano Pillars hosted the All Star game during the season and are also defending champions of the league. All Final Eight playoff games will be televised live on Kwese Free Sports. 

Rivers Hoopers` hope of picking a continental ticket has been dashed as the team has pulled out of the third and final phase of the Kwese Premier Basketball League - The Final Eight. 

This was confirmed in a statement released via the team`s official Twitter account @RiversHoopers; `We will not be going for the Final Eight. We feel sad our efforts all season is going down in this manner. We thank our fans for all their support`

This was also confirmed by the General Manager Ifie Ozaka `Unfortunately, Rivers Hoopers are officially out of the Kwese Final Eight Playoffs. Very sad for our players`

We gathered that the team decided to pull out as funds were not released for them by the State Government. 

Oluyole Warriors finished 5th at the Atlantic Conference Six Playoffs and have been given the Wild Card to replace the King`s Men in Group B.

The group stage of the Final Eight tips off today at the Kofamata Hall of the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano. Games will be televised live on Kwese Free Sports. 

Today`s games are;

Gombe Bulls vs Customs (12noon)

Kwara Falcons vs Plateau Peaks (2pm)

Hoops & Read vs Niger Potters (4pm)

Kano Pillars vs Oluyole Warriors (6pm)

As the male National Basketball team continues to prepare for the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket Championship in Tunisia, it is expected that the players invited to the camp will be evaluated and assessed to determine the best 12 to represent the country. 

The original 24 man list has now been reduced to just 16 players. Eight of the 14 home based players invited have been released to their various premier league teams. These players include Eli Abraham, Onyeka Okeke, Yakubu Sylvanus, Echoibi Victor, Joel Ejigba, David Godwin, Mojuba Oyeleye and Ibrahim Olajuwon

Since the camp opened in Lagos, 10 foreign based players including team Captain Ike Diogu and Washington Wizards`big man Daniel Ochefu have arrived in the country. Speaking on the team composition, Ike says, "Well, this is what we have to work with. Obviously, there are a few things out of our control especially with the Nigerian Basketball Federation. But we are happy to be here. All we can do is go out there and play to the best of our abilities. We have some good guys here so I`m excited to see what happens. 

The team is expected to play a friendly game against a selected all star team later today at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium Surulere Lagos. Tip off time is 4pm. The final team list will be released tomorrow as the team is expected to depart for Tunis on Tuesday September 5. 

The 16 players currently in camp are

1. Diogu Ike

2. Bryant Ikenna

3. Ike Nwamu

4. Daniel Ochefu

5. Akingbala Akinloku

6. Ikenna Iroegbu

7. O`karo Akamune

8. Anthony Odunsi

9. Deji Akindele

10. Kelechi Anuna

11. Musa Usman 

12. Victor Anthony

13. Azuoma Dike

14. Timothy Mudiaga

15. Abdul Yahaya

16. Chukwudaalu Egbejiogwu

The 2017 FIBA Afrobasket tournament tips off on Friday 8 September in Tunis, Tunisia and Dakar, Senegal

The 8 team international invitational basketball hosted by the NBL Asia  tagged Seri Mutiara Cup 2017 tipped off in Malaysia on Tuesday 12 September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Kwese Premier Basketball League winners Kano Pillars played their opening game against Japanese Basketball League winners Link Tochigi Brex; and although Eli Abraham finished with 20pts, Pillars lost to the Japanese side 69-75. 

Coach Sani Ahmed admitted that the players could do a lot better citing the fatigue from playing a championship game in Kano on Saturday and leaving the country on Sunday as one of the reasons for the loss;

"We finished our championship game on Saturday and we got here about 5 hours before our first game. It was a very hectic trip but I think our boys tried. Unfortunately also, two of our best players are with the national team playing in Afrobasket 2017"

Image - Onvisa Thewphaingarm

Team Captain Matthew Onmonya added that the team will take the competition one game at time. Pillars are expected to play 2 more group games today and tomorrow as follows;

13 September - Kano Pillars vs Beijing Flying Dragons - 2pm 

14 September - Kano Pillars vs Korea LG Sakers - 7pm

Semi finals and classification games will be played on Saturday 16th while the Finals will be played on Sunday 17th September.

Kano Pillars played their second game of the Seri Mutiara Cup 2017 against Chinese side Beijing Flying Dragons and although Kwese PBL Finals MVP - Nwafor Joseph - finished with a double double (12 points and 10 rebounds), the teams still fell short. 

The Dragons started the game on a roll lead with as much as 15 points 5 mins into the first quarter.  A dominance they maintained throughout the first quarter. Pillars could only score 7 points. Dragons has 26.

The Flying Dragons extended this lead into the second quarters finishing 28 points above the Nigerian champions. Kano Pillars tried to come back in the third quarter but the Dragons held on. The game ended 71-59.

Kano Pillars will play their last group game today against Korea LG Sakers.

Image Cred - Onvisa Thewphaingarm

The captain of the men`s basketball team - DTigers - and the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 Afrobasket Tournament Ike Diogu applauded his teams for a wonderful experience and victory at the continental tournament.

Diogu a.k.a Black Caesar shared this on his Instagram page (@blackcaesar01);

"Many thanks to my brothers Ikenna Iroegbu, Ikechuckwu Nwamu, Bryant Mbamalu, Daniel Ochefu, O`karo Akamune and the rest of the clique for making this one of the best times of my life. I`m truly honoured that I got to suit up and rumble with you all. We are only going up and trust me, we are coming right back for that title"

In their response, the young lads, most of which made their debuts for Nigeria during the tournament described the Captain as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).

"You are the GOAT brudda. Anytime, anywhere, I`m with you" - Ike Iroegbu

"It was actually amazing. You are the GOAT bro. I appreciate you" - Bryant Mbamalu

Diogu finished as one the tournament`s Top Five Players, got the award for the Highest Scorer with 22 PPG and was crowned Most Valuable Player.

Congratulations Ike Diogu.

The basketball veterans in Lagos under the umbrella of the First Lagos Veterans` Basketball (FLVBB) will host the veterans` basketball competition for the second year running to celebrate Nigeria`s 57th anniversary. The tournament tagged "The Legends are back" will feature veterans from four others cities - Ibadan, Ilorin, Abuja and Port Harcourt. 

The first edition organised and hosted by FLVBB featured veterans from Ibadan, Port Harcourt and Ghana. According to the Head of the Local Organising Committee, Philip Braide, the essence of this gathering of legends and stars is to foster a strong united veterans community through camaraderie of sportsmanship nationwide.

"The motive is to foster unity among veterans nationwide by creating an avenue to network, relish memories from the past, and do what we love doing best competing in a fun-fair environment. There is currently no platform to showcase our passion for the game as veterans because the focus has always being on youth development and active players in different leagues"

This year`s edition we will be held at Rowe Park Sports Centre, the home ground of the First Lagos veterans as follows;

Arrival - 29 Sept

Basketball Games - 30 Sept & 1 Oct

Post Tournament Groove - 1 Oct 

Departure - 2 Oct

Lagos will parade a start studded team with the likes of basketball legend Tunji Awojobi, ex-NBA player Olumide Oyedeji, FIBA Zone 3 President Col Sam Ahmedu, basketball entrepreneur Babalola "Webber" Opeyemi, Lagos Islanders owner Damoye Oyesiku. Port Harcourt vets will be led by ex-international Boumote Soubo, Abuja vets by Hamza Ibrahim, Ilorin vets by Rasheed Bello, while Ibadan will have Taiye Shobogun (Coach Oluyole Warriors) and Tunde Babalola (Founder, First DeepWater)

Apart from organising tournaments and playing basketball games, these basketball veterans are still contributing to the development of basketball in Nigeria collectively and individually, direct and indirectly.

"Capabilities and motivations differ, so individually most of the veterans are known to be contributing to the development of basketball in Nigeria as direct stakeholder or indirect stakeholders. In our fold are basketball administrators, coaches, scouts, team owners, and other professionals associated with improving the lots of the game and players. Most veteran clubs/members nationwide are known to organise development camps, sponsor basketball events, support players through mentor-ship and financially. Above all, veterans focus on youth development to accentuate growth and leave a legacy for the future".

The event organisers have promised to deliver a spectacular event with exciting activities lined up to celebrate the country`s independence. When asked what the younger generation can learn from such gathering of veterans, Philip Braide answered; 

"Veterans strive to teach the younger generation the spirit of sportsmanship through our congregation to compete in an atmosphere of love. From the showpiece we are putting up we expect them to imbibe the spirit of selflessness, dedication, unity, & discipline.

First Lagos Veteran Basketball, organisers of the Independence Day Veteran`s Basketball Competition, have released the game schedule. The six teams from five states are grouped into two and will play their group games on Saturday 30 September.

Classification games, semi finals, championship game and merriment will hold on Sunday Oct 1 to celebrate Nigeria`s independence.

The groupings and schedule of games are as follows;

Group A

FLVBB Storm, Lagos

AGIP Basketball, Port Harcourt

Veterans of Abuja

Group B 

Oyo Veterans

Kwara Veterans

FLVBB Strikers, Lagos

Schedule of Games

Day 1 - Saturday 30 September

11.30m - FLVBB Storm vs AGIP Basketball

12.30pm - Oyo Veterans vs Kwara Veterans

1.30pm - AGIP Basketball vs Veterans of Abuja

3.30pm - Oyo Veterans vs FLVBB Strikers

4.30pm - FLVBB Storm vs Veterans of Abuja

5.30pm - Kwara Veterans vs FLVBB Strikers

Day 2 - Sunday 1 October

11.30am - Classification Games

12.30pm - Semi finals

3.30pm - Finals

Basketball veterans such as Tunji Awojobi, Gbade Latona, Deji Jaiyeola, Col Sam Ahmedu, John Faniran, Olumide Oyedeji, Ayinla Johnson, Babs Oguande, Damoye Oyesiku, Lateef Erinfolami, Biola Shomale, Adamu Aleamorh, Opeyemi Babalola have confirmed attendance. 

Venue of the event is Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba. Admission is free.

It has been a year since the death of Sir Etim Inyang, former Inspector General of Police and grandfather of DTiger`s O`karo Akamune. In his long post on his Instagram page (@big_015), he paid tribute to his grandfather and dedicated his Afrobasket silver medal to him. 

`Last year on this date September 26, 2016 my grandfather passed away. He left an amazing legacy behind. He was a man of many titles - Sir Etim Okon Inyang GCON, NPM, KJW; Inspector General of Police (RTD); Ada-Idaha-Ke-Eburutu just to name a few. He was the definition of perseverance and a sound example of a hard working, loving husband and father, humanitarian and more. As a man who has done so much for his country and his people, one could only dream about walking in or filing his shoes. His powerful presence was an inspiration to many whether he knew it or not.

But it was a little different for me as his grandson. I looked to him for advice and wisdom and I took what he said very seriously. This influence he had on me shaped me as a man today. In fact, I can owe my entire professional career to him. As a young kid, football was my sport of choice. I thought I would grow up to play professionally, you know a typical kid with NFL dreams. And I was working hard towards that goal. When I was about 14, my grandfather suggested that I stop playing football and play basketball instead. Initially, I wondered why the man who loved and supported me in all things suddenly asked me to basically find a new life dream. But looking up to my grandfather as I did, I trusted his suggestion and went for it. I knew my grandpa took the time to get to know people and he had a special gift of seeing their true potential. With some doubt, I trusted my grandfathers decision and slowly transitioned. Needless to say, he got me where I am today and was a constant motivating factor in my life and career.

Grandpa, I don`t think it`s a coincidence that exactly a year later I was blessed with this opportunity to play for the National Nigerian basketball team in the FIBA Afrobasket tournament. An opportunity that I know would have made you proud. Unfortunately we came up short in the championship game, placing second receiving this silver medal. I would have loved to bring back a gold medal to you, but I was more than happy just for the opportunity to represent 180 million people in the country you dedicated your life to.  I love you grandpa, I dedicate this all to you`

May the soul of the departed continue to rest in peace. 

With the Independence Day celebration only a few days away, more basketball activities are beginning to spring up to celebrate Nigeria`s 57th Independence Anniversary.

For basketball fans living within and around Alimosho Local Government in Lagos, the Estate Kigs Basketball Club is organising an 8 - team basketball tournament at the Abesan Mini Stadium. 

As the name implies, the objective of the "Neighbourhood Basketball Tourney" is to create an avenue where basketball fans in the neighbourhood to play, network and enjoy the beautiful game of basketball. It is also an avenue for the Premier Basketball League players who grew up in the neighbourhood - including Gombe Bulls` Simon Owoicho, Customs` Michael Okiki and Hoops&Read`s Ife John and Owen Oriakhi - to connect with the fans and give back to the community.

Each of the 8 teams will have 4 veterans and 6 young players. Group stage will be played tomorrow 29th September while the Finals will be played on Saturday 30th September. Venue is the Abesan Mini Stadium.

To be a part of the event or for additional information, you can contact Wale Adesanya - 08183536293

Like we always say; basketball never stops.

For most of the clubs in the Nigerian basketball leagues - Kwese Premier Basketball League and the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League - the season ends with the Championship game. But for the leagues` winners and runners up, it does not. The teams stand a chance to represent the country at the highest continental tournament for clubs - FIBA Africa Champions Cup (FIBA ACC) and FIBA Africa Champions Cup Women (FIBA ACCW) representively. 

The Elephant Girls of First Bank and First Deepwater finished 1st and 2nd in the women`s league while Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls are the two top teams in the premier basketball league. However, they are not guaranteed spots on the continental tournament. They have to participate in the zonal qualifiers. For adminstrative purpose, the 54 member countries of FIBA Africa are group into 7 different zones with Nigeria falling under Zone. The qualifiers will be played in these different zones. 

Nigeria will host the 2017 Zone 3 Qualifiers for the FIBA Africa Champions Cup and FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women in Lagos from Oct 19-29. The qualifiers will feature 4 teams (2 men`s and 2 women`s) from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Niger, Cote D`Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Liberia. 

First Bank has represented Nigeria in the continental tournament in the last 3 years and if the qualify from Zone 3 this year, it will be thier 16th appearance. For the men`s tournament, Kano Pillars have represented Nigeria at the FIBA ACC in the last two consecutive years and if they qualify from Zone 3 this year, it will be their 10th appearance at the continental championship. 

The two teams have already commenced preparations to ensure they get available slots from Zone 3. 

`One important thing is preparation and we don`t get to prepare very well because of funding. Last year, the country was in recession so it affected. But this year, things are better and we will perform better` - Matthew Onmonya, Kano Pillars captain. 

As part of its post season preparation, Kano Pillars participated in the Seri Mutiara Champions Cup; an invitational tournament in Malaysia 

Photo Credit: Onvisa Thewphaingarm

Qualifiers for Zone 5 and 7 have been concluded and the teams that booked a place in the continental tournament are as follows;

FIBA ACCW

Fandrafiale (Madagascar) - Zone 7

Equity (Kenya) - Zone 5

UCU Lady Canons (Uganda) - Zone 5

FIBA ACC

City Oilers (Uganda) - Zone 5

ASCUT (Madagascar) - Zone 7 

The FIBA ACCW will take place from November 3-12 Luanda Angola while the men`s tournament will be held in the Tunisian city of Rades from December 8-17. 

The world governing body for basketball earlier today launched a new ranking system for men national teams. The new ranking is game-based and will consider results of all regional pre-qualifiers, Continental Cups, Olympic Basketball Tournaments (including qualifiers) and the FIBA Basketball World Cup. The ranking will be updated after every window of qualifiers and after the top official FIBA competitions.

Prior to now, the previous ranking was purely based on competitions and only took into account the final standings of tournaments.

The new system as explained by FIBA is simple; 1,000 basis points will be awarded for every game, with the two teams earning a share of these according to the margin of victory or defeat. Weightings are added on a round basis meaning that, when a team progresses through a top official FIBA competition, its wins are worth more with every round it plays. Most recent performance will also weigh more than old ones. 

In addition, the new ranking system recognizes the value of away wins and wins against opponents that are higher in ranking. 

"The new ranking was devised with our new calendar clearly in mind. We are pleased to offer more teams - 153 of them, compared to 91 previously - a ranking that can be updated after every window of the Qualifiers so that national teams, fans and their national federations can follow their progress on a more regular basis. Prior to the change, the rankings already proved to be among the most popular pages on FIBA.basketball and we expect there will be even more debating and conversations taking place following the implementation of this new one." - FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann

Nigeria`s men team retained its No 1 spot in Africa but slipped ten spots to No 26 in the world. 

The FIBA World Ranking - Men, Women, Boys and Girls - is presented by NIKE.

As part of the long objectives of the Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation to develop the Nigerian youth through education and sports, the Foundation is partnering with Peak Sports China to extend its basketball camp beyond the Nigerian borders to other African countries with the “No Borders Basketball Camp”. 

The elite basketball camp will feature 50 young basketball players from more than 8 countries across the continent and will focus on top athletes in an attempt to bring the best and most talented young basketball players together.

During the week long intensive training camp, participants will be taught basketball positional development drills and will be put through advance strength and conditioning exercises. Participant will compete against each other to select the best of the best.

Speaking about the No Borders Basketball Camp, Olumide Oyedeji said it was necessary to take things to the next level as part of the Foundations long term strategy;

“It is a great privilege to have the first edition of the No Borders Basketball Camp in Nigeria. The No Border Basketball Camp is an opportunity to give elite basketball players a platform to come together to learn about friendship and culture. What we have done with our basketball camps over the years is to identify promising players. With No Borders Camp, we want to give already identified talents a platform to learn advance basketball and other life skills”

Helen Lin, Marketing Manager (International Markets) Peak Sports expressed her excitement about the No Borders Basketball Camp in Nigeria. 

“We are very happy to partner with Olumide Oyedeji and his foundation in bringing the No Borders Camp to Nigeria. We are aware of his commitment to giving back to the community through his foundation in Nigeria. We have taken the camp to different countries in the world including Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Brazil. We are happy it is coming to Nigeria. Olumide played professional basketball in China for many years. We are happy to work with him again’ 

NBA Academy Africa coach – Joe Tomou, is one of the many coaches that will teach the participants. Invitation letters have already been sent out to selected players. The camp will be held at the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos from Monday 23 – Saturday 28 October 2017. 

About Olumide Oyedeji Foundation

Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established in Nigeria, United States of America and The United Kingdom with the objective of enlightening the youth about education and teamwork. Over 45,000 kids have benefited from the Foundation globally in the last 18 years. 

About Peak Sports

Peak Sport Products is a Chinese sportswear and sport equipment company established in 2000. Peak Sport designs, develops, manufactures, distributes and markets its sportswear products under the Peak brand. The company covers a variety of sports such as basketball, jogging, soccer, volleyball, tennis and other sports. It has more than 5,000 stores in different countries across America, Europe, Asia and Australia 

The Nigerian men`s and women`s wheelchair basketball teams will participate in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Africa World Championship Qualifiers 2017 which will be hosted by WheelChair Basketball South Africa next month.

The 7-day qualifiers will be held at the Tongaat Indoor Sports Centre, KwaZulu-Natal from Saturday 18th November and will feature 8 men`s and 4 women`s team across the continent. These teams will compete for the only one spot for each (men and women) available for Africa at the world tournament scheduled for Hamburg, Germany next year.

In the men’s competition, the eight teams are split across two pools - A and B. Nigeria will take on Ghana, Egypt and defending champions Algeria in Pool B, while host South Africa will face Morocco, Angola and Zimbabwe in Pool A. In the pool of women`s team, Nigeria will compete against Algeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa. 

The finals of the tournament will take place on the 24th November, where the first ever 3x3 ActionBall Knockout Continental Challenge will be launched.

Images - IWBF, TitansBasketball

Member of the Nigeria Women`s Basketball team and former Detroit Shock`s player - Olayinka Sanni - is organising a one day basketball camp for kids in Lagos, Nigeria on Friday, November 3rd 2017. 

According to her, the Annual Olayinka Sanni Camp was borne out of the need to create opportunities for positive behaviors in kids and inspire them to take advantage of opportunities that will impact their future positively. The camp is also her way of giving back to the kids and contributing towards sports development in Nigeria. 

The camp is targeted at kids between the ages of 9 and 16. They will be put through the fundamentals of basketball and will have the opportunity to interact with Olayinka as well as other elite athletes, coaches, and instructors at the camp.

For interested kids, their parents/guardians are expected to send the following information to basketballwithinborders@gmail.com;

1. Full names

2. Date of birth 

3. Name and phone number of parent(s) or guardian 

4. Residential address 

5. Name and address of school

The camp will be held at Rowe Park, Yaba, from 8am to 2pm. Slots will be allocated on a first-come basis. 

The FIBA Africa Zone 3 Qualifiers for the Continental Champions for Women earlier scheduled for the second week in October was cancelled after First Bank was announced as the only representative for the zone. 

The zonal qualifiers feature the top two teams from the women`s professional league from the eight member countries in the zone - Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote D`Iviore, Liberia and Togo. All the 16 teams are expected to register before the tournament before the registration deadline set by the Zone 3 administration. However, only First Bank completed the registration process before the deadline and was granted the automatic ticket from the zone. 

According to reports, other teams blamed their inability to meet the registration deadline on lack of funds. Except for a few, a large number of these teams are government funded. Each team was required to register with $400 plus $10 for each player ($40 for foreign players) and $20 per officials. Any team that misses registration deadline is expected to pay a sum of $1,000 as late registration. Registration fees for players and officials will be increased by 100% to $20, $80 and $40 respectively. 

But this is not peculiar to Zone 3, Algerian champions GS Petroliers didn`t have to play the FIBA Africa Zone 1 qualifiers to secure their spot in the continental championship as all other clubs in the region withdrew from the qualifiers. Democratic Republic of Congo`s ASB Victoria and ASB Darling Motema qualified directly from Zone 4 as the only two teams that registered for the tournament. 

The First Bank team camped in Akure ahead of the tournament and are expected to leave Nigeria for Angola on the Ethiopian Airline 1.30pm flight. The team will have a full day to rest and practice before tournament tips off on the Friday 10 November.   

Other teams that have secured spots in the continental tournament include Equity Hawks (Kenya/Zone 5), Kenya Ports Authority (Kenya/Zone 5), Ferroviario de Maputo (Mozambique/Zone 6), Primeiro de Agosto (Angola/Zone 6), and Fandrefiala (Madagascar/Zone 7)

First Bank Basketball Club are reigning champions in the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League. They finished 3rd at the 2016 edition of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women held in Maputo, Mozambique.

In an unprecedented and unexpected turn of events, five teams will represent Nigeria at the FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers for the FIBA Africa Champions Cup. These five teams along with other top teams from the member countries from the Zone will compete for the 2 available slots for the zone at the continental championship.  

In the past few weeks, controversies have surrounded the Zone 3 qualification as regards who represents the country. On the FIBA website Mark Mentors and Civil Defenders are listed as participating teams for Nigeria. 

Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls finished first and second at the end of the Final Eight Playoffs of the Kwese Premier Basketball League in September and as expected, should represent the country at the zonal qualifiers. However, in press statements released by the Musa-Kida led Board of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, these two teams were threatened to be replaced with Mark Mentors and Civil Defenders. The Board queried Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls for participating in the Conference Six Playoffs and Final Playoffs of the Kwese Premier Basketball League which the Board dubbed `illegal`. The condition given to the teams is that they respond to the query. 

At time of release of this article, no official reply has been sent to the Board.

Mark Mentors and Civil Defenders - the two Abuja based teams - did not participate in the Conference Six Playoffs in Ilorin while Rivers Hoopers did not participate in Final Eight Playoffs in Kano. It is believed that their invitation to participate in the zonal qualifiers is to compensate them for missing out on those two tournaments. 

Invitation letters have been written to Kano Pillars, Gombe Bulls and Rivers Hoopers by the Board for the zonal qualifiers. Only Gombe Bulls and Rivers Hoopers have confirmed participation. The qualifiers is expected to tip off at the National Stadium Surulere on Saturday 11th November 2017. 

The annual Mark D` Ball Basketball Tournament which is the tournament that rounds up the basketball year will be held from  26th to 31st December at Akpegede, the ancestral home of the Nigerian Senator and founder of the Mark Sports Foundation - Senator David AB Mark.

At the press conference earlier today to announce this year`s activities, the CEO of the Foundation Igoche Mark promised that this year`s event will be much bigger at a safer and more exciting environment. Last year`s event was cancelled due to unforeseen and uncontrollable reasons. 

This year will feature both active and retired Nigerian and African basketball players, a children`s basketball clinic with over 1,000 kids and in its usual fashion, the best musical acts from across the countries.  

"This year, we hope to accommodate up to 1,000 Children. The focus this year is on family therefore we have infused a number of new activities that promise to be fun for every member of the family. We would like to use this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciation to all who stood by Us and have been there for us. Once more thank you for believing in us" - Igoche Mark

The Mark D`Ball Basketball Tournament is a non profit venture funded by the Senator David Mark GCON.

In the tradition of the Kano Pillars Sports Club, the basketball team presented the 2017 Kwese Premier Basketball League Championship Trophy to the Executive Governor of the state at a dinner hosted by the state Governor at the Government House, Kano.

In appreciation of the performance of the team during the 2017 season, the Governor announced a sum of N500,000 for each player, N700,000 for the Head Coach, N350,000 each for the two assistant coaches, N300,000 each for the team Doctor, Secretary and Assistant Secretary, and N100,000 for the team driver. The Governor also allocated plots of land within the Kano city to member of the basketball team.

Kano Pillars received a N20m cash prize as winners of the 2017 Kwese Premier Basketball League, the 7th in franchise history and will represent Nigeria alongside Gombe Bulls, Mark Mentors, Civil Defenders and River Hoopers at the FIBA Africa Champions Cup Zone 3 Qualifiers.

The Kano Pillars Para Soccer team also got over N1m courtesy of the Kano State Government. 

The Elephant Girls of First Bank have qualified for the Semi Finals of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women after defeating Kenya Port Authority 84-63 in the quarter final game played earlier today. 

It was a close first quarter which ended 20-19 in favour of the Elephant Girls but they pulled away in the second and third quarters leading with as much as 22 points. Dominique Wilson (26p/6r/5a), Nkechi Akashili (24p/1a) and Cecilia Okoye (10p/4r/1a) emerged as top performers for First Bank. 

They will play their semi final game tomorrow by 4.45pm against either Equity Hawks or Primeiro d’Agosto.

Young female basketball players now have the opportunity to be a part of the number one female basketball team in Nigeria as the First Bank Basketball team announces dates for its screening ahead of the 2018 season.

The 5 day screening will be held at the Warriors Academy Basketball Court Ilupeju, Lagos from Wednesday 3rd to Sunday 7th January 2018. The screening will help in identifying and selecting young players that will be a part of the team`s rebuilding process.

The target of the current champions of the Zenith Bank Women`s Basketball League is to conquer the continent by wining the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women - they finished 3rd in the last two outings - and to achieve this, rebuilding the team is necessary. 

"Our strategy for next season is to be able to play 40 mins of hell, and to attain this we need young players who are skillful and energetic. The game has become very fast and technical. So we need to build up young players and inculcate in them the type of skills and rudiments we want, to be able to participate successfully with the rest of teams in the continent" - Coach Christopher Okoh, Assistant Coach.

For more information on the screening, interested players can contact the Head Coach, Assistant Coach or Team Manager.

Head Coach - Peter Ahmedu (07063000630)

Assistant Coach - Christopher Okoh (08023266534)

Team Manager - Taye Adeniyi (08055428961)

The stage is set for the apex tournament for professional clubs in the continent - the FIBA Africa Champions Cup - in Tunisia. Nigeria will be represented by the champion and runners up of the Kwese Premier Basketball League - Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls.

This will be Gombe Bulls` first appearance at the continental tournament in franchise history while Kano Pillars will be appearing for the 3rd consecutive time, their 8th in the last decade. Pillars` finished 4th place last year after losing the 3rd place game to Association Sportive de Sale. For Coach Sani Ahmed, the target this year is to finish on the podium.

"My team is ready for the African Championship cup and I can assure you that we will perform better than last year"

Kano Pillars are grouped alongside Etoile Sportive Rades (Tunisia), ASB New Generation (DRC), City Oilers (Uganda), Interclude de Luance (Angola) and Association Sportive de Sale (Morroco) in Group A.

Gombe Bulls will play in Group B against Libolo (Angola), Groupment Sportive de Petroliers (Algeria), ASB Mazembe (DRC), Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique) and Union Sportive Monastir (Tunisia)

Kano Pillars will play their first game against Association Sportive Sale this morning by 9am while Gombe Bulls` debut game is scheduled for 8.15pm against Union Sportive Monastir.

You can watch the live games here;

Kano Pillar vs Association Sportive Sale

Gombe Bulls vs Union Sportive Monastir

Nigerian champions Kano Pillars lost their first game of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup to Moroccan side Association Sportive de Sale despite Abdul Yahaya`s 22points. 

Wayne Arnold set the tone of the game with his back to back 3 point shots less than 2 minutes into the first quarter, which ended 24-13 in favour of the Moroccan team. Kano Pillars fought back in the second quarter to reduce the deficit to just 7 points.

However, Pillars could not hold them for too long as Sportive de Sale extended the lead in the last two quarters. The game ended 83 - 112.

Top performers for Pillars include Abdul Yahaya (22pts), Abubakar Usman (21pts), Azuoma Dike (15pts). 

They play Interclube de Luanda tomorrow by 8.15pm

Gombe Bulls were yesterday officially welcomed to basketball at the continental level as they were defeated by Tunisian side Union Sportive Monastir. 

The Bulls started well, trailing with only two points at the end of the first quarter but were outplayed in the last three quarters. The team shot on 26% within the paint and 32% from outside compared to USM`s 61% and 50% respectively. The game finished 62 - 90.

Top performers for Gombe Bulls are Yakubu Istifanus (14pts) and Ibe Agu (14pts).

Their next group game is against Ferrovairo Beiro. Tip off is 1.30pm today 12 Dec 2017.

Gombe Bulls lost their second group game of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup to Ferroviario Beira of Mozambique 60-71. 

Godwin David finished with 13 points while Yakubu Istifanus had 11 points.

Bulls are currently ranked last in Group B and will play their next group game against Groupement Sportif des Petroliers of Algeria tomorrow by 1.30pm.

Earlier this week, the Nigeria Basketball Federation announced the names of the 20 home based players invited to the first phase of camping ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games - tagged Gold Coast 2018 - scheduled to hold in Queensland, Australia from April 4 to 15, 2018. 

The first phase of preparations is select the best of the invited home based players who will be joined by their foreign based counterpart for the second phase of preparations in February. The second phase will double as the training camp for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers which will take place from February 20 - 26, 2018. 

This is the second time that basketball competition will be held at the Commonwealth Games. The sport was first introduced during Melbourne 2006 where DTigers` finished 4th behind Australia, New Zealand and England. This year, basketball will feature 16 teams (8 men`s and 8 women`s) from 11 different participating nations. 

Some participating team were invited by the Commonwealth Games Federation/FIBA and others based on their ranking on FIBA World Ranking. Nigeria`s men team will participate in the competition based on their position as one of the best commonwealth teams in the FIBA World Ranking. We are currently ranked No 1 in Africa. The women`s team is ranked 5th in Africa behind Mozambique. Mozambique will represent Africa in the women`s basketball tournament as the best commonwealth team in the FIBA World Ranking. 

Nigeria is grouped along with Australia, New Zealand and Canada in Pool A and our group games are scheduled as follows:

Nigeria vs New Zealand - 6 April

Nigeria vs Canada - 7 April

Nigeria vs Australia - 9 April

After the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, the team will return to Lagos before going on their Commonwealth Games training Tour in March and then to Commonwealth Games in April.

It will be a very busy first quarter for D`Tigers.

The duo of Ben Uzoh and Mike Gbinije who played a vital role in the 2015 FIBA Afrobasket Tournament will make a return to the men`s senior team after missing the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket Tournament. Their names were included in the 18 man provisional list released ahead of the first round of the 2019 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers scheduled for Bamako, Mali later this month.

Seven players including two home based players were retained from DTigers` squad that won silver at last year`s Afrobasket tournament. 

The full list is as follows;

1.  Ikechukwu Ireogbu (Agua Caliente Clippers, USA)

2 Ike Nwamu (Sioux Falls Skyforce, USA)

3. Bryant Mbamalu (CD Vildivia, CHILE)

4. Ike Diogu (Schun Blue Whales, CHINA)

5. Ayodeji Akindele (Belediye Spor, TURKEY)

6. Eli Abraham (Kano Pillars, NIGERIA)

7. Abdulwahab Yakubu (Gombe Bulls, NIGERIA)

8. Musa Usman Mohammed (Mark Mentors, NIGERIA) 

9. Ben Uzoh (unattached)

10. Michael Gbinijie (Santa Cruz Warriors, USA) 

11. Ofoegbu Chima (unattached)

12. Ojo Michael Adetokunbo (Worcester Wolves, UK)

13. Mike Efevbeha (Sagesse, LEBANON)

14. Obi Emenago (Rouen Basket, FRANCE)

15. Omogbo Emmanuel (VL Pesaro, ITALY)

16. Nwogbo Lotana Afam (Sendai 89ers, JAPAN)

17. Talib Zanna (Ironi Nes-Ziona, ISRAEL)

18. Christopher Obekpa Ewaoche (Tranzaspor, TURKEY). 

The foreign players will head straight to Bamako on the 19th where they will be joined by the home based players and officials from Nigeria. 

The Head Coach of the men`s team, Alex Nwora believes the invited players have all it takes to advance to the second round of the African Qualifiers

`Active players in their clubs who are available have been invited to represent Nigeria. We have a very formidable team that I believe will sail through. FIBA World Cup Qualifying competition format has come with some set backs especially during the February window where countries are finding it tough to get all their key players with leagues across the world already in full swing` 

Nigeria`s first game is against Uganda on Friday 23rd February.

DTigers` first game of the FIBA World Cup Africa Qualifiers will tip off in two days in Bamako, Mali against Uganda and the team will be without the trio of Ike Nwamu, Ikechukwu Iroegbu and Mike Gbinije.

According to sources, the trio who play in the NBA G League for Sioux Falls Skyforce, Agua Caliente Clippers and Santa Cruz Warriors respectively stayed back in the United States. Both Nwamu and Iroegbu are awaiting NBA call up after the All Star Weekend while Gbinije was not released by his team. 

The Basketball Federation also dropped all three home based players Eli Abraham, AbdulWahab Yakubu and Musa Usman Mohammed from the final 12-man list. Eli Abraham will be in Mali with the rest of the team as `back up`

Here is the expected final team list.  

1. Bryant Mbamalu (CD Vildivia, CHILE)

2. Ike Diogu (Schun Blue Whales, CHINA)

3. Ayodeji Akindele (Belediye Spor, TURKEY)

4. Ben Uzoh (unattached)

5. Ofoegbu Uche (unattached)

6. Ojo Michael Adetokunbo (Worcester Wolves, UK)

7. Mike Efevberha (Sagesse, LEBANON)

8. Obi Emenago (Rouen Basket, FRANCE)

9. Omogbo Emmanuel (VL Pesaro, ITALY)

10. Nwogbo Lotana Afam (Sendai 89ers, JAPAN)

11. Talib Zanna (Ironi Nes-Ziona, ISRAEL)

12. Christopher Obekpa Ewaoche (Tranzaspor, TURKEY). 

Games will be played on Friday 23 February against Uganda, on Saturday 24 against Rwanda and on Sunday 25 against host, Mali.

The men`s senior national team - DTigers - started their world cup qualifiers on a winning note by defeating Uganda with 16 points. 

The team had a slow start trailing with as much as 9 points in the first quarter. However, team captain Diogu turned things around in the second quarter with the rest of team catching on.

Six players - Mike Efevberha (20) Obi Emegano (14), Ike Diogu (19), Ben Uzoh (15), Talib Zanna (13) and Bryant Mbamalu (11) - finished with double digit points.

The game ended 86-102.

Our next game is against Rwanda by 5.30pm.

Images - FIBA

If DTigers` first game was slow in the first quarter, their second game was the exact opposite as Mike Efevberha scored five 3 point shots in the first 3minutes to set the tone of the game. DTigers led with as much as 17 points in the first quarter and extended this lead into other three quarters. 

The team improved noticeably from their first game both within and outside the arc and from the free throw line. 

Efevberha led the scorers with 16 points cosely followed by Talib Zanna (14), Obi Emegano (13), Ike Diogu (12) and Mike Ojo (10). The game ended 108-53

Nigeria currently tops Group B and will play its next game against host, Mali tomorrow by 7pm.

Images - FIBA

This question has been asked for the past 3 years; `Is there a case for Damian `Dame` Lillard to be named among  the elite Point Guards in the league?`

YES!!!

Lillard has proved on so many occasions that he deserves to be ranked in that space. Some might not agree with me but let’s really look at his stats and his game play over the years.

Lillard joined the NBA in 2012 after being selected by Portland with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft and he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award by unanimous decision. In that rookie year he posted 23 points and 11 assists in his debut game in the win over the Lakers - he was then only the third player in NBA history with at least 20 points and 10 assists in their NBA debut. His 11 assists tallied in the opener were the most by an NBA rookie in his first game since Jason Kidd (11) in 1994, and the most by a Trail Blazer in his NBA debut, all-time. A star was born in the NBA and the city of Portland knew they had a star in the making.  

He made a career-high 15 field goals and a Trail Blazer rookie-record of seven 3-pointers on January 11 2013 against the Golden State Warriors, where he finished with 37 points, six rebounds and four assists.  In the All-Star game of February 2013 he became the first Trail Blazer to win an event at the NBA All-Star Weekend, winning the Skills Challenge. He also participated in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend and finished with 18 points, three rebounds and five assists in a game-high 28 minutes. 

Game after game alongside his partner C.J McCollum, they have formed one of the best back court partnerships in the NBA. We need to give respect to this man. Dame`s career to this point has shown that he is an elite Point Guard. What he has done so far in his career is incredible. Through the first five years Dame D.O.L.L.A is only the 10th person in NBA history to rack up 8,000 points and 2,000 points.  

I will easily rank him number 5 behind Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving. Among the “all-offense but no defense” point guards, Lillard could very well be the best heading into his age 28 season, and if he can help the Blazers build even a passable defense, Lillard could very well be considered one of 10 ten best players in the league next year. 

In his fifth season with the Blazers, Lillard averaged 27.0 points, 5.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds while posting a career-high 58.6 True Shooting Percentage. This year, Portland will have to be at their best from the start to even make the playoffs, and becoming a cohesive defensive team should be priority. It’s tough for the Blazers to be a great defensive team with their current roster, but making it out of the bottom 10 shouldn’t be impossible.Portland ranked 11th in offensive efficiency last season, but with Lillard they’ve tended to be better in other seasons. 

Let’s not forget that those 4 PGs I mentioned earlier came into the league before Dame and he shoots 3s better than Russ, Chris and Kyrie, the only guard on that list better at shooting 3s is Steph.

Let us give this young man the respect he deserves.

- written by Ope Oyewumi @ope_adroit

Fulfilling the promise made last year and following the visit of a 3 man fact finding delegation in January, the FIBA Executive Committee has decided that in the absence of an amicable solution between the two factions of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), new elections shall be held.

The decision was made after the FIBA Executive Committee meeting held on Saturday 10 March at the House of Basketball, Switzerland and same was communicated early today in a letter sent to Mr Musa Kida and Mr Tijjani Umar.

The apex body concluded that the two elections held last year were not carried out entirely in accordance with the FIBA General Statutes with specific attention drawn to Articles 9.3 and 9.7 of the statutes as follows;

Article 9.3 - The statutes and regulations of national member federations must comply fully with the General Statutes and Internal Regulations of FIBA. The General Statutes and Internal Regulations of FIBA shall form part of the national member federations` statutes and regulations. In the event of doubt or conflict, the Genera/ Statutes and Internal Regulations of FIBA shall prevail.

Article 9.7 - National member federations shall manage their affairs independently and with no influence from third parties. In particular they must ensure that their officials are either elected or appointed under a democratic process for a term of office of four (4) years. Their statutes must provide a transparent procedure that guarantees the complete independence of the election or appointment.

According to FIBA; `the 12 June 2017 elections did not comply with Article 9.3 and the 13 June 2017 elections did not comply with Article 9.7`

The new elections will be supervised by FIBA partly or entirely and will be in accordance with a procedure established in the NBBF Statutes. These NBBF statutes will comply with all relevant and applicable provision of the FIBA General Statutes and will guarantee complete independence and no influence from third parties on the election. FIBA stated in its letter that it will work with the relevant stakeholders to amend and develop the NBBF Statutes.

No date has been announced or deadline given for the new election but until such time that the election is held, the governing body will continue to communicate with the Musa Kida led board.

For fans of Lebron `The King` James in Africa who hope to see him play live someday, they might not have to travel thousands of miles before having the opportunity to, as the King has confirmed that he would love to be a part of the exhibition game organised by the NBA in Africa - NBA Africa Games.

Lebron confirmed this while speaking with Oluwafemi Adefeso after the Cleveland Cavaliers` game against Chicago Bulls.

`I would love to...I mean...Obviously, I don`t make the schedule, but I would love to be a part of that. I know we have Basketball Without Borders every single year. In off-season my schedule is ridiculous but I would definitely love to get to Africa at some point. I heard Johannesburg is amazing, South Africa is amazing. So many parts of Africa are amazing. So, hopefully someday`

NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall, announced during the 2018 NBA Africa All Star Luncheon that the NBA Africa Game will return to South Africa for the third time this August. Team Africa is expected to again face Team World. Participants in this year`s event will be announced in due time and it will be such a delight to see Lebron`s name on the list.

Chris Paul (Houston Rockets), Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks), DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans Pelicans), Kyle Lowry (Raptors) and CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers) are some of the big names that have participated in the NBA Africa Games.

About two weeks ago, we received the much awaited letter from FIBA communicating its final decision on the crisis in the Nigerian Basketball Federation. The letter was supposed to put an end to the long drawn division. However, from the contents of the letter and the reactions of stakeholders, the crisis might not be over just yet. Matter of fact, the letter has raised many questions than gave answers. 

Tales from the Northern Cities.

Mr Tijjani Umar declared his intention to run for a third term shortly before the end of his second tenure as President of the Federation. He was to contest against Mr Kida. It was clear from the very beginning that there would be issues as regards the elections as the two contestants differed on one of the fundamental factors - the election regulations and guidelines. 

Mr Kida announced that he would follow the election guidelines and procedures released by the Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic Council (NOC) for all Federations` elections in 2017. Mr Umar, on the other hand, insisted that elections would be guided by the provisions of the NBBF Constitution that was passed at the Annual General Meeting held in January 2017 in Abuja. Prior to the election, some stakeholders had raised concerns that they were not duly informed of the constitution before the Annual General Meeting and thus didn’t have ample time to read, make amendments and recommendations to the constitution before it was passed. Having it as a basis for election was questioned. 

As a result, two separate elections were held on 12 and 13 June in Kano and Abuja respectively, which produced two NBBF Presidents and Boards - Mr Umar and Mr Kida. Not to anyone`s surprise, the two presidents claimed legitimacy to the throne of basketball kingdom of Nigeria. The two boards sent two separate teams to Cotonou, Benin for the FIBA Africa Zone 3 3x3 Championship (Nigeria was disqualified from the championship and both teams were sent back), and had two separate invitational lists released ahead of the FIBA Women`s Afrobasket Championship in Mali.

FIBA to the Rescue?

As the international governing body for basketball, Nigerians looked up to FIBA to wade in and solve the crisis. It would not be the first time there would be crisis within a sport Federation in Nigeria. The National Football Federation (NFF) has had its fair share and it took FIFA`s intervention and stern decision to restore normalcy. People expected the same stronghold from FIBA. 

Six weeks after the elections, FIBA reacted. In the letter signed by the organisation`s Secretary General and addressed to the two factional Presidents, FIBA stated that it was `not entirely satisfied that either election was carried out in accordance with the FIBA General Statutes`. This position was reached based on the conflicting reports received by FIBA in respect to the two elections and therefore did not recognise either of them.

FIBA added in its letter that, pending the 30th November when FIBA hoped the crisis would have been resolved internally, it would communicate with Mr Musa and his vice, Mr Babatunde Ogunade. To avoid confusion and misinterpretation, FIBA emphasized in its letter that this communication should not be understood and interpreted as recognition of the board elected on the 13th of June.

From the events that followed in the Nigerian basketball scene, it was obvious that the extra paragraph in FIBA`s letter was not enough to prevent misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Basketball activities in Nigeria were divided among the two factions. The Musa Kida led board handled all the national team activities - Men and women`s FIBA Afrobasket, while Mr Umar supervised the completion of the Kwese Premier Basketball league and the Zenith Women`s Basketball League. 

Finding a common ground

FIBA`s first resolution option was to give the two factions four months to resolve the crisis under the supervision of the National Olympic Committee. The two factions could either look for an amicable solution or agree to new elections. FIBA had earlier, in the same letter, alluded to the fact that the NOC recognised the election held on 13 June in Abuja. Therefore, having the NOC mediate between the two parties would have been a futile effort. No surprise then that the NOC failed to resolve the matter between the two parties internally. 

When the NOC eventually met with the two factional leaders a few weeks before the November 30th deadline, the two Presidents were said to have presented their positions and were allowed privacy for a gentleman negotiation and agreement. None yielded. From press statements released after the meetings, Mr Umar had confirmed his openness to fresh elections while Mr Kida insisted on holding on to his mandate. 

With no resolution in sight, FIBA agreed during its Central Board meeting held on December 9, to send a 3 man delegation on a fact finding mission in an attempt to get firsthand information to aid its final decisions. The delegation was to report its findings to the Executive Committee and discussed during the FIBA Executive Committee meeting scheduled for the 10th of March 2018 in Mies, Switzerland. This was announced via a letter of extension sent to both Mr Kida and Mr Umar. FIBA reiterated its position to maintain communications with Mr Kida and his vice, Mr Ogunade.

The Ultimate Decision - More Questions.

After its Executive Committee meeting, FIBA ruled that the 12 June 2017 elections did not comply with Article 9.3 and the 13 June 2017 elections did not comply with Article 9.7, and since there was no amicable solution between the two factions of the NBBF, fresh elections should be held. The apex body also added that the fresh elections would be held in accordance with the NBBF Statutes and it would continue to communicate with Mr Kida and his vice, Mr Ogunade.

The expectation of many Nigerians was that FIBA`s ultimate decision would put an end to this long distraction. However, with the reaction of stakeholders including the two factional leaders, this FIBA letter leaves a lot to be desired. It has raised more questions and answered few.

1. No time for new elections - Unlike the prior FIBA letters that gave deadlines for specific actions, no election date or deadline was included in the letter communicating FIBA`s final decision. Does this mean there would be another letter from FIBA stating a time or deadline for conducting fresh elections? Or is FIBA delegating this to the gentlemen it is in communications with in Nigeria, Mr Kida and Mr Ogunade? If the latter is the case, won`t that be a classic case of conflict of interests?

Also, will the new elections be restricted to only these two gentlemen or will other interested contestants be allowed to participate. 

2. The NBBF Statutes - FIBA will work with the relevant stakeholders to amend and develop the NBBF Statutes. By using the word `amend`, is the NBBF Statutes referred to in the clause same as the existing NBBF Constitution prepared by the Mr Umar led board passed at the AGM in January? If this is the case, does this imply that the Constitution was not up to FIBA`s standard when it was passed at the AGM and does this vindicates Mr Kida who chose to follow the electoral guidelines release by the NOC and the Ministry of Sports instead of this Constitution?  

This also brings to discussion FIBA’s decision to communicate with Mr Kida and Mr Ogunade, when the erstwhile recognized NBBF board had drafted and passed the referred NBBF Constitution, however substandard they were.

Who qualifies as stakeholders in this matter - the board that drafted the constitution or the gentlemen FIBA has chosen to communicate with or both of them?

3. Neither elections recognised - Since FIBA has expressly stated that neither elections held in June were in accordance with the FIBA General Statutes and have called for new elections, the 12 June Umar led board and the 13 June Kida led board DO NOT EXIST. This can either mean two things - an extension of Mr Umar`s second tenure or an appointment of an Interim/Caretaker Committee pending new elections. By choosing to communicate with Mr Kida and Mr Ogunade, is it safe to assume that FIBA has conferred the role of Interim Committee on these gentlemen? 

4. The phrase `Communicating with` - FIBA has consistently used this phrase to describe its relationship with Mr Kida and Mr Ogunade. It raised a number of question then. Now, even more. What rights do Mr Kida and Mr Ogunade have as regards basketball in Nigeria being in communications with FIBA? Does communicating with them puts them in charge of all basketball activities in Nigeria or only on FIBA related matters? Does it mean they have no business with other activities that do not require FIBA`s direct intervention or communication such as the Male & Female league, Division 1 and 2 Championships? 

And if communicating with them indeed makes them the Interim/Caretaker Committee, and thus putting them in charge of basketball activities in Nigeria - albeit temporarily, won’t Mr Umar will be acting ultra vires by organising the 2018 season of the male and female leagues? 

Both Mr Umar and Mr Kida have confirmed that they will seek further clarity on the FIBA letter. Mr Kida has stated his plans to write to the governing body for further clarification while Mr Umar confirmed he has forwarded the letter to legal advisers for proper interpretation. This again indicates that there are a number of questions that need answers and that there is a possibility that the two parties will interpret the letter differently and will act based on their interpretations of the letter. 

The Drama Continues 

As long as there are ambiguities in the FIBA letter, each party will interpret it in its own favour. In a statement issued in reaction to FIBA`s decision, Mr Kida stated that; `Going by the letter received this morning, FIBA was silent about the date for a new election as they unequivocally stated that they will maintain communications with the Musa Kida led board. We as a responsible organization with a passion for basketball development in Nigeria will work closely with FIBA during this critical phase, forging a way forward for basketball in Nigeria.”

Despite FIBA`s disregard of the 13 June election and ordering of a new election, Mr Kida still seems to believe there is a `Musa Kida led board` and that FIBA is communicating with the board and not solely and exclusively with him and Mr Ogunade as stated in the FIBA letter. We expect Mr Kida to conduct his affairs between now and the new elections with this interpretation and mindset.

The other party feels otherwise. Mr Umar, who had consistently and openly advocated new elections as the only way for a fair and equitable settlement of the dispute, believes that the 12 June election should have been endorsed. His stand is that since FIBA has not recognized either of the elections held last June and pending the fresh elections, his team will continue with the organisation of male and female leagues and other local activities including concluding the National Divisions 1 and 2 championships.

As long as there are disparities in interpretation of FIBA`s communication from these two gentlemen, the crisis in the Nigerian Basketball Federation will continue until fresh elections are held. The only way this can be avoided - a temporary panacea - is if each party compromises and partially accepts the interpretation of the other party, hence allowing for a segregation of duties. This way, Mr Kida will handle all national team activities in conjunction with FIBA while Mr Umar oversees all local basketball activities including the leagues. 

I am certain each party will see this as giving too much, but maybe that is what basketball in Nigeria needs, people looking beyond their self-interests (however they choose to brand it, even Hitler believed he served a greater purpose).

If not, we can only hope the fresh elections are held as soon as possible. 

 - Adedammy  Adedotun (@adedeebaba)

It is post season and we already have some enticing match-ups to look forward to. The playoffs tip off on the Saturday night the 14th of April. A ridiculous NBA regular season concluded with the Toronto Raptors being the top seed in the East and the Houston Rockets leading the west. At the start of the season, many of us felt Warriors, the defending champions would be the top team in the West, but the Rockets had other ideas. Coached by Mike D`Antoni, the Rockets won 65 games of the 82 games. 

But the playoffs are here! That means it`s time to talk about match-ups and strategies. It`s time to make predictions using everything we`ve learned from the regular season (or throwing that all away, in some instances). The Warriors would look to defend their NBA title and trust me they do not look like they can. 

Let`s start with the West.

HOUSTON ROCKETS VS MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

The Rockets this season, with James Harden posting MVP numbers, is having arguably its best NBA season in terms of numbers and effectiveness rating. The last time we saw Harden in the playoffs, it was not pretty. He was 2-for-11 with 10 points and six turnovers against the Spurs in the Conference Semis on his home floor, leading the way to a Rockets disaster - a 39 point Game 6 loss to end the series. He needs to bleach that memory with strong performances out of the gate, both to build his own confidence and the confidence his teammates have in him. They played the Timberwolves four times this season and they won all four. In fact, they won three of them by 18 points so I don’t expect the Timberwolves to get past them.

The Timberwolves have allowed 108.4 points per 100 possessions, 23rd in the league and smack in the neighborhood of such defensive juggernauts as the Grizzlies and Knicks. This is surely an endless frustration for Coach Tom Thibodeau, pioneer of many of the defensive schemes that are prevalent in today’s NBA, but it should make for easy pickings for Houston. I see the Rockets sweeping them 4-0.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS SAN ANTONIO SPURS

The defending champions are gonna miss their best player in Steph Curry for the first round against the Spurs. Golden State is much better set up to handle the absence of Curry than the Spurs are to handle the absence of Leonard. It is remarkable, in fact, that a team so awkwardly patched together as the Spurs — with 24 different starting lineups — could have won 47 games. That’s a testament to coach Gregg Popovich, who will face one of his proteges, Steve Kerr, in this series. Kevin Durant would have to play the best basketball of his life to help his team here. We are hearing rumors that Kawhi might just be back for game 1.

Remember Zaza injured him last year, so this would be personal for him if he gets to play. It would also be a boost for the Spurs.  109.9. In their last 10 games of the season, the Warriors’ defense unraveled, allowing 109.9 points per 100 possessions, which ranked 28th in the league in that span. Granted, the Warriors were not always putting forth their best players in the final games, but it’s part of a disturbing trend for Kerr’s team — the Warriors dropped to ninth in the NBA in defensive efficiency this season, and were 14th after the All-Star break. 

Spurs managed to win 47 games which is quite disappointing for them, they have really struggled with the absence of Kawhi. In the end I think if Kawhi plays the Spurs might just stand a chance, but if he doesn’t I feel the Warriors would do enough to beat them. Warriors to win 4-2

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS VS NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

Both the Trail Blazers and Pelicans had important games for seeding purposes on the final night of the season, and both came up with important wins. Now, though, the pressure is on the Blazers, who rolled through much of the second half of their schedule, including a 13-game winning streak, before petering out inexplicably in the final month. Al-Farouq Aminu rebounds well for his position and is shooting a career high 36.9 percent from three this season. Portland is a different team when Aminu is making those outside shots and taking pressure off the back court. But he’s no Anthony Davis, a top-five player in the world and a guy who has simply taken over the second half of the season. 

In six games in April, Davis is shot 50.4% from the field, while averaging 28.3 points and 11.2 rebounds. Don’t let him get hot. If you’re going to slow down the Pelicans, you have to contend with Anthony Davis. That will be the job — for much of the game, at least — of center Jusuf Nurkic. The two have faced each other eight times, and Davis has averaged 27.1 points and 11.0 rebounds with 53.8 percent shooting in their matchups. Nurkic can afford to let Davis get 25-27 points, but he needs to make him work for them and must stay out of foul trouble because the Blazers are low on frontcourt depth. If Nurkic can keep Davis in the 20s and chip in 12-15 points himself, Portland can let its two backcourt stars, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, make the difference with their perimeter. I fancy the Blazers taking this in 6 games.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS UTAH JAZZ

This matchup is such an exciting one to see. Russ has back to back triple doubles during the regular season People felt he didn’t have enough help last season, but now he has Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. The Utah Jazz have a candidate for Rookie of the year in Donovan Mitchell who becomes the only player after Carmelo Anthony to have led his team in scoring going into the playoffs in his rookie year. What makes both the Thunder and Jazz such an interesting pair is that both teams have their options. There is the flexibility to play big and small, to cross-match between positions, and to put skilled players to use in unconventional ways. 

In the broadest sense, their series will be decided by the intersection of what both teams do best: OKC’s explosive offense working against the grain of one of the best defenses in the league. Yet the terms of engagement are all up for grabs, starting with how each team elects to match up. Who should guard Russell Westbrook between Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio, and who should wreak havoc off the ball? How much should Paul George check Mitchell, the engine of Utah’s entire offense, after barely guarding him in the regular season? How might Derrick Favors look to attack Carmelo Anthony and vice versa? 

It’ll be great team defense going up against great individual offensive players. Normally, the edge would go to the defense in that situation, but it’s hard to see where the Jazz will get consistent offense outside of Mitchell. I think OKC will just edge this in seven games 4-3.

Image - Yahoo Sport

Former Lagos Islanders and Customs player, Seun Akinwale has changed career path as he quits professional basketball for coaching. Atlantic Conference team, Hoops & Read has announced his appointment as Assistant Coach ahead of the 2018 season of the Kwese Premier Basketball League.

Akinwale will support Coach Charles Osho, who took the newly promoted Hoops & Read to the Final Eight Playoffs last season. The club finished overall third behind Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls.

It is only natural for Akinwale to evolve into that career path having been exposed to coaching for over a decade. He played the assistant role to veteran Coach Adewumi Aderemi with the Sea Rovers Basketball Academy. He also runs his academy - Gripps Breed Basketball Academy. At the No Borders Basketball Camp organised by the Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundationl, Akinwale was seen paying close attention to Coach Joe Touomou of the NBA Africa Academy Senegal, asking him key questions. 

When the opportunity came - with the former Assistant Coach leaving the country, the decision to join Hoops & Read was an easy one for Seun Akinwale.

`Hoops & Read is a well structured team or club with emphasis on education combined with basketball. They have the same message I preach about education. Also because the players are all very young and that`s the category of players I`ve always coached` 

The season is expected to tip off next month and the new Assistant Coach is already looking forward to the new experience.

`That you were a great player does not guarantee you becoming a successful coach. So I still have so much to learn. Hoops & Read is good platform for me to express myself and add my wealth of experience as an ex-player and an experienced youth  development coach. I also look forward to maintaining the standard that the team already has`

This is the first time in a very long time that the league will tip off later than April. So the announcement that the Kwese Premier Basketball League will tip off on Sunday, 6 May got basketball fans excited. However, the thought of the controversy that will follow the announcement and the tip off leaves a foul taste in our mouth.

The Umar-led board of the basketball federation organised the Teams Meeting and Technical Officials` Training Programme in Abuja on Thursday 26 April to usher in the new season. The tip off date was announced at the gathering. The Kida-led board on the same day unveiled multinational energy company - Total - as the headline sponsor of the Division 1 and 2 Championships. The 2018 Schedule - which included the Premier Basketball League expect to tip off also in May - was also presented.

Our nightmare has been confirmed - we will most likely have two male premier basketball leagues.

This would not be the first time. We witnessed something similar in 2016 when the African Basketball League was launched. This resulted in clubs choosing the league to associate with; and referees and officials getting banned. Going by the communique released by the Kida-led board warning clubs not to participate in the `illegal` league, the same will happen  this year.

As we count down to the tip off of the Kwese Premier Basketball League, let us look at the clubs we should expect to participate and those that would probably not.

Who`s not playing?

If we are to go by their reaction to the crisis when it started last year and their decision not to participate in the 2017 Playoffs, we should not expect the trio of Rivers Hoopers, Mark Mentors and Civil Defenders to be a part of the league tipping off on Sunday 6th May.

Rivers Hoopers made it to the Conference Playoffs in Ilorin but did not show up for the Final Eight in Kano. The major factor responsible for Hoopers` absence has not change. In the almost certain event that the do not participate in the Kwese PBL this year, they would be replaced with Delta Force in the Atlantic Conference. 

Who is playing?

Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls are league Champions and runner up of the Kwese PBL respectively and they represented the country at the continental competition for clubs - FIBA Africa Champions Cup. Kano Pillars will participate in the league in an attempt to defend its title. We expect other Savannah Conference clubs to follow suit. 

A number of clubs in the Atlantic Conference have their key representatives as members of the Umar-led board of the basketball federation. These include Hoops & Read (Olumide Oyedeji - President), Kwara Falcons (Dr Adeyemo - Chairman, Kwara Basketball Association) and Customs (Scott Nnaji - Head Coach). The will certainly play in the league tipping off on this Sunday. 

The Other League

In the communique released by the Kida-led board, clubs were warned not participate in what it tagged `an invitational tournament`. However, the communique did not specify when its Premier Basketball League will tip off. Whenever that is, we may see the likes of Rivers Hoopers, Lagos Warriors, Lagos Islanders (hopefully) and (maybe) Lagos City Stars, Eko Kings etc. headline the league. 

Dear FIBA, the crisis is not over yet.

- Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA

- Event: NBA Finals Game 4

- Date: Friday June 8, 2018

I arrived at the Q—as the Quicken Loans Arena is popularly called—at about 1.30pm local time and spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out where to pick up my media credential. Where I come from, locating places is not particularly difficult, and you cannot blame me either because my Uber driver was as confused as I was. Eventually, I found myself in front of the media trailer and duly picked up my media pass as well as a little purse as a gift from the NBA to media personnel from all over the world. That gift though was nothing compared to what I was about to experience as I made my way into the arena.

Making my way through security at the media entrance was not much of a “prayer point,” after all, I was not guilty of anything, and so, I proceeded to locate the media room where journalists and their accessories would be located. I took notice of the members of staff of the Q and the Cleveland Cavaliers who were moving up and down with huge smiles on their faces and I was wondering whether the smiling was because they loved their jobs or because they were about to host thousands of basketball fans and visitors from around the world. One thing I knew for sure was they were not smiling because their team had a chance against the eventual finals winners, the Golden State Warriors.

Yes, I was in Cleveland to work—to cover the finals for BballNaija, but trust me, I was also there to soak in the experience, after all, it was my first time ever in America. Do not make fun of me now. The security personnel at the entrance told me that I could not enter the main bowl just yet. Nevertheless, as a sharp Naija guy, I made into the arena nonetheless and the intensity of the air conditioning system that greeted me was humbling, to say the least, and as such, I climbed up to one level and duly took a seat. The next few minutes and events were going to be quite pivotal in my experience that day.

I witnessed a rehearsal of the trophy presentation just in case the Warriors won Game 4 of the finals and swept the home team. Of course, the Q staff who took part in the rehearsal were not excited about the prospect of setting up a stage for the visiting team who were quite likely to win the ultimate prize on their floor. More annoying for them was the fact that they had to do the rehearsal twice to ensure much attention was paid to the very minute details of the arrangement. This rehearsal did not quite come to me as a surprise to be honest, because at that point, the Cavs’ backs were against the wall and the inevitable was becoming quite the reality. Take note that the game would not start until 9pm local time and about this time it was just a few minutes past 2pm.

The PA announcer of the Cavs, Sean Peebles, spent some time rehearsing his lines. I also had the chance to hear the voice of the man behind the Cavs player intros Ahmaad Crump do his thing. The dance groups of the Cavs—the Cavalier Girls and the Scream Team also hit the floor. Whoever operated the Jumbotron (large screen attached to the roof of the arena, showing video clips, scores, stats and several information) also had their time to make sure everything was in order. Technical Sergeant Freddie Garza rehearsed the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States. At some point, it appeared as though there was a near-chronological rehearsal of events leading up tip-off of the game proper.

After carefully observing all of these rehearsals and attention paid to detail leading up to the game proper, I proceeded to take a personal tour of other areas of The Q. I walked outside the main bowl and saw business owners setting up their various stalls ahead of the arrival and patronage of right about 20,000 fans who would watch the game. I made sure I entered every single general restroom around the arena. I climbed every single escalator up and down and checked out portions of the media section created for media personnel from all over the world to use as their workspace. I walked into the backrooms and entered the home and away dressing rooms, beholding sneakers players would eventually wear for the game, saw the referees room, entered a room set apart for some senior officials of the NBA, including the Commissioner Adam Silver and took note of the neatness and meticulous way those rooms were setup.

Let me sum it all up by saying every single area of the Quicken Loans Arena prior to the start of Game 4 of the NBA finals was magnificent in appearance and very cleanly setup.

Now, here is why my tour of the Q and observance of all the activities and rehearsals shocked me and got me really in awe and wonder. If the game were a one-off, one-time event like a concert or a conference or a town-hall meeting (whatever that means), I would not have been so surprised at the amount of effort put into setups, rehearsals, gadgets, and decorations. Some of the actors may have been entering the venue of the event perhaps for the very first time in their existence, and many other variables.

Cleveland Cavaliers played forty-two home games during the regular season alone and a further eleven home games during the playoffs. This means a whole lot of the activities they rehearsed prior to Game 4 were already done right about 53 times before that day! For goodness sake, I’m wondering why Mr Crump would have to rehearse, “Cle-cle-cle-cle-cleeeeeveland, time now to meet the starting five of the Cleeeeeveland Cavaleeeeeeeuuurs!” so many times!

This simply made me realise that in an atmosphere of excellence, mistakes rarely happen, and should they happen, there is going to be quick fixes such that you probably would not notice anything went wrong except you are told.

Bringing it back home to Africa, it should be a consensus of some sort that if one thing is lacking in our everyday lives, it is the consciousness of excellence. We tend to rush into holding events without carefully spending time to plan and even rehearse key parts of our various functions. That is why a speaker can stutter several times while reading from a teleprompter; why a radio presenter can use foul language to the hearing of several thousands of listeners simply because they forgot to turn off their microphone during an advert break; why the shot/game clock operator in an arena can struggle to operate his gadgets while a game is going on.

It is said that the NBA is the biggest basketball league in the world while many of the very important events in Africa do not even get as much recognition and talk-time outside our shores. The reason could not possibly be farfetched: the apparent lack of excellence. The truth is – we can only attain excellence through constant rehearsal, practice, and possession of an all-in attitude, and if Africa could imbibe this culture of excellence, the change we so earnestly desire will become an achievable reality.

- Ayotunde Onabolu

- Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA

- Event: NBA Finals Game 4

- Date: Friday June 8, 2018

I arrived at the Q—as the Quicken Loans Arena is popularly called—at about 1.30pm local time and spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out where to pick up my media credential. Where I come from, locating places is not particularly difficult, and you cannot blame me either because my Uber driver was as confused as I was. Eventually, I found myself in front of the media trailer and duly picked up my media pass as well as a little purse as a gift from the NBA to media personnel from all over the world. That gift though was nothing compared to what I was about to experience as I made my way into the arena.

Making my way through security at the media entrance was not much of a “prayer point,” after all, I was not guilty of anything, and so, I proceeded to locate the media room where journalists and their accessories would be located. I took notice of the members of staff of the Q and the Cleveland Cavaliers who were moving up and down with huge smiles on their faces and I was wondering whether the smiling was because they loved their jobs or because they were about to host thousands of basketball fans and visitors from around the world. One thing I knew for sure was they were not smiling because their team had a chance against the eventual finals winners, the Golden State Warriors.

Yes, I was in Cleveland to work—to cover the finals for BballNaija, but trust me, I was also there to soak in the experience, after all, it was my first time ever in America. Do not make fun of me now. The security personnel at the entrance told me that I could not enter the main bowl just yet. Nevertheless, as a sharp Naija guy, I made into the arena nonetheless and the intensity of the air conditioning system that greeted me was humbling, to say the least, and as such, I climbed up to one level and duly took a seat. The next few minutes and events were going to be quite pivotal in my experience that day.

I witnessed a rehearsal of the trophy presentation just in case the Warriors won Game 4 of the finals and swept the home team. Of course, the Q staff who took part in the rehearsal were not excited about the prospect of setting up a stage for the visiting team who were quite likely to win the ultimate prize on their floor. More annoying for them was the fact that they had to do the rehearsal twice to ensure much attention was paid to the very minute details of the arrangement. This rehearsal did not quite come to me as a surprise to be honest, because at that point, the Cavs’ backs were against the wall and the inevitable was becoming quite the reality. Take note that the game would not start until 9pm local time and about this time it was just a few minutes past 2pm.

The PA announcer of the Cavs, Sean Peebles, spent some time rehearsing his lines. I also had the chance to hear the voice of the man behind the Cavs player intros Ahmaad Crump do his thing. The dance groups of the Cavs—the Cavalier Girls and the Scream Team also hit the floor. Whoever operated the Jumbotron (large screen attached to the roof of the arena, showing video clips, scores, stats and several information) also had their time to make sure everything was in order. Technical Sergeant Freddie Garza rehearsed the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States. At some point, it appeared as though there was a near-chronological rehearsal of events leading up tip-off of the game proper.

After carefully observing all of these rehearsals and attention paid to detail leading up to the game proper, I proceeded to take a personal tour of other areas of The Q. I walked outside the main bowl and saw business owners setting up their various stalls ahead of the arrival and patronage of right about 20,000 fans who would watch the game. I made sure I entered every single general restroom around the arena. I climbed every single escalator up and down and checked out portions of the media section created for media personnel from all over the world to use as their workspace. I walked into the backrooms and entered the home and away dressing rooms, beholding sneakers players would eventually wear for the game, saw the referees room, entered a room set apart for some senior officials of the NBA, including the Commissioner Adam Silver and took note of the neatness and meticulous way those rooms were setup.

Let me sum it all up by saying every single area of the Quicken Loans Arena prior to the start of Game 4 of the NBA finals was magnificent in appearance and very cleanly setup.

Now, here is why my tour of the Q and observance of all the activities and rehearsals shocked me and got me really in awe and wonder. If the game were a one-off, one-time event like a concert or a conference or a town-hall meeting (whatever that means), I would not have been so surprised at the amount of effort put into setups, rehearsals, gadgets, and decorations. Some of the actors may have been entering the venue of the event perhaps for the very first time in their existence, and many other variables.

Cleveland Cavaliers played forty-two home games during the regular season alone and a further eleven home games during the playoffs. This means a whole lot of the activities they rehearsed prior to Game 4 were already done right about 53 times before that day! For goodness sake, I’m wondering why Mr Crump would have to rehearse, “Cle-cle-cle-cle-cleeeeeveland, time now to meet the starting five of the Cleeeeeveland Cavaleeeeeeeuuurs!” so many times!

This simply made me realise that in an atmosphere of excellence, mistakes rarely happen, and should they happen, there is going to be quick fixes such that you probably would not notice anything went wrong except you are told.

Bringing it back home to Africa, it should be a consensus of some sort that if one thing is lacking in our everyday lives, it is the consciousness of excellence. We tend to rush into holding events without carefully spending time to plan and even rehearse key parts of our various functions. That is why a speaker can stutter several times while reading from a teleprompter; why a radio presenter can use foul language to the hearing of several thousands of listeners simply because they forgot to turn off their microphone during an advert break; why the shot/game clock operator in an arena can struggle to operate his gadgets while a game is going on.

It is said that the NBA is the biggest basketball league in the world while many of the very important events in Africa do not even get as much recognition and talk-time outside our shores. The reason could not possibly be farfetched: the apparent lack of excellence. The truth is – we can only attain excellence through constant rehearsal, practice, and possession of an all-in attitude, and if Africa could imbibe this culture of excellence, the change we so earnestly desire will become an achievable reality.

- Ayotunde Onabolu

After a 20 year hiatus, German multinational apparel company PUMA, has relaunched it basketball sneaker category and has named rapper, business mogul and sport enthusiast Shawn Carter a.k.a Jay Z as the Creative Director. 

In an exclusive interview with Complex Magazine, Puma`s global director of brand and marketing, Adam Petrick confirmed this appointment.

“We’ve been working with Roc Nation for quite some time. They’ve been great partners to us for several years. We’ve done many different deals with many different ambassadors,”

Jay Z`s role as creative director will include leading marketing campaigns, identifying suitable NBA players and entertainers as brand ambassadors, and assisting in product design and overall concept and direction of the brand. According to Petrick, when Jay Z was approached about the opportunity, he felt it “was something he wanted to be a part of".

To show commitment to the relaunch, Puma has already signed projected NBA Draft`s first round picks Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Zhaire Smith to multiyear footwear and apparel endorsement deals. This is Puma`s first NBA endorsement deals for the brand since Vince Carter in 1998. The brand also signed New York Knicks legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier to a lifetime contract. 

It was earlier rumoured that Jay Z will be the brand`s President of Basketball Operations but Petrick clarified this;

"I can confirm that according to his deal with Puma, Jay-Z`s official designation is Creative Director. I referred to him (earlier) today by an informal designation"

With his experience in basketball with Brooklyn Nets and Roc Nation,we believe Jay Z is well suited for the role. We can`t wait for the magic he will create with Rihanna.

Let us see how well they run this brand.

The senior men`s basketball team will resume camp in Lagos ahead of the second leg of the first round of the African Qualifiers of the FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers. 

A total of eight players along with the Head Coach Alex Nwora, Assistant Coach Ogoh Odaudu and team Manager Musa Adamu have already arrived in Lagos.

The eight players are Emenago Obinna, Omoerah Keith Saido(Baerum Basketball club,Norway), Braxton Ogbueze Jai (Charlotte University), Mbamalu Bryant(CD Vildivia, Chile), Agada Caleb (Prat Basketball, Spain), Moses Kingsley (Antwerp Giant,Belgium), Mehinti Tosin (Lavrio,Greece) and Okosun Obehioye.

Other players named in the 17 man preliminary list including the first leg sensation Mike Efevberha, captain Ike Diogu, Afrobasket Champions Alade Aminu, Olaseni Lawal, Ben Uzoh are expected to arrive Lagos today. 

As part of preparation for the qualifiers, DTigers will play friendly games against Cote d`Ivoire who currently sit fourth place in Group D of the African Qualifiers on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th in Abidjan.

The team will also play Gabon and Republic of Benin on 26th and 27th respectively before heading back to Lagos. 

The African qualifiers will be played in the Indoor Arena of the National Stadium Surulere Lagos from Friday 29th June to Sunday 1st July. DTigers currently lead Group B after winning all three games in the first leg in Mali.

Images - Oni Afolabi & FIBA

As we countdown to the third NBA exhibition game in Johannesburg tagged NBA Africa Games, Amadou Gallo Fall (NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa) has reiterated that the event should be seen more than just a basketball game but as an event to celebrate and showcase the best of Africa. 

In his interview with Femi Adefeso (The Basketball Arena), he emphasized that basketball is a tool that can drive Africa`s development.

`We are hosting the third NBA Africa Game to celebrate Africa to celebrate the energy of the role models for our youth. When we host the NBA Africa Game, it`s not just about the game being played on the court. We have a whole week where we engage with the community. We host an innovation summit where we bring some of the brightest minds across different sectors  - technology, music, fashion and science - to come and share their vision with our young people. It`s about providing interaction. We have all the resources on the continent, basketball is used only as a catalyst.`

The NBA Africa Game 2018 which will feature African ambassadors like Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo, Joel Embiid, Al Farouq Aminu will take place Saturday, 4 August at 5:00pm at Sun Arena at Time Square in Pretoria. Tickets are already available for sale on computickets.com

"And with the 20th pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select Josh Okogie from Georgie Tech" 

Those were the words of the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver earlier today as he announced the selection of the 6`3 shooting guard.  

Okogie joins an elite team of Nigerian basketball players - both born in Nigeria and of Nigerian descent - drafted into the NBA. The elite team includes Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets/1st Overall/1985), Michael Olowokandi (Clippers/1st overall/1998), Ike Diogu (Warriors/9th Overall/2005), Festus Ezeli (Warriors/30th Overall/2012), Al Farouq Aminu (Clippers/8th Overall/2010), Olumide Oyedeji (Supersonics/42nd overall/2000)

Okogie was not at Barclays Centre when this announcement was made, but he was surrounded by friends and family who erupted into joy at the mention of his name. He called it "the greatest moment of his life". 

"I had nothing, God gave me everything"

Chimezie Metu, another Nigerian, was also drafted. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 49th overall pick.

We wish them the best and we hope to seem them wear the national colours someday. 

Images - SI & Denver Siffs

"And with the 20th pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select Josh Okogie from Georgie Tech" 

Those were the words of the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver earlier today as he announced the selection of the 6`3 shooting guard.  

Okogie joins an elite team of Nigerian basketball players - both born in Nigeria and of Nigerian descent - drafted into the NBA. The elite team includes Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets/1st Overall/1985), Michael Olowokandi (Clippers/1st overall/1998), Ike Diogu (Warriors/9th Overall/2005), Festus Ezeli (Warriors/30th Overall/2012), Al Farouq Aminu (Clippers/8th Overall/2010), Olumide Oyedeji (Supersonics/42nd overall/2000)

Okogie was not at Barclays Centre when this announcement was made, but he was surrounded by friends and family who erupted into joy at the mention of his name. He called it "the greatest moment of his life". 

"I had nothing, God gave me everything"

Chimezie Metu, another Nigerian, was also drafted. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 49th overall pick.

We wish them the best and we hope to seem them wear the national colours someday. 

Images - SI & Denver Siffs

Before the NBA draft, many Nigerians were focused on Josh Okogie and the possibility of him being picked in the first round. He was our supposed best prospect for the night. Little did we know that the overall number one pick has Nigerian bloodline.

Deandre Ayton`s was born to a Nigeria father and a Jamaican mother, Andrea. His stepfather, however is from The Bahamas. Ayton wanted the entire world to see his connection to all these countries as he revealed several national colours sewn into the inside of his blue suit jacket, representing Nigeria, Jamaica and Bahamas. 

In his interview with Bruce Pascoe (Tucson Sports), Ayton talked about his suit:

“There’s a few flags in there. My dad is from Nigeria, my mom is Jamaican and Bahamian, so I’m helping all those countries in one. I’m not just a Bahamian. I’m Nigerian and Jamaican. So I just want to let the world know that.”

We all know now.

Nigeria`s Power Forward and 2017 FIBA Women`s Afrobasket champion, Ndidi Madu earlier today 25th June 2018 announced her retirement from professional basketball after six years.

Madu share this news on her official Instagram page @first_lady_14

`After six amazing years of being a professional basketball player, I am hanging up my shoes. This by far has been one of the hardest decisions I have made, but I thank GOD for His strength and the support of those who I have spoken to about my decision to move forward and help youth reach their academic and athletic goals through coaching and my Team Madu Foundation`

She also confirmed that she will not join the senior women`s team for the 2018 FIBA World Cup in Spain later this year. 

`I will not be joining the Nigerian National Team this year in the World Cup in Spain. I want to say a very big thank you to the NBBF for giving me the opportunity to represent Nigeria for the past four years.`

Madu represented the country in the 2015 and 2017 FIBA Afrobasket for Women. She has also played professionally with different clubs across the globe including Broni (Italy), ZKK Buducnost Bemax (Montenegro), Ferroviaro de Maputo (Mozambique), Inter Clube (Angola)

We wish her the very best in the next phase of her career.

When our game against Uganda tips off later today, 19 year Jordan Nwora will be making his debut on the National senior men`s basketball team. It will also be a historical moment as he becomes the first member of the national team to be coached by his father while wearing the Nigerian jersey.

Jordan is prepared for this moment. To him, it is not about his father but his potentials. He stated this in his chat with ACL Sports` Queen John.

`I think I am prepared. I work on court every day working on my skills to get better and I think I can help us win. It is not about my dad. I am the one training on court every day. I will not be here without him for sure but he makes the decision and a lot of people who have seen potential in me”

One would expect him to be under immense pressure but the Louisville Cardinals` forward seems relaxed ahead of his first competitive game in front of his home crowd on Friday. 

“I’ve played for a bigger crowd and I know how this will turn out because you are playing for your country and it’s much bigger than what I have played for. I’ll get into it when we start playing,”

According to his father, Coach Alex Nwora, including Jordan in the 12-man roster was not about Jordan being his son but his level of preparedness to represent Nigeria.

"The national team is serious business and he knows that."

“We should expect a lot from Jordan. He brings a lot to the table. He’s a game changer anytime he steps on the court from his youth till now at University of Louisville. He stands a chance of making a living through the game and also an opportunity to play for his father land`

“If I don’t think Jordan deserves to be here, he won’t. I won’t do that to him. If Jordan is not good enough he won’t be on my team and I won’t embarrass him to come play for the national team same thing goes to my girls. If they don’t work hard and compete like an Olympian because that’s what countries are looking for.” 

Jordan averaged 5.7 points per game as a freshman and scored 16 points against Cote D`Iviore in the pre-qualifiers friendly game last weekend in Abidjan.

Images - NBBF, Queen John

In an amazing display of teamwork and focus on defense, the men`s senior national team defeated the Ugandan to secure a spot in the second round of the FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers.

The game which ended 109-66 was dominated by the Nigerian side with Uganda taking the lead only once throughout the game (20-21), a lead that lasted for 11 seconds.

The victory keeps Nigeria on the top of the table of our group with 8 points, and although we still have two games to play in this first round, we have enough to get us to the next stage of the qualifying series. 

The top three teams from each of the four groups - A, B, C, D - will advance to the second round where they will be merged into two groups of six teams each - Groups E and F. Uganda currently sits at that bottom of Group B with 5 points. If they win their next two games - their best possible outcome - they will finish with 9 points which will put them one point behind Nigeria`s 10 points in the event that we lose our last two games - our worst possible outcome. 

Regardless though, we still need to win our last two games to increase our chances of picking one of the 5 available tickets for Africa at the World Cup in China. The top two teams from groups E and F and the best third-ranked team will get the tickets.

After an amazing performance in front of the home fans at just concluded round of the FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers held in Lagos, the captain of the senior men`s basketball team, Ike Diogu made a heartfelt plea to Nigerians to support the national basketball team. 

DTigers won all three games played in Lagos to finish top of Group B with a 6-0 unbeaten run. When asked what message he had for Nigerians ahead of the next window, Diogu asked for support. 

"Well, for us, we just need everybody`s support. For me personally, I`d like to see the country support us just like they support the Super Eagles. Because we have a chance to do really special things, not only in this next window but in the world championship itself. If there`s one thing I would urge, I would like more of the country to support us because we are doing our best to make you guys proud. And I think you guys will be very pleased with what you see when we do qualify for the world championship"

The second round of qualifiers is scheduled to commence in September where DTigers will play home and away games against Senegal, Cote D`Ivoire, Central Africa Republic, Rwanda, and Mali. The world cup itself is scheduled for China in 2019.

The senior women`s team - DTigress - who are current African champions, will represent the continent on the world stage later this year during the Women`s basketball world cup in Tenerife, Spain. 

The NBA Africa yesterday announced its partnership with France`s inclusive public development bank, Agence Française de Développement, to invest in basketball infrastructure, events, and initiatives. 

The announcement, which was made by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron during a basketball clinic at Lycée Français Louis Pasteur School, is in line with AFD’s strategy of making sport a major tool for sustainable development, particularly in Africa. 

"We are thrilled to partner with the NBA in Africa because sport and sustainable development are a natural match. Basketball is the second most popular sport on the continent, and it can be a powerful driver for sustainability, addressing unmet needs in urban development, education, creating new opportunities for African youth, promoting values of openness, tolerance, gender equality, and connecting communities and people" - Remy Rioux, Chief Executive Office, AFD

According to President Macron, the AFD and NBA will equally contribute $6m each to touch the lives of over 5,000 youth in Africa. The fund will be used to develop basketball infrastructure, provide basketball equipment and training to local coaches, teach life skills in selected African countries, and to provide resources to local organizations and community leaders that focus on sustainable coaching, mentoring and leadership development.

"We are excited to work with AFD, which shares our commitment to using sports as a vehicle to drive positive social and economic change in Africa. We look forward to collaborating with the AFD in scaling up our efforts in Africa, and to identify new opportunities to use the transformative power of basketball as a platform for youth development across the continent" - NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall.

Since opening its office in South Africa 8 years ago, NBA Africa has continuously invested in youth development and capacity building programmes across the continent including Basketball Without Borders, Jr NBA league, NBA Cares, and the recent NBA Academy Africa in Senegal.

Image - NBA Africa

Jethro Sam-Marcus was already in 6`2`` in Junior Secondary School and like every other tall young kid, he was interested in basketball. He would watch the game on TV but he could not play because his school, Niger Delta Science School did not have basketball facilities to support his passion. When he started applying to Universities for his degree, availability of a basketball court was a primary consideration. Hence, his choice for Covenant University. 

`My interest in basketball started long before the university but I didn`t have the opportunity. The only time I had the opportunity was when I got to the University because I stayed in Port Harcourt and where I stayed was very far from where people trained to play basketball. I didn`t play basketball until my first year at the University and I went to Covenant because I heard they had a basketball court and stuff`

Six years after, Jethro is a corp member at the Government Science and Technical College, Okaka, Yenegoa; and the students their remind him so much of his days in Secondary School because just like NDSS, the Technical College does not have basketball facilities. He saw the huge gap in sports infrastructure in the school and he has decided to build an outdoor basketball court as his personal Community Development Scheme (CDS).  

`The school I am serving does not have any sporting facility, they have a net for volleyball but all they have for basketball is the ball. And seeing those children, it`s like seeing a reflection of myself. If I had the opportunity in sec school, possibly I would be doing far better than I am now with basketball. If they have that opportunity at a young age, they will do better.`

`Here in Bayelsa, there`s only one place you can train - the sports complex. You`ll see so many children - most of them stay quite far - trek a long distance to go and train and back. The complex closes at 5, school closes around 2 pm. Training starts at 2.30pm. If they had that in their school, during their lunch breaks instead of kicking a football, they can just train there.`

Jethro has discussed his project with the school Principal and games master. A piece of land within the school premises has been approved for the outdoor court and construction work is expected to commence soon.

Government Science and Technical College, Okaka

He has set up a crowdfunding account and needs the support of basketball enthusiast around the country to fund his basketball project.

Please click to donate

In addition to cash contributions, he is also open to other donations for the school like basketball shoes, sports jerseys, balls etc. He thinks this will further encourage the students to play the sport.

Jethro can be contacted through his Twitter account @Jetty_Boy and his email address jethro.sammarcus@gmail.com

During the 2016 Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in France, our women’s national basketball teams – DTigress – celebrated their victory over Korea by singing and dancing in the locker room. It was a do or die game and Ezinne Kalu’s deep 3 point shot gave Nigeria the much needed win. The game ended 70 – 69. But that single victory wasn’t enough as Korea defeated Belarus in the last group game and dashed our hope of participating the Women’s Basketball competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

In his post on Facebook, basketball veteran Patrick Omo-Osagie criticize the team for rejoicing too early. He mentioned that although the win was a good one, it was not worthy of the dance.

“We danced too soon”.

However, he made a revelation;

“Our ladies might have danced too early for Rio but they will dance a lot come next year when they win the Afrobasket. This team is good enough to win back to back African championship, 2017 and 2019. Keep the technical adviser and the core of the team and we will be dancing soon”

And he was right. Fast forward to Mali, our ladies won the 2017 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket Tournament and boy, did they dance! 

In preparation for the continental tournament, two parallel camps were held – one in the United States of America for the US-based players and one in Lagos for the top players selected from the Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League. The two camps merged in Lagos where the final twelve players were selected and although we could not retain the Technical Adviser Mauro Procaccini, we retained six of the players from the WOQT squad – Upe Atosu, Sarah Ogoke, Ndidi Madu, Ezinne Kalu, Adaora Elonu and Chioma Udeaja. We were also able to add some key players including Evelyn Akhator and Atonye Nyingifa to the “core” of the team. 

Nigeria was grouped along with Egypt, Mozambique, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo and defending champions – Senegal. DTigress cruised through the group stage winning all 5 games and averaging the 72.3PPG – the highest among all 12 teams at the group stage. WNBA’ Dallas Wings’ Evelyn Akhator was the highest scorer in three of the five group games finishing with double-doubles in our game against Egypt and Senegal. After the first three group games, the ladies secured a spot in the Quarterfinals – the first team in the tournament to do so. 

Our quarterfinal game against Cote D’Ivoire was also a cruise for the team as the ladies dominated all four quarters of the game. Not only did we defeat the Ivorians with over 50points, five of our players had double digits points. The victory propelled us to the semifinals to face host Mali. Now, here’s the thing – at the 2015 Women’s Afrobasket Tournament, we lost the semifinal game to the host country, Cameroon with just one point (71-70). Fast forward to 2017 – another semifinal game, another host country. It was one of the most thrilling games of the tournament and it kept most people on the edge of their seats till the final buzzer. There was a lot at stake, not only was the winner guaranteed a podium finish, the winner will clinch one of the spots available for Africa at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain. 

It was a skills contest between the two guards – Ezinne Kalu and Mali’s Touty Gandega. Nigeria led by 11 points at the end of the first half but a determined Malian side with the support of a very loud crowd attempted a comeback in the last quarter. One that we survived, defeating the host country with just one point. The final score was 48 – 47.

Such an irony.  

The final game against 12 times African Champions, Senegal was a repeat of the 2005 Women’s Afrobasket Tournament in Abuja when DTigress defeated the Lioness of Senegal to win their second title. While Senegal has won two titles within that period (2009 in Madagascar and 2015 in Cameroon), it has been a title drought for Nigeria. Nigeria was hoping to make a prediction come through and fulfilling the prophecy by bringing home Malian gold thus ending a 12-year drought. Senegal, on the other hand, was trying to extend their record to 13 titles from 17 finals.  

After four quarters of action, DTigress emerged victorious in a 65 – 48 victory over the Senegalese to lift the 2017 Women’s Afrobasket trophy. Nigeria scored the most points with an average of 80.6 PPG and Evelyn Akhator made the All-Star Five, although many thought she deserved the MVP award. But like Mfon Udoka rightly said, Nigerian will take the trophy over the MVP award. 

What is next for the African champions is to build on this victory, retain the core of the players and strengthen the team in some key areas and prepare well in the 2018 Women’s World Cup in Spain. So that, come 2021, we will be able to defend our Afrobasket title and win back to back championship like we did in 2003 and 2005. 

"We set a goal that we want to win. We came here for the gold. The more we keep playing, the more confidence we keep getting and the more trust we get amongst us." – Akhator 

Images - FIBA

Preparations are underway for the 2018 Women`s World Cup as the senior women`s team is expected to resume camp on Wednesday 18th July. Ahead of the camp, a total of 28 players have been invited including ten players from the team that won the 2017 FIBA Women`s Afrobasket in Mali.

The list, released earlier today, includes WNBA`s Evelyn Akhator (Dallas Wings) and Ifunanya Ibekwe (New York Liberty).

1.Ezinne Kalu           Vasa Akademia, Hungary

2. Upe Atosu            Labette College, (NJCAA)

3. Promise Amukamara    Alexandria, Romania

4. Jasmine Nwajei       University of Syracuse, (NCAA)

5. Patience Nene Okpe   Panola College, (NJCAA)

6.Sarah Ogoke           RC Celta, Spain

7. Nkechi Akashili      First Bank, Nigeria 

8. Ayoleka Sodade       University of Buffalo, NY ,(NCAA)

9.  Elizabeth Balogun   Hamilton heights, Christian Academy, USA

10. Ijeoma  Ajemba      University of North  Carolina (NCAA)

11. Adaeze Alaeze       Ciudad de la Adelantos, Spain

12.Adaora Elonu         Perfumerias Avenida Salamanca , Spain

13. Atonye Nyingifa     Duran Maquinaria Ensino, Spain 

14.Cecilia Okoye        Oviedo, Spain

15. Ify Ibekwe          New York Liberty, WNBA

16. Nicole Enabosi      University of Delaware (NCAA)

17. Sarah Imovbioh      PEAC -Pecs, Hungary

18. Nkem Akaraiwe       First Bank, Nigeria

19. Uju Ugoka           Roche Vendee, France

20. Amy Okonkwo         Texas Christian University (NCAA)

21. Evelyn Akhator      Dallas Wings, WNBA

22. Juliet James        Georgia State University

23. Ashley Ezeh         ADBA, Spain

24. Aisha Mohammed      Istanbul University, Turkey  

25. Felicia Aiyeotan    University of Virginia (NCAA). 

26. Edeferioka Elo      Celta Zorka - Spain

27. Ugo Uwaigwe         Yakin Dugu U, Argentina

28. Elem Ibiam          Kangoeroes, Belgium

The team will play an exhibition game against the Yellow Jackets Pro All-Star at the Riverside Epicentre.

After the first phase of training in Atlanta, the team will return to Nigeria for the second and final phase before heading to Turkey where they are expected to play a number of friendly games. 

The FIBA 2018 Women World Cup is schedule to hold from Thursday 20th to Sunday 30th September 2018 in Tenerife, Spain

Nigeria`s shooting guard and Afrobasket Champion, Sarah Ogoke, has been selected as one of the inductees into the Southern Polytechnic State University Athletics Hall of Fame - Class of 2018. 

She shared this news with her fans on her Facebook page;

"I want to thank the entire athletics department including former athletic director Matt Griffin who literally supported me through thick and thin. I want to thank the current athletic director, my coaches Laquanda D. Dawkins and Stephon Seraile (who did the same), all my loving teammates, and my coach Kenneth Howell in Houston that spent and spends countless hours days and weeks and years training me to reach my potential as well as supporting me as a friend and helping me manage my career."

I am very thankful to the university for embracing me and allowing me to achieve both of my dreams of being a two-time All-American as well as an educated holder of a Biology Bsc. degree. This university and program played a pivotal role in my success as a professional athlete and Olympic player on the way to the World Cup for Nigeria basketball. Thank you, people of Houston. Thank you, people of Sugar Land. Thank you, people of Atlanta and New York City. And thank you people of Nigeria. I will strive to continue to make you all proud.

I am thankful and honored again. God bless."

Sarah is expected to join other players at the preparation camp in Atlanta ahead of the FIBA Women`s World Cup in Spain in September.

We are proud of Sarah and we wish her the very best. 

There was some noise that suggested surprise from the crowd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced

“With the 20th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select Josh Okogie from Georgia Tech!”

He spoke those words, having previously announced a trade deal involving the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers.

The was a particular interest in where Okogie would end up drafted, as months leading up to the draft, draft analysts had tipped him to go late in the first round or early second round, but a string of very impressive performances meant that Okogie’s stock rose and the only question was how high it had risen.

Back in his country of origin, Nigerians, several of whom stayed awake to monitor proceedings of the annual draft, were elated that he was drafted not too late in the first round, and they had hopes that the Nigerian national basketball team, otherwise known as D’Tigers will someday benefit from his experience playing on the biggest basketball stage in the world.

However, in a chat with BBallNaija’s Ayotunde Onabolu, the 19-year-old Lagos-born Joshua Aloiye Okogie explained he will not be available for selection to the Nigerian national side because of his commitment to the United States, especially having represented them at age-grade level.

“I played with USA Basketball last year—18 and under; so it’s unfortunate, you guys, it’s not going to happen,” 

Meanwhile, Okogie said he wasn’t in doubt that he would land a good draft position, especially since scouts and analysts tipped him to go late in the first round or even early in the second round. 

“I’m one of the guys that I think people see the kind of person I am. I can play, you know. When you put me under the light, it’s time to shine. I wasn’t even worried about the draft board because we don’t make the decisions. I feel I’m passionate, I stay down and I keep working hard to be the best I can be.”

Okogie is listed at 6 feet 5 inches in height, meaning he will compete with Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler for a role on the wings if he hopes to break into the starting lineup, but this reality doesn’t seem to bother the rookie. 

“Nothing changes! I’ve always worked hard to get better. At this stage I am young and I’ve got a lot to learn and one thing I’m in control of is how hard I work and the effort I put in and the rest is for the coaches to decide.”

Leading up to the draft, Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young was often compared to two-time league MVP Stephen Curry because of his apparent sharpshooting skills, although Young has asked to be compared to NBA legend Steve Nash instead. Okogie feels he doesn’t have to be compared to any other player. 

“I try to be my own person as much as possible. People compare people to Steph Curry but Steph Curry probably never compared himself to anybody. I do rate players that take pride on both ends of the floor. I like guys like Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Jrue Holiday. I don’t really try to hold myself to their standards, but those are the guys that have traits I’ll love to incorporate into my game"

Like every other superstar that has graced the NBA and left a huge mark at the end of their illustrious careers, Okogie hopes he’ll be remembered as a legend.

We will continue to send him love from Nigeria.

Coach Sam Vincent has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the women`s senior national basketball team, DTigress. This decision was communicated in a letter signed by Mr. Musa Kida on Thursday 2 August 2018 and it is coming less than two months to the tip-off of the 2018 FIBA Women`s Basketball World Cup. 

The NBBF cited unprofessionalism, absence without permission and unsatisfactory performance at the ongoing training camp in the USA as reasons for the termination of his contract. 

"The NBBF has been monitoring the goings on in Atlanta closely and we are not satisfied with a lot of things, and some due to your engagement with us as Coach

It is noted that since the Camp opened on 19th July, you have spent only 5 days with the team out of the 14 days so far.  In our opinion, you have clearly exhibited an unprofessional attitude towards your assignment and we do not believe that we can work with you anymore as the coach that can lead our National Team this way"

As such, be  informed that you are hereby relieved of your appointment as our National  Women`s Coach, to allow you concentrate better on your other activities, and allow us to regroup the willing members of our team in time for the World Cup"

Coach Vincent returned to DTigress after a 12-year break in 2017 and led the team to their third Women`s Afrobasket title in Mali which qualified the team for the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Prior to this, Vincent led the D’Tigress to its first ever FIBA African Women’s Championship in Mozambique in 2003. It was the team`s first Afrobasket title. He was also responsible for the team`s second title in 2005 when Nigeria hosted the FIBA Women`s Afrobasket Tournament. He also coached the team to its first and only Olympic Basketball appearance to date at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. 

Suffice it is to say that he his Nigeria`s most decorated national team coach. 

As at the time of press, Coach Vincent has not made any formal comment on the terminational of appointment. We also expect the NBBF to name an official head coach to replace Vincent in the coming days. Assistant Coach Peter Ahmedu, is currently in charge of the team`s training camp.

Former DTigress coach has finally responded to the news of the termination of his contract by the Nigerian Basketball Federation.

He expressed shock and disbelief about the decision in his official statement released moments ago.

===================================================================== I am writing to express my shock and disbelief to learn via e-mail that President Musa Kida made a decision to release me from my coaching duties and blame it on false accusations and concerns that were never brought to my attention.

My commitment to developing the Nigeria women’s national team has never been stronger and preparing them for the upcoming World Cup in Spain has been my priority since February 2018. I have never allowed any distraction to deter my focus from our goal of achieving a medal in Spain and making Nigeria and Africa proud.

Following the successful first place finish in the 2017 Africa Nations tournament and training camp, which was based in Orlando, Florida there was an understanding that 2018 training camp would return to Orlando.

The decision to relocate training camp to Atlanta from my base in Orlando only 30 days before the start of camp created some logistical and professional challenges. I addressed the professional and logistical conflicts with several board members and was assured after discussing the details it was approved by the Federation.

The 2018 camping started in a strained atmosphere because our women had previously worked with Mfon Udoka, as General Manager, who they respected and enjoyed working with and we`re trying to understand why she was replaced. Furthermore, the new General Manager Macbene Amacree was having difficulty building team chemistry and was at odds with the team, and receiving multiple complaints as evidenced by the attached letter and signatures from all the players.

My objective for the 2018 World Cup was to build team chemistry with the players and administration to ensure peak performance could be achieved on the floor, however this summer it was impossible to do based on the following issues:

1. Change in staffing that resulted in poor communication and disgruntled players

2. Divided Board members and President acting alone

3. Lack of funding for players` per diem, medical supplies, and other player rehab related services

4. Lack of proper job descriptions clarifying roles and responsibilities

5. No contract, or agreement in place to finalize expectations or compensation

6. Declined potential Jordan brand sponsorship in preference to use AFA sports

My last correspondence to the President was in reference to a potential sponsorship with Temple Sports and the possibility of them having an interest in assisting us with the development of the team.  I never got a response and shortly after received a severance email.

=====================================================================

The NBBF has since announced a replacement of the Head Coach. 

News filtered through Nigeria’s basketball community at the start of last weekend that the Nigeria Basketball Federation, under the leadership of Musa Kida, had relieved Sam Vincent of his role as Head Coach of Nigeria’s national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress.

BballNaija’s Content Director of International Basketball, Ayotunde Onabolu, spoke to Coach Vincent in the United States about this development. The following is a transcript of their conversation:

It has been about two weeks that news broke that you had been relieved of your duties by the Musa Kida-led Nigeria Basketball Federation, and part of the reasons they gave was that you took your personal business above the interest of the team. What do you have to say about this?

I made it pretty clear in my statement that my commitment to Nigerian basketball development both on the men’s and women’s sides has always been a priority and a commitment as far as I am concerned, and this upcoming World Cup competition was no different. In the statement I released, one of the things that really made a big difference was when the Federation contacted me last summer to coach in Bamako, Mali (the 2017 Women’s Afrobasket), I made it clear that the training camp had to be in Orlando, and that was very important to me because my base is here (in Orlando); I’m connected with a lot of basketball-related institutes and organizations here, and I just knew that it would give me a chance to really focus on any personal matters I had and at the same time obviously train and develop the team.

Last summer the agreement was made and, as you know, we had training camp here (Orlando) and from here we went to Lagos for a short bit and then on to Mali. So, my assumption and understanding were that the training camp would again be based here in Orlando, so I had spent quite a bit of time just pulling logistics together—a lot of details—and getting things organized for the training camp here in Orlando. When the Federation decided just days before the camp was going to start that we would be relocated to Atlanta, that was a major shift for me because there were things that I already put in place here, so it was a little bit problematic. Really, a lot of everything that has transpired has been based on the decision to relocate training camp. Had the Federation brought us here as agreed in the first year, there wouldn’t have been any concerns, but once they made the change, there were a couple of things that required my attention in the Orlando area.

Your statement read that they told you 30 days prior to the shift that camp would be moved to Atlanta. Did they give you any reasons for the change in location and did you think the time frame was not enough for you to make plans for the transition from Orlando to Atlanta?

They definitely did not give me enough time. After we won the championship in Mali (2017 Afrobasket) last summer, I immediately explained to the President [of the NBBF] that we needed to begin focusing on preparation and planning for the World Cup as soon as possible so that everything could be in order, the women could get correspondence early, which would give us the best chance for success. I really spent a lot of time explaining that and asked them to start making those plans in February.

In February, I reached out but no one was willing to talk that early. In March I reached out; no one was willing to talk that early. In April I reached out. So we knew we had a World Cup—an important competition—coming up, but no one was really willing to talk until June, and so I felt like we were missing a major opportunity on planning and preparation by not communicating early enough to really put all these things down.

All that time, I was working on organizing things here in Orlando because again, the summer before, we were here in Orlando, we had our success and it worked out well, so I’m thinking we were returning to Orlando, and I had a lot of things I had put in place. I probably was informed at the end of June that we would be going to Atlanta in July, and so [for] a lot of these professional relationships that I had put in place, I needed to come back [to Orlando] and talk to some of these people to explain what was going on and walk through some situations that I said were going to happen. So that required me to get back to Orlando and I explained that.

Had we stayed with the plan, had we not changed at the last minute, I don’t think we would have run into the problems that developed, but because we made so many changes, we just were completely off track, and so, that is what I believe really started to create some of the tension and some of the problems that developed.

Do you think the issue between you and the Federation is something that started with preparations for the World Cup or do you think there must have been some developing bad blood over time, with the weekend’s events just a culmination?

I don’t think there were any bad feelings from the Federation because I never had any problems with Musa Kida. He became the President [of the Federation], he hired me and we took first place at the African championship, so how could there be a problem? I took the coaching job from him. [With Vice President] Babs [Ogunade] and Colonel Sam [Ahmedu], [I had] no issues.

The only person maybe, that had an issue was Mactabene Amachree (D’Tigress General Manager) because [she] has always had a view of how she wants things to operate and I always have a little different view from what she tries to do. A lot of the dynamics developed when they got rid of Mfon [Udoka] and brought in Mactabene. That’s really where some of the differences started because she was the one who moved the camp from Orlando to Atlanta and the biggest difficulty for me as a coach was trying to relocate training camp and all of the preparation I had put in here [in Orlando]. That, honestly, was the biggest challenge.

Speaking about Mactabene Amachree, you wrote in your statement that some of the players had difficulty working with her since she replaced Mfon Udoka as General Manager of the team. Could you shed more light on that?

Good teams have a good chemistry and good chemistry is everybody getting along well, the communication is good, everybody has the same goal and target, and roles and responsibilities are clearly outlined so everybody knows who is doing what and nobody has to question who is responsible for this or that because it is clearly stated so everybody can know. I think this summer, with the change from Mfon and Mactabene taking a different role, nobody knowing exactly what all that was. If the role isn’t clear for everybody to understand, then there can be some misunderstandings. With some of the ladies, she really got off to a little bit of a difficult start because some of the communication around what was going on was not always clearly explained in a way the ladies knew what was going on.

I have it on good authority that a member of the Federation alleged that the whole issue started when Mfon Udoka was dropped from the team, and there was a gang up to ensure that things did not work well, so that the narrative would be that she would have done better if she was still with the team. Is there any truth to this statement?

Let me be honest with you, Ayo. We were 8-0 in Mali—that’s a fact. Now, on that team, maybe there were four players to replace to make the team stronger—maybe we could get stronger in the post, maybe we could add one more wing player. Those things would have made the team stronger. So, my idea was to identify players that would make the team stronger and keep it a really tight camp so that we can just focus on what we did well in Mali, add a few players, continue our system and program and get stronger for [the World Cup in] Spain. That made the most sense to me.

Mactabene wanted to invite 28 players and bring a lot of college players and a lot of new players and I disagreed because I felt like when you’re preparing for the World Cup, it’s time for focus—focus on what you did well and try to get stronger to be better. It’s not time to bring all the players and have an open trial camp and start from scratch.

We had different philosophies on how to prepare for the World Cup and I felt like because I have won championships as a coach and as a player, my position should be the one that took the lead, not someone that has never coached a team, has never played in a championship team and has never won a championship.

I felt like we were not listening to the right direction in terms of preparing for this World Cup—a World Cup that everybody agreed we weren’t just going there to play; we were going there to be on the medals stand. We wanted to be first, second or third. The only way to do that is to have an extremely clear focus on what you’re doing. You can’t move in front of Turkey or Australia and all these countries if you’re not clear and precise on your training and your development plan, and I felt by adding players and doing multiple camps, it pulled [us] away from the focus of maybe 14 players really bonding and developing on a strategy to go and win. So we had different philosophies.

But in the end, Mactabene’s philosophy won because she was the one that was able to convince the President that her plan was the best. 

Coach, it is also said that while you were away, you were still in constant communication with the players and there was a time the players had their own training under the leadership of the captain, Ezinne Kalu, and allegedly shut out the assistant coaches. Is there any truth to this?

That is true. That is something they (the players) explained to me that they did, but that was not something I instigated. The players were upset because they were asking questions from Mactabene but were not getting answers. They were upset because last year, they got one hundred dollars ($100) per day for per diem, and this year—because it was World Cup—they were expecting one hundred and fifty dollars ($150), but it was reduced from one hundred dollars to fifty dollars ($50).

There were lots of questions the players had and they were looking for answers and nobody could give them answers, and so, they were frustrated and they took a decision that they were not going to training or practice, but that decision was not a decision coming from me. That was a decision coming from them because they could not get the answers they were hoping to get.

Coach, I know you developed a good relationship with some of the players. Do you think the fact that you are no longer with the team could affect team spirit and their performances at the World Cup which is pretty much around six weeks from now?

I think these ladies are professional players and we have a strong group of ladies. I already told them they need to move on and focus and work hard, and I think they’re doing that. So I don’t think that my departure emotionally is going to affect them that way.

On the question of preparation and execution, if the new coach has some international coaching experience and has some understanding of how international basketball works or he has an understanding of how to make adjustments, then he’s going to be fine.

But I don’t think the girls are going to suffer from me being away. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.

I’ll take it that you don’t know the new coach, Otis Hughely, personally.

No, I don’t know him personally.

So what’s next for you after the Nigerian women’s national team?

I will stay involved with basketball, doing a variety of different development projects. I’m currently working on something in Nigeria. As an ex-national team coach, I still feel like there are camps and clinics and different projects I that I do to support the growth of basketball in Nigeria. I may not be working with the NBBF anymore, but there’s a lot of academies, sponsors and other people in Nigeria who work on basketball growth, so I will stick with basketball in Nigeria. 

Finally, coach, after to listening to everything that has been said, reading the statement the Federation has put out, and what different stakeholders have said to say, do you feel like there’s a much better way the Federation could have handled this issue?

Absolutely! I’ve been with the NBBF since 2002. I have come and I’ve worked at the last minute with just a phone call, and I’ve always worked very hard with the men and the women, so I really feel like in the end, it was just really no respect to just call me and explain how you felt or the fact that you wanted to make a change. I understand that—no problem. But I feel like I’ve put a lot of work in and there’s been a lot of success and I felt that wasn’t recognized. 

Thank you so much, Coach Sam, for your time. 

No problem, Ayo. Keep well.

It appears that the drama surrounding the preparation of the Women`s National Basketball team for the FIBA World Cup in Spain is not over yet. Last week, the Basketball Federation announced that the team captain Aisha Mohammed will be replaced by Adaora Elonu.

According to our sources, there is more to the event than revealed by the Federation. The former captain Aisha Mohammed was involved in an altercation with another teammate, Ijeoma Ajemba. The latter has filed a formal complaint with the law enforcement agency against the former captain in the United States. 

According to sources, Ijeoma Ajemba notified local authorities after she was allegedly hit twice in the face in an altercation involving herself, the 2017 Afrobasket winning captain, Aisha Mohammed and some other D`Tigress players trying to intervene. This altercation we understand happened in the lobby of the hotel in which the team is currently based in Atlanta, USA. 

A disciplinary hearing was held where Mohammed was fined $100 and stripped off of her role as the captain of the team, Ajemba, on the other hand, was fined $300 and expelled from the team. Ajemba considered the judgment biased and unfair as it was allegedly induced by Team Manager Mactabene Amachree. Mactabene is said to have a cordial relationship with the now former captain. 

Another source close to the player revealed that Ajemba actually sought redress with the Team manager, Nigeria Basketball Federation board members in Atlanta and Federation President Musa Kida (via email) to appeal the judgment but yielded no response from the President or any of them.

Mactabene was said to have threatened Ajemba for appealing and was quoted saying;

`You are done with Nigeria Basketball Forever`. 

`The Federation and I will be protecting Aisha on this matter`.

The words were said to have provoked Ajemba to take the option to seek external justice for the poor judgment and treatment from the Team Manager. She was not reimbursed for her flight, her per diem was not paid and she was kicked out of the hotel.

Players, who chose to remain anonymous, added that they have had to endure unprofessional treatment, poor welfare and high handedness from the Team Manager which caused them to go on strike for 3 days (July 30th - August 2nd).

`Players are made known to have insurance. However, they were not sent a copy to see the policies. The insurance has not even been paid for. Therefore, players are risking their bodies at this expense and having to pay for their own injuries.`

According to reports, one of the players tore her ACL and was told that they were insured; only to find out that the team is not and that she has to pay for her medical bills. 

We are also aware that some players have decided to walk away from the national team camp, abandoning their World Cup dream of representing Nigeria in Spain this September rather than fight for a shirt due to the poor conditions of the National Camp. 

Adaora Elonu has seen been announced as the new captain of the team. 

The Basketball Federation has confirmed that there was indeed an altercation, there was an official hearing and the appropriate punishments were recommended and approved. We have also reached out to the Team Manager, Amarachi Mactabene and Vice President of the Basketball Federation, Babs Ogunade for comments. 

Three years and two major tournaments have passed since Portland Trail Blazers forward, Al Farouq Aminu suited up for the senior national basketball team. He will make his return to the national team along with his brother Alade Aminu, 2015 Afrobasketl teammate Stan Okoye and Ekene Ibekwe next month when Nigeria hosts the second round of the FIBA World Cup African qualifiers

This was confirmed in the 12 player list released by the Alex Nwora, Head Coach of DTigers, ahead of the qualifiers scheduled to hold in Lagos from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th of September. The list includes the trio of Ike Diogu - team captain, Ike Iroegbu and Ike Nwammu who played a significant role in the 2017 Afrobasket. 

Ben Uzoh, Bryant Mbamalu, Deji Akindele, Obinna Emegano and Christoper Obekpa also made the team

"There is no time to have too many players in camp as some of the players will be arriving a few days to the competition based on the time of release by their clubs" - Coach Nwora speaking on his decision to invite only twelve players. 

Although Nigeria finished top of the group during the first round of the African qualifiers with a group of young talented players winning all three games, the team had to be strengthened for us to stand a chance against teams like Senegal, Ivory Coast, and the Central Africa Republic in the second round. 

In a statement released earlier today, the Basketball Federation is confident that the invited players to make the nation proud in the qualifiers.

Al-Farouq has been to Nigeria in recent times especially for his Aminu Goodworks Foundation. However, he hasn`t had the privilege of playing in front of the Nigeria crowd. This is a special homecoming for him and his brother, one that Nigerian fans are very excited about.

Nigeria will play against Ivory Coast on Friday 14th, Central African Republic on Saturday 15th, and Senegal on Sunday 16th.

According to Pablo Picasso, every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. DTigress’ power forward, Cecilia “Silk” Okoye overcame that and grew up to become a mural artist, a professional athlete, and a sports management expert. 

Having won Gold with the women’s senior national team at the 2017 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket in Mali, won silver with the First Bank Basketball Team at the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women in Angola, and created an artistic masterpiece of Malcolm X, Rev King and Barack Obama that went viral, we can conclude that The Silk One combines art and basketball perfectly. 

Okoye came into contact with art at an early age when she watched her siblings sketch. She followed suit and started sketching with pencils and coloring. 

`I wanted to draw just like them so that`s what got me started. It was in 2015 that I realized I can also create using acrylic paint`

We sat down with her to discuss her love for arts. 

What’s the name behind the name – Silk?

I actually made that nickname up with my friend when I was 14 or 15. We jokingly wanted to go by different names because we were both going to new schools where they didn`t know us, to my surprise it stuck. Even the teachers and coaches were calling me Silk.

Why mural art? How being a mural artist separates you from other types of art?

I love murals, I think what makes it fun for me is the fact that someone likes your art so much they trust you to paint on their wall. It’s also cool using a wall as a canvas, something that got you in trouble as a child now being requested and paid for. (laughs)

It is believed that basketball is a form of art – the seamless flow of the play and synchronization of the players. For someone who lives in both worlds, what do you think?

Yes definitely, I believe you can find art in all things. In basketball, I do see the art in the flow and synchronization like you stated earlier, I think there are many other things in the game of basketball that is a form of art, for example, ball handling. Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Seimone Augustus, Kyrie Irving, etc. are good examples of the creativity behind that. Passing; Pistol Pete Maravich, Magic Johnson, Ricky Rubio, etc... I can go on and on!

Does being an artist makes you a better basketball player and vice versa?

For me personally, they both act as a stress reliever to help clear my mind and in return can make me more effective in both activities.

Is art just leisure for you or do you have full-time plans?

It is just a leisure activity, for now, I did sell my art more than a year ago but I wouldn`t say that made me pro but it is a dream to become a professional artist. If I could choose I`d be a full-time artist after I`m done playing basketball or be pro in both art and basketball now.

You seem to have a preference for art videos. We’ve seen quite a number on your social media pages. 

Yes, I`m more fascinated with the process of creating the art than the finished art piece itself. I think there is art in the creation of art which makes the finished piece come alive more and gets the viewer more connected with the finished piece as well. I just like finding different ways to create.

What thought process do you go through before embarking on a particular project? Where do you draw inspiration from?

Honestly, I would brainstorm while I go about my day and just think `it would be cool if I could pull this off` then I`d just go for it. It would just come to me, it`s hard to explain. 

Is there a particular story you tell or message you share through your paintings?

There`s a few I try to tell a story with, for example, the Malcolm X, Obama, & MLK mural is telling a story, but the other ones are just portraits of maybe my favorite rapper, singer, etc.

Of all your projects, which do you consider your most favorite and what makes it special?

That`s a tough one, it`s a tie between my Tupac & B.I.G painting because that one came out closest to what I envisioned in my head, and also the J Cole `No Role Modelz` painting, because that was the first time I put music lyrics together with art.

Representing Nigeria at the Afrobasket Women’s Tournament was a dream come true for you. Not only did you represent the country, you won a gold medal and a spot in the 2018 FIBA World Cup in your first appearance. Do you have such goals or dreams for arts?

Yes, of course, the dream would be to have famous murals everyone knows about like the artist Banksy or to have my art make it to Urban Art Museums in the future. But it`s only a dream at this point. Hopefully, later on, I will have time to actually pursue that dream but as of now I have to give my 100% to basketball

Should we expect an artwork that tells your basketball story?

Yes definitely! At the moment it`s just a thought process and I will need to brainstorm to find a creative way to tell this story using art.

As she sets out to represent Nigeria at the 2018 Women`s FIBA World Cup, we hope she finds inspiration in the Island of Tenerife to create more amazing pieces. 

When it comes to advocacy for the development of women’s basketball in the country, one of the loudest voices is that of Mfon Udoka. But not only has she lent her voice, she has also contributed in every other way she can; from being a player, to captain, to assistant coach, to a front office personnel. 

She was probably the most excited Nigerian in the Salamatou Maiga Palace of Sports in Bamako when the senior women’s team DTigress won their semifinal game against host Mali with just one point at the 2017 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket tournament securing a spot at this year`s FIBA Women’s World Cup. You could tell that her heart was filled with joy; like a true mother watching her kids that made it. Winning the trophy was an icing on the cake.

Every time the women’s senior team has made us proud, you will find Mfon in the picture. We call her Fonnie with the Midas touch, she calls herself blessed.

You were a part of all the national teams that won the Women’s Afrobasket Tournament the three times – as a player in ’03 and ’05, as a GM in ’17. What does this mean to you?

It means I have been incredibly lucky and blessed to have been a part of these teams.  I am thankful to be a huge part of Nigerian basketball history and to be associated with winning. When I came to play for Nigeria I had no idea what I was getting into, what to expect or what would happen. As a player, it is always a goal to win, and in 2003 we were 3 for 3 in our competitions for that year!  When we won Afrobasket in `03 it was against all odds, there was so much that went on during that tournament that made me angry but I can laugh about it today. 

I don`t think anyone thought we could really win. I will always be proud of that team, coaches included. We were not the most talented but we were tough, resilient, and played hard until the very end of every game.

I have actually been a member of all SIX championships associated with women`s basketball in Nigeria: our first and only Gold medal at the 2003 All Africa Games, and two with First Bank Nigeria in 03 and 09. With this latest Afrobasket win, I believe that team can win another Gold medal at the All Africa Games.

Of all these three championships, which is the most precious to you and why?

I honestly cannot pick one, everyone meant something different. Our first win in 2003 was historic for Nigeria, male or female, and gave us the country`s first appearance at the Olympics. Going to the Olympics is the dream of every athlete. The second one was special because we did it at home, in front of our fans. Winning championships are hard, but they are even harder to repeat. I was the MVP, leading scorer and rebounder and top 5, and was also gifted a black eye, severely sprained ankle, scratches and bruises all over my body. Some of those scars are still on my arms today. To date, Nigeria has still hosted the best Afrobasket, specifically because the accommodations were top notch. We were comfortable at the Hilton and well fed. Our rooms were immaculate. This recent win in Mali was memorable because the team was so talented and we went undefeated for the first time ever.  

I am proud to be a big piece of helping them behind the scenes, and it was even better to have Sam Vincent coaching us again after not winning for 12 years. From management on down we really made the best of our limited preparation time and returned to glory.

You mentioned “talent and chemistry” as the main reasons you’d rate the 2017 team above the 2005 team. What can we do to identify, attract and retain our best talents to represent the team?

It doesn`t take much to identify and attract talent because there are so many Nigerian basketball players around the world. There is never a lack of players. Players also talk to each other and do a lot of the work through word of mouth and social media. People want to play for Nigeria. To retain talent, our federation needs to make the experience enjoyable and worth the sacrifice by being honest, transparent, organized and cognizant of players and their needs. I personally want everything to be perfect for everyone. I am hoping we get to a point where there is not one single oversight or complaint.

You said getting the right people behind basketball is key to the development of the game in Nigeria. If you were to choose a role to play in future, what role do you think you’d be most efficient at?

An advisor or special assistant to the President and an advocate for women in basketball. I like to play the role of devil’s advocate and say things or propose ideas that aren`t necessarily popular or what people want to hear. You need to have people around that will listen to and challenge each other, not a dictatorship or "yes men".

Basketball is a team sport and people have to work together while staying in their designated roles. I believe strong, confident and intelligent women provide an important balance in the workplace because we often see things differently than men. If we are dealing with women`s basketball, there should be women present. We should be embraced and appreciated and not seen as a threat or incompetent strictly because of our gender.

DePaul Hall of Fame, FIBA Africa Hall of Fame. You are definitely a future Nigerian Basketball Hall of Famer. Mention 5 other female players you’d love to see inducted with you into the Nigerian Basketball Hall of Fame.

I was first inducted into Benson High School in 2004 and secondly into the Portland Interscholastic Hall of Fame in 2007. FIBA Africa also honored me with a Golden Basket legend award in 2015. I am not familiar with many players of the past, but I should know their names and faces. There needs to be more recognition for the pioneers of the sport so that the younger generations know who people are. For starters, our 2003 team should be inducted as well as Mactabene Amachree. 

You are the only Nigerian to have won MVP at the continental game. We came close at the 2017 tournament. Quite a number of people felt Evelyn Akhator should have been named MVP. What do you think?

I thought she was going to win as well, I think she got robbed. It seems as if FIBA decided to do something different and went off statistics, as they did with Ike Diogu. Evelyn`s statistics weren`t dominant, but she was also on a team that could and did play 12 players. Senegal didn`t have our depth or talent so for one player to average a lot of points and lose doesn`t make them an MVP in my opinion. But at the end of the day Senegal was crying and Nigeria was celebrating, and I would rather have a championship than an MVP trophy.

The last time Nigeria was in a World Cup was in 2006 and we finished last with a 0-5 record. From your assessment of the current team, should we expect a better outing? 

Absolutely!!! If we find a few true post players with height and physical presence we will be dangerous. We also need to have two more experienced coaches on the bench, as most countries do. We will be playing the best teams in the world so we need to have a staff that is knowledgeable and prepared.

The team in 2006 was probably my most frustrating experience with Nigeria. First off, I tore my meniscus and had arthroscopic surgery in June and was probably around 70% healthy by September. My knee was still swollen and sore and just not ready for major competition. The roster was not constructed well and some players who were supposed to show up did not. We had too many young inexperienced players and the chemistry was not good either. We actually had a decent camp in Houston but didn`t play enough warm-up games before we got to Brazil. We did not have a complete coaching staff, just the head coach, which is INSANE. If I remember correctly, there was a visa excuse (of course) and we didn`t even have an assistant coach on the bench in Brazil until the very end. I don`t even remember if anyone from the federation showed up. 

It was absolutely ridiculous for a tournament of this magnitude, and just another example of the past behaviors of the NBBF regarding proper preparation and always making excuses for their incompetence. In addition to all of those challenges, we had three of the strongest teams in the world in our bracket: USA Russia and China. We should have won our last two games vs. Chinese Taipei because we beat them by 20 in a warm-up game, and lost the last game to Senegal by 2.

So as you can see, it is almost impossible to do worse! It was an upsetting experience and I am confident our new board will put Nigeria in the best situation to represent Nigeria properly this time. We have to be organized and dedicated to preparing our team as best as possible in a timely manner. 

Photo Cred - Getty Images

Only two out of ten teams – Senegal & Mali – have won a single game at the World Cup in the last two decades. What are we not doing right in women’s basketball in Africa?

Developing the game of basketball has to become a priority for Africa and then money needs to be allocated for creating and maintaining development of the game. Ideally, the government would have a budget for sports programming for people of all ages, and the private sector would just be a bonus. It is not a gender issue, it is a lack of interest in sporting culture issue among other things. African players are generally not as experienced as the rest of the world because there are not enough quality programs for children to play basketball at a young age. Fundamental development is important during formative years and if you start playing as a teenager, you are already behind a majority of the world. Of course, there are exceptions.

In addition to not having programmes, there aren`t enough facilities, equipment or quality coaches. For players to receive proper coaching, training and playing opportunities they usually have to leave the continent. It is a complicated and frustrating situation, and there is a lot of blame to go around. There so much wasted potential and talent and we know there is money, but basketball just isn`t a priority yet. We just need enough people with resources to care and work together then we will be able to see Africa compete with the rest of the world.

We are beginning to focus on front office roles in Nigerian basketball. As the GM of the Women’s team, how relevant is the front office to winning tournaments and basketball development in Nigeria?

Teams must have competent people in a front office for a franchise to succeed. The duties of a General Manager vary, but they often are in charge of coaching suggestions, player personnel and certain day to day administrative duties. Roles are extremely important. While each person has a job to do, people still have to communicate and work together for the sake of the team. There are so many areas such as basketball operations, business operations, corporate sponsorships, Human Resources, development, marketing and sales, ticket sales, etc. so it is imperative that each employee do their job and not someone else`s.

When Nigeria is able to procure more sponsorships we will see better basketball. You need money to have a better product and attract better talent to develop the game.

Your best Afrobasket moment?

Definitely beating Mozambique on their home court in 2003 and realizing we would be going to the Athens Olympics. We had less than one week of training camp, survived terrible accommodations in the city of Nampula, which I`m sure was done deliberately. In the championship round, were losing in the semifinals to Angola and then Mozambique in the finals but we ended up winning in the last few minutes of both games. Mozambique was devastated and they still talk to me about it today. We really broke the hearts of the entire country. 

You had a brief coaching stint in 2011 when the women’s team was preparing for the African Nations Cup and the All African Games. Will we see you on the sidelines again anytime soon?

I don`t think I need to be on the sidelines, but I am definitely capable of providing assistance because I know the game. I can offer my opinion or give suggestions if asked and I don`t need to be a coach to do that. The GM and head coach are always communicating anyway. I enjoy administrative duties and fostering relationships with players off of the court, which is just as valuable. 

- by Oni "Guarantor" Afolabi

As the media officer of the team, my job was to pass useful information about the team across to Nigerians through the members of the sporting press. But at the Afrobasket championship, my job was just more than going about with a laptop and camera to write stories and capture unforgettable moments. Personally, I never knew I could outshine the Dr. Rafiu Ladipo led Nigeria Football Supporters club. 

From game 1 to 8, I forgot my `exalted and revered` position as the media officer of the team as I shouted myself hoarse just to provide a psychological support for the team. If any of my colleagues had seen me running, jumping and shouting all over the gallery, they could have been disappointed and petitioned SWAN and AIPS to revoke my membership.  At another point, I became the team`s equipment manager as I had no choice but to carry the team’s cooler from one point to the other. At other times especially during the hostile semifinal encounter with the host Mali and the final against Senegal, I became a bodyguard just to ensure the smooth passage of the girls around the match venue.

Despite a prior engagement with the former Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, being with women this time around was a different ball game. Their modus operandi was totally different from what I was used to dealing with men. This story will be reserved for another day.

With the determination to focus more on the players, send daily reports back home, take photographs, interview players amongst other jobs of the media department, I had no choice but to make friends with all the players. This was difficult for me as I was one who liked to maintain his space but I had to do what was needed to do get the job done.

The role of the media officer who wanted to make a statement with my job and operating amongst ladies who were always on my neck requesting for their photographs never came on a platter of gold. But at the end of the day, I felt fulfilled after the Afrobasket victory despite not appearing in many pictures. I felt satisfied when my colleagues back in Nigeria were full of praises for the job I did with the daily posts of interviews, audio clips, press releases and pictures before or after each game. Some basketball stakeholders have since been walking up to me to say “Well done” following the media frenzy created during the camping exercise and competition proper.

The media campaign started with the foreign-based players coming down to Nigeria for the final 2-week camping and the awareness created by the media team which I lead, many people turned up daily to watch the girls train, with many developing a special affinity for the team. Fans easily identified the players during their interaction at training and it was easy for many of them to stay glued to their TV and monitor the games online through various social media platforms as put in place by the NBBF media department, organizers of the event and other media outlets. The fans followed their team from Mali to Lagos and Abuja as team supporters turned up at the airport in their numbers to welcome their true and deserving champions.

Now, it’s easier to market the D’Tigress to many brands because of the improved visibility. It is a whole lot easier to check online and get information, pictures, videos, and other useful information about the team than before. No wonder, when the Ministry of sports appointed me as the representative of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria on the NBBF board, they were so excited because of what I showed them I could do. 

The mission is to ensure basketball stories are in the news at least 4 times in a week and become a brand that will compete with football for investors’ attention. It’s true that any would be investor would always want the media mileage that will be commensurate with their investment, and that is what the media department of the NBBF will be delivering in the next 4 years.

by Ayotunde Onabolu

It’s true Nigeria lost to Australia 86-68 in their first game at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup going on in Tenerife, Spain. It’s true that the 18-point loss stretches Nigeria’s run of losses to six straight. Let it sink—Nigeria is now 0-6 all-time at the Women’s World Cup.

That should get the nation worried, shouldn’t it? Well, maybe not necessarily. And here’s why:

First up is that only one team—the team that finishes first in the group—is guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals. There is some personal gratitude to FIBA for this initiative they took four years ago in Turkey.

Let’s get to the game proper.

The Opals (as the Australians are fondly called) came into the tournament with a lethal weapon at their disposal—Liz Cambage, a 6ft 8in freak of nature who had caused some damage in the recently concluded WNBA season. The 27 year-old tallied 23 points per game (led the league), 9.7 rebounds per game (second in the league) and 1.6 blocks per game (fifth in the league), while shooting 58.9 percent from the field (fourth in the league). In fact, she recorded the most points scored in a game in WNBA history on July 17 when she poured in 53 points for Dallas Wings in a win over the New York Liberty. In international competition, Cambage (whose father is Nigerian by the way) led in points average at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio with 23.5 points per game.

So, there’s absolutely no question what the plan for the Aussies was: get the ball to Cambage in the post and get the heck out of the way!

And from tip off (which Cambage won), they set the ball rolling. On the very second possession for the Aussies, the ball went straight to Cambage in the post where she was fouled by Aisha Mohammed. Guess what? The third and fourth possessions went to — you know who — Cambage!

Size was and has been a disadvantage for D’Tigress for several years now. Every tournament they’ve gone for in recent history, they’ve had to cope with being the smaller team, having to trade blows with bigger bodies in the post, and if any team is going to beat Nigeria, it has to be done down-low. Credit D’Tigress for their aggressive defense on the perimeter resulting in a poor 3-for-13 shooting from downtown for the Aussies.

The single best way to defend the post so stingily is to do all that can be done to deny the entry pass into the post in the first place. Going back to Cambage’s only playoff game this year in the WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury who defeated Cambage’s Dallas Wings did a great job in denying entry passes to Cambage and forced other players to shoot the ball. Cambage still scored 22 points on 50 percent shooting in that game, but imagine what could have been if she got the ball down-low more times.

Sadly, D’Tigress couldn’t stop the ball from getting to Cambage and she did utter damage scoring 34 points. The fact that she was the only Australian in double figures shows the poor job Nigeria did defend the paint, and once the ball got to her hands in good post position, she was unstoppable. D’Tigress got a little glimpse of how to defend Cambage better when Coach Otis Hughley sent Elo Edeferioka in to guard her. She kept fronting Cambage and made it difficult for her to get the ball in good offensive positions.

On a positive note though, Nigeria outrebounded Australia 42-41. Normally, it is said that the team that wins the battle of the boards ultimately wins the game, and so this was one rare case a team lost by 18 points despite outrebounding their opponents. Despite the obvious gulf in size, D’Tigress somehow dominated the Opals on the offensive boards, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds! But then again, they couldn’t convert those second-chance opportunities. 

You’d probably think Turkey and Argentina will not have such a huge size and post advantage over Nigeria, and you’d be correct in thinking that way. 

The offense was a struggle several times as there wasn’t much going on in terms of perimeter shooting, and it got a lot of people wondering why Nkechi Akashili sat on the bench throughout the game. Instead, the ladies kept trying to work their way into Australia’s post, resulting in eight blocks by the Aussies. If there was only an above average perimeter offense, the floor would have been well spread, leading to some wide open looks down-low.

It is hoped though that coach Hughley and his coaching crew will address this and the other aforementioned issues ahead of the next game against Turkey.

In summary, if Nigeria can impose their physicality as they did against Australia which resulted in several offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities, and can also get their perimeter offense going, they should have joy against Turkey and Argentina.

You cannot question the commitment and heart put on display by the Nigerian ladies, especially considering the fact that they kept the game very close—within single digits—until they ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.

The streak of losses at the World Cup looks likely to end in Spain. And if you write off D’Tigress, you do so at your own peril.

by Ayotunde Onabolu

After failing to record a win in the history of the FIBA Women’s World Cup before now, Nigeria’s D’Tigress recorded two wins in a row. From massive underdogs, they rose beyond expectation and finished second in Group B with a 2-1 record behind Australia who were overwhelming favorites to win the group (and who had Liz Cambage—the most dominant offensive weapon at the World Cup—by the way).

So, what did the Nigerian queens do differently in the wins over Turkey and Argentina that they didn’t do in the loss to Australia? To be very honest, nothing! It was the same energy, the same intensity, the same aggressiveness, the same hustle, and even the same mistakes! The Aussies are just blessed to have a huge enforcer down-low.

After encouraging wins over Turkey and Argentina, next up for D’Tigress are the ladies in blue and white from Greece who themselves needed a very much hard-fought win over Korea in what was a very nervy final Group A game after earlier losses to Canada and France.

But really, why should the Greeks be scared of the Nigerians? This is a question of what the Greeks lack in their game and what the Nigerians are blessed with in their own game.

It’s a matter of size—not just height, but size. In women’s basketball, size matters! Historically, a team with size advantage in a game has the overall advantage over the other team. You’re probably thinking, does Nigeria really have size? Haven’t team officials come out at some point in the recent past to complain about the lack of size in the post in the Nigerian team?

Actually, Nigeria isn’t known for tall bodies. In fact, of the other 15 teams at the World Cup, only Argentina, Japan, Korea, and Puerto Rico have shorter average player heights than Nigeria.

But here’s the thing: whilst size may be a combination of height and weight, D’Tigress have shown that in their own basketball dictionary, the size of their heart and hustle (and not just height and weight alone) is a vital part of the overall size being talked about—and truly, they’ve stood out!

Nigeria has had several combinations of players in the paint and each player has contributed in one way or the other—from Evelyn Akhator, to Aisha Mohammed, Sarah Imovbioh, Elo Edeferioka, Atonye Nyingifa, and even Adaora Elonu.

One area of Nigeria’s game that stands out and is a testament of will, heart, and hustle is their rebounding. Nigeria outrebounded all three opponents in the group phase (42-41 versus Australia, 43-39 versus Turkey and 56-39 versus Argentina). Nigeria currently ranks third in total rebounds per game—behind Belgium and Canada, and yes, above Australia and the United States of America!

It even gets better with offensive rebounding! Nigeria is the best offensive rebounding team at the World Cup with 20 offensive rebounds per game! Yes, TWENTY offensive boards per game! To put this figure in clearer perspective, Nigeria is a better offensive rebounding team and grabs twice as many offensive rebounds than the USA! For further context and to show how much D’Tigress have been so dominant on the glass, the highest offensive rebounding team in the WNBA last season was the Connecticut Sun with 11 offensive rebounds per game!

Hey, any normal team that goes up against Nigeria will have to be terrified and concerned by their intensity when going up for rebounds. Now imagine if and only if the Nigerian ladies could convert just half of their second chance opportunities. They would have won all three group games in a landslide. What if they actually go ahead and grab so many offensive rebounds and convert half of their second chance opportunities against Greece? Now, that’s one major reason the Greeks should be scared of the Nigerians.

The Greeks have not rebounded the ball so well. They are 15th of 16 teams in defensive rebounding, and as such, one begins to wonder how they can cope with Nigeria’s hustle on the glass. Don’t get it twisted, winning on the glass most times translates to winning the game! 

What the Nigerian ladies lack in skill, they have in heart, spirit, character, and hustle. 

D’Tigress certainly have a lot of work to do on offense in terms of post play, perimeter play and free throw conversion (very critical), but as long as they continue to dominate the glass on both ends of the floor as they did in the group phase, they have a good chance to beat Greece and then test their might against the best nation in the history of basketball—the Americans!

By Ayotunde Onabolu

Elo Edeferioka grabbed the most important offensive rebound in the history of Nigerian basketball in the 57-56 win over Greece which qualified the nation to the quarterfinals of the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain. She did it with 3.2 seconds left in the game with Nigeria down by one point. The lady with the blond dyed hair was fouled on her putback attempt and converted both free throws, sending Nigeria to her first ever quarterfinal appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, men or women.

Up next for D’Tigress is a date with the United States of America—the best team in the history of basketball—in the quarterfinals. Let this sink: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS THE SINGLE BEST COUNTRY IN THE HISTORY OF BASKETBALL, MEN OR WOMEN, BOYS OR GIRLS!

Up until 1992 when the famed Dream Team won gold for the United States at the Barcelona Olympic Games, the US featured teams with amateur players in international competitions and still dominated somehow. The men have won 15 of 18 Olympic Games they attended in all, including the last 3 editions, and have won the last two World Cups. The women, who are the focus this time, have won eight of the last nine Olympic tournaments and six of the last eight World Cups, including the last two in the Czech Republic (2010) and Turkey (2014).

In terms of quality and pedigree, the Americans tower above any other team at the World Cup. They have veteran names on their roster. In fact, of the 12 ladies on the roster, only two (Kelsey Plum and WNBA Rookie of the Year A’ja Wilson) did not take part in the WNBA Playoffs which ended just 10 days to the start of the World Cup, meaning ten players came into the World Cup with a lot of competitive fire in them. 

Take a look at their team statistics. The Americans lead the World Cup in points (96.3 points per game), assists (26 assists per game), field goal percentage (52.1%) and free throws (86.4%). Unlike several other teams who rely on one star player for offensive production, the US has six players averaging double figures in scoring (Breanna Stewart, A’Ja Wilson, Tina Charles, Nneka Ogwumike, Diana Taurasi and Elena Delle Donne). For the US, it’s all about collective teamwork. How won’t it be, especially with 10 WNBA All-Stars and three current WNBA champions on their roster? 

The interesting thing about these Americans is the way they have approached games so far at the World Cup. The first quarter is usually when they feel out their opposition and they explode from there. When it comes to basketball fundamentals, no one does it better than the Americans—pick and roll, post play, pull up shooting, spot on shooting, ball movement, aggressive drives, initiating contact to draw fouls, etc.

When you see a team as near-perfect as the Americans, you begin to wonder how minnows like Nigeria can cope. 

First off, Nigeria is nowhere near the US in terms of player quality, where players ply their trade, players’ exposure, and their general individual and team statistics at the World Cup. This is why D’Tigress cannot afford to make mistakes with every single possession they have in the game.

This is where every single possession counts! This is a game where the Nigerian ladies may have to move the ball for almost the entire 24-second shot clock to find the best shot available. This is a game where their offensive rebounding, which is the clear best in the tournament, has to be at an all-time elite level, especially because they will up against solid elite rebounders like Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart, A’Ja Wilson, Tina Charles and Elena Delle Donna (if she plays as she has injury concerns).

There’s a huge likelihood that the Americans will try to exploit their height advantage in the post by getting the ball to Stewart and Griner down-low perhaps from their very first possession. Griner missed out on the first two games because of injury but came off the bench in their 102-76 blowout of Latvia to score 15 points and grab six rebounds in only 14 minutes of play! Ridiculous! This, therefore, means Nigeria’s bigs have to step up big time.

Evelyn Akhator has got to show up one more time with intense rebounding and show the Americans why she does, in fact, belong to the WNBA. Despite being drafted with the third overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, Akhator couldn’t secure a spot on the Dallas Wings’ roster and had to sign a contract with Besiktas. Friday’s game provides the perfect opportunity to show the Americans what they are missing.

Nigeria’s perimeter defense has to be elite. So far, Diana Taurasi and her best friend, Sue Bird (who faced each other in the 2018 WNBA Finals) haven’t fired on all cylinders like we know they can, but they have not had to fire really, because the American team has been built primarily for post play. Of course, when they dominate in the paint, the resultant reaction on defense will be to double-team post players, meaning there will be one wide open shooter on the arc ready to rifle threes. Of course, leaving someone wide open can also result in some devastating ball movement which can demoralize a defense.

In all, Nigeria has to be disciplined. Turnovers have to be cut down to the barest minimum. And if there is a time the heart, hustle, character, and courage that have characterized Nigeria’s run at the World Cup so far have to sure up one hundred percent, it is in the game against the United States.

D’Tigress must remember that the first key to defending the post is to do all in their power to deny entry passes down-low and that is where Akhator and Atonye Nyingifa have a lot to do. Guards Ezinne Kalu and Adaora Elonu must stick to their matchups and must fight against screens because the Americans set a whole lot of ball screens that suck pretty much 20 percent of your energy because of the strength of their big men.

And speaking about Elonu, she hasn’t shown up at all so far. She is supposed to be one of Nigeria’s Top 3 players at the World Cup. This is the game she needs to show the world that the contract extended to her by the Atlanta Dream was no fluke. She must bring her A-game!

Playing against the United States is never the delight of any team, but again, to be the best, you have to beat the best, and beating the best means you have to be at your best and extra. It’s all about putting your life on the line to defend the Green and White. There is ZERO margin of error. 

History has already been made twice by D’Tigress at the World Cup. Why stop now? WHY?

The United States women have NEVER won three World Cups in a row, a run dating back to 1994 when they finished third after winning back-to-back titles in 1986 and 1990. They won back-to-back titles again in 1998 and 2002 but finished third in 2006. They won in 2010 and 2014. 

Could Nigeria be their stumbling block this year? WHY NOT?

Written by Ayotunde Onabolu

Yes, the title of this article might seem very harsh and pretty much make the other 29 teams in the Association seem rather irrelevant in the race to the title, but if anything we’ve seen in the last four years makes any sort of sense, then there is every reason to believe the Golden State Warriors look more than likely to become the first team since the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 to do a three-peat of titles.

Here are some facts that actually show how deadly the Warriors have been over the last four years:

The Warriors led the league in points, assists, and field goal percentage in each of the last four seasons of the league. In fact, in the last 10 years, only the Miami Heat (2013/14 season) shot above 50 percent from the field apart from the Warriors. The Warriors led the league in three-point percentage in three of the last four years, finishing third only the 2016/17 season. The Warriors also led the league in offensive rating in two of the four years but didn’t fail to finish in the top three in the other two years.

On defense, the Warriors were top-three in opponent’s field goal percentage in the last four years, leading the league twice in 2014/15 and 2016/17.

These basic and advanced statistics clearly show how dominant the Warriors have been on both ends of the floor in the last four years, during which they played four straight NBA Finals and won three titles.

A huge part of their success is down to the consistency of their All-Star trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green and the addition of one of the greatest scorers of all time, Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016.

Let’s take a look at some averages of these four players over the last four years with the hope of getting a clearer perspective as to why the Warriors are a lock to win the NBA title at the end of the season:

Curry is averaging 26.4 points, 6.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game on 49 percent shooting and 43 percent from three-point range. Curry is also shooting 91 percent from the free throw line, the best mark in the league over the last four years.

Thompson is averaging 21.5 points on 47 percent shooting and 43 percent from three-point range. Like Curry, Thompson has never in his entire career shot below 40 percent from downtown—ridiculous!

In two seasons with the Warriors, Durant is averaging 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game on 52 percent shooting and 40 percent from three-point range. KD is a four-time scoring champion and like was quite evident in his two postseasons with the Warriors, the offense was run through him—he was the first scoring option because of the plethora of ways by which he can score—from the post, from midrange, from downtown, in one-on-one situations, pull-ups, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot opportunities, drives to the rim and so on.

Green is one star who has consistently shown that numbers do not necessarily give an accurate description of a player’s effort on the floor. His averages of 11.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game don’t particularly jump out at you, especially for someone who has made the annual NBA All-Star game in the last three years, but his defensive tenacity and efficiency cannot go unnoticed.

To make matters worse for the rest of the league, All-Star big man, DeMarcus Cousins, joined them for a mid-level exception. Who pays only 5.3 million dollars to a player regarded by many as the best center in today’s game?

Here are Cousins’ numbers playing for the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans during the four dominant years the Warriors have enjoyed: 25.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, shooting 46 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point territory. Check this out: only Cousins has those numbers in the last four years in the league. 

And to put into proper perspective the kind of individual career Cousins is having, let’s see his numbers. Cousins entered the NBA at the age of 20 and has played seven years. His career averages are 21.5 points, 11 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Per Basketball-Reference, only nine other players in NBA history have at least 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists as career averages from age 20 to 27 years. Hint: all of those nine players are retired! They are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Duncan, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, George Mikan, Bob Lanier, Elgin Baylor, and George McGinnis—all members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Sigh!

Cousins is currently recovering from an Achilles injury. You can imagine what the Warriors’ starting lineup will look like when he is healthy—Steph and Klay as the guards, KD at the three, Draymond at the four and Boogie at the five! Holy cow!

Yes, other teams are loaded with some form of incredible talents like the Houston Rockets with James Harden, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, the Oklahoma City Thunder with Russell Westbrook and Paul George, the Los Angeles Lakers have LeBron James and co, the Boston Celtics have Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford, the Philadelphia 76ers have Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the Toronto Raptors have Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry, but no team has five—FIVE All-Stars in their starting lineup.

By the time the playoffs arrive in April 2019, the Warriors will probably have the scariest starting lineup in NBA history, especially if all the pieces are in good health, and it will be so tough to stop them. They may not pay too much attention to what happens in the regular season, just like last season when they finished behind the Rockets in the West and behind the Raptors overall, but their quality will be too much for the rest of the league to handle.

Can the Warriors be stopped from winning the title? Of course! How? If Steph and KD both get injured before the playoffs or before the finals. Even at that, a lineup with Klay, Draymond and Boogie on the floor at the same time could prove be a problem so hard to solve.

San Antonio Spurs rookie, Chimezie Metu speaks to Ayotunde Onabolu about his commitment to playing for Nigeria and also talks about life in the NBA and what he hopes to achieve in his career.

It was late on Thursday, June 21, 2018, and the pomp and pageantry of the 2018 NBA Draft had simmered down after the first round of the draft had concluded. At this point, NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver’s announcements of draft picks into the second round really had no fanfare, unlike the first round, picks who had the chance to hug family and friends and climb up the stage to shake hands and at times hug the Commissioner, dressed in all sorts of colorful and at times weirdly looking suits.

Second round draft picks seldom make their way to the arena, but instead, watch from the comfort of their homes within their nuclear families and a few well-wishers, and such was the case of Chimezie Metu who went to the San Antonio Spurs with the 49th overall pick.

Metu declared after the Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-108 in their season opener on Wednesday that he is one hundred percent Nigerian and will be in line to represent the country at next year’s FIBA World Cup in China. 

“One hundred percent, yeah! I’ll be there next year at the World Cup. It was just a matter of timing. I know they have me listed as American, but I’m Nigerian one hundred percent,” affirmed Metu with great enthusiasm whilst he was still being asked if he would consider playing for Nigeria.

The 21-year-old power forward from the University of South California penned a three-year rookie deal with the Spurs, meaning his career in the NBA was now in full effect. 

With quite a number of veteran big men on the Spurs roster, Metu could not make his debut when the Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-108 in their season opener in San Antonio. With veterans such as Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge, as well as Jakob Poeltl and Davis Bertans all logging minutes. Metu understands he needs to work extra hard and be patient. 

“If I keep working, I’ll get my chance down the line. Right now, I’m playing behind LaMarcus (Aldridge) and Pau (Gasol) and Jakob (Poeltl)—these are great players, but if I can stay ready, I’ll have my opportunity.”

The Spurs are known to possess some foresight when selecting deep into drafts, with former guards Manu Ginobili (57th overall pick in 1999) and Tony Parker (28th overall pick in 2001) going on to have Hall of Fame careers despite being drafted late, and Metu hopes to be in that sort of conversation.

Metu identified guard DeMar DeRozan, who led the team with 28 points in his first game as a Spur and forward Rudy Gay, who added 18 points in the win over the Timberwolves, as his mentors and biggest influences in the locker room.

Meanwhile, Head Coach of the Spurs, Gregg Popovich, when asked about what the organization saw in Metu that led to them drafting him ahead of the other prospects left in the draft pool, said;

“He is very intelligent, he’s got great quickness and speed, he’s got a lot of flexibility to his game, he’s a hard worker, he’s got a good size. All those things attracted us to him.”

Two-time NBA champion and six-time All-Star veteran, Gasol also paid glowing compliments to the talent and potential of Metu. 

“He’s a very athletic guy, young and full of energy. He has great fundamentals, great touch and he has great potential to do a lot of good things. He is still very young and has come to a team that is pretty established. He can learn a lot in here and his opportunity will come.”

Metu had this to say about how he would love to be viewed when his career is done:

“[I would love to be remembered as] a great player and an even better person and hopefully down the line, I can use my platform to help people—not just in Nigeria—but around the world.

- by  Adedammy Adedotun

Sports hasn’t been recognised in Nigeria as a business because a whole lot of key components are missing. So, when there are developments in certain areas, we need to look beyond the political sentiments and consider how they fit into the long-term objective of evolving sports into a business. 

A recent example is the Premier League Team Owners` Council and the communique it issued as regards its participation in the proposed abridged Premier Basketball League. It is a possibility that this group existed before now, and the communique only made them popular. However, the matter has generated quite a steer in the basketball community. 

A number have people criticised the group, its proponents and its decision. But I’d rather we see it as an intriguing modification to the basketball league system and consider its implications to the development of the league. (I’ve used the phrase “basketball league system” and not “Nigerian basketball” because the operations of a league are clearly different from that of the National team)

Now, what are the possible implications of having such an organisation/group? On one side - negotiating powers, transparency, shared control; one the other hand - improved quality and standardisation. 

Historically, a number of decisions around the league are taken unilaterally by the league organizers with little or no input from the teams. I recall a year that the representatives of Oluyole Warriors complained about the rather short time between the release of the league fixtures and the tip-off date. Being a state-owned team, they needed time to draw up a budget for the year which will be based on the game schedule, get approval from the State Government and ultimately, get the funds needed for the year. 

Having a common voice means decisions by the league organisers will be communicated, tabled, discussed and collectively agreed. There’ll be room for negotiation. 

Also, revenue from media rights (since that’s the only source of revenue for the league at the moment) is a rather delicate matter, and although the league organisers sign those deals on behalf of the teams - because, really, the teams make the league what it is - teams don’t have much of a say in what is allocated to them from the revenue. Revenue sharing in the league is a discussion that must be had. Questions including what goes into the collective pool, what partnerships teams can go into independent of the league etc. And all of these done transparently. 

It may seem like this entire arrangement is skewed to favour the team owners. However, the league organisers can use the opportunity to raise the standard of the league by setting pre-agreed earning conditions for the teams - average attendance, adherence to set rules and regulations such as league logo and player name/number on jerseys, provision of basic amenities at arenas etc. After all, it is fair to hold the team owners to a certain level of responsibility, isn’t it?

A group that needs to watch closely and learn from the actions of the team owners are the players, and although the intentions might be good, having a representative of the players on the board of the Basketball Federation will not, in any significant way, help the agitation of the players for better compensation. They need an independent forum dedicated specifically to league players (not all basketball players). Only then can they form a balancing force to the relationship between the league organisers and the team owners, only then can they demand what the truly deserve and ultimately, only then can they negotiate a Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

And what would the league organisers and team owners gain from a players’ forum? Quality basketball. As a player, you can’t demand improved welfare and be mediocre. If you want a seat at the table, you have to bring your A-game. After all, to whom much is given, much is expected. 

Some people might see this as the beginning of unionism in the league but yes, sometimes to grow, we need to go back to the drawing board and rebuild. The league organisers, team owners, and players all need one another to survive. So it is only right for each of them to have a seat at the table when decisions are made. 

Maybe it’s time to try a new approach. Maybe the shared control and bargaining powers will make each party sit up and appreciate the business side of sports. Hopefully, it will help them in the delivery of a standard and entertaining basketball league. 

Like Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin tweeted earlier today; “There are no easy answers to the Nigerian condition. There are very tough problems with difficult solutions that require us to first tell ourselves bitter truths- truths that are bitter in the mouth, hard to the ears, but sweet in the belly. That is the diet of champions.” 

This is one truth we all have to get comfortable with and have productive discussions around.

written by Babajide Fawole

All teams have played a minimum of 10 games so far. Enough to shake off the rust and oil the joints after the long summer. This break would have been longer for some than for others (For the teams that didn’t make the playoffs). A few lineups returned with very few tweaks and were able to put out relatively the same starting lineups as they did last season. Other teams that were active during the summer are going through rotations to find their “killer squad”. But after 10 games in, we can make a quick assessment of who is the “Amaka” of the NBA.

Amaka (for those who were either living under a rock this summer, or aren’t Nigerian) is one of Nigeria’s summer anthems by 2Baba (Tuface Idibia) featuring Peruzzi. In this song, 2Baba goes into details about how he’s ready for a fun evening with Amaka; booze is ready, the generator is full, he’s told his mum he’s met this girl...basically all is set. But then Amaka never shows up without any explanation, but he can see that she’s active on social media. “Amaka disappoint me” is the catchphrase in the chorus.

Back to the NBA, which team had us all excited, had us already looking at the jerseys for the new season and considering which one to buy, maybe already even had us making bold early predictions...only to pull an Amaka and disappoint?

The nominees are as follows:

Los Angeles Lakers

Naturally, any team that adds LeBron to its roster automatically becomes a championship contender. After all, he has been to eight straight finals. Look at the rest of his resume, 3x NBA champion (and was finals MVP each of those times), 4x league MVP. He will also probably be remembered in history for “the chase-down block” on Andre Iguodala, when he and Kyrie Irving led the Cavs from being down 3 to 1 to the Golden State Warriors, to come back and win a chip. 

However, the Lakers have been off to an uninspiring 6-6 start to the season. Is this disappointing? Yes, so much so that news from the Lakers front office is that Team President of Basketball operations Magic Johnson allegedly screamed at Coach Luke Walton, making it clear to him that the pressure is on to win now rather than later.

But come on, we expected this with the meme squad (the nickname that the combination of Javale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley have been given). We understand it will take some time for Coach Walton to figure out how to mix veterans with the young guys properly, and we also know that the Lakers will probably make the playoffs, we also kind of knew that LeBron needs shooters around him. 

So Lakers are disappointing, but they aren’t exactly “the Amaka”.

Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets, the team that was put together to defeat the Warriors according to team GM Daryl Morey, came very close to actually achieving this goal last season. Would they have beat the Warriors with a healthy Chris Paul on the roster? We will never know.

After a busy offseason where they resigned Clint Capela, added Carmelo Anthony, the scoring juggernaut that was the Rockets have been off to a 5-7 start. They have also had 4 straight games where they scored less than 100 points. In losing Ariza and Mbah a Moute, we knew that they would suffer defensively since Melo (who doesn’t really defend) was not exactly a replacement for the solid defenders they were losing. But in addition to losing defense, they are also not scoring as much. Things aren’t looking good for the Rockets. There are even reports that Carmelo might have played his last game as a Houston Rocket.

This Amaka is disappointing, but we already knew she would have questionable behavior, we just didn’t know it would be this bad. But she’s learning so we are giving her a chance. So, the Rockets aren’t really “the Amaka”.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards haven’t really clicked in a while and maybe, just maybe...it’s time for a rebuild. But we aren’t really surprised. 

There were already problems with team chemistry...as was evident with the mutiny while John Wall was out injured last season. The team surprised everyone while their star player was out by going on an unbeaten streak. Their assist numbers were up, and Marcin Gortat famously tweeted “Unbelievable win tonight. Great “team” victory”, which everyone correctly assumed was a sub directed at John Wall’s ball-dominant style of play. 

Then they added Dwight Howard...who hasn’t exactly been known to be the best teammate;

The Wizards have been off to a dismal 3-9 start. Also, remember the game when Steph Curry went ballistic and scored 51 points in 3 quarters? It was against the Wizards.

The Wizards haven’t bonded well. And we aren`t one bit surprised. We knew Amaka would be tough to get along with, but we went ahead with it. So we can’t really say we are disappointed.

Cleveland Cavaliers

This is our Amaka without further ado.

1-11 start which is effectively the worst record in the NBA;

They lost LeBron James in the offseason to free agency. Which means they got nothing in return for his departure. No pieces to rebuild the franchise...nada;

At the beginning of the season, a very cocky and confident Tristan Thompson when being asked about the new terrain of the Eastern Conference effectively told everyone to take a chill pill, as they were the defending 4-time Eastern Conference Champs. Oh the pride that cometh before a fall. 

After a 0-6 start, Dan Gilbert, the owner of the franchise decided it was time to cut ties with Ty Lue. Then the drama with the replacement coach Larry Drew, who wanted assurances before assuming the title of coach. 

Colin Sexton was taken with the 8th overall pick in the 2018 draft. Pretty high. But then the reports from the Cavs camp is that the veterans have ripped into Sexton, that he “does not know how to play”...Ouch;

Kevin Love is injured...so is Cedi Osman...and George Hill...and Sam Dekker.

And to top it all off JR Smith, of 2018 Finals Game 1 fame, acknowledged earlier in the month that he wants to be traded.

Amaka (Cleveland) disappoint me.

Images - Getty Images/NBA

First Bank`s Aisha Mohammed gave her teammates accolades for her performance at the just concluded FIBA Africa Champion`s Cup for Women. She shared this on her Facebook page; 

"l appreciate my teammates because without them l won’t be an all-star. They made it possible. I am going to miss you all as we all depart tomorrow to our various destinations. I pray and wish every one of you journey mercy and the best of luck in anything you desires to do. Ameen."

The 33-year-old Forward played five games in the tournament with an average of 11points, 8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. She had a tournament-high 23points in the quarterfinal game against FAP Basketball. 

She was named All Star-Five along with her teammate Ginette Makiese, Italee Lucas (Interclube), Jamila Nansikombi (KPA) and Anabela Cossa (Ferroviario Maputo) 

by Adedammy Adedotun

On Tuesday, 20th November 2018, the Player Representative on the Engr Musa Kida led Board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Ejike Ugboaja shared a comment on his Facebook wall that has generated interesting comments. 

In his post, he explained how he has been prevented from doing his job as the player representative by some other board members and he advised that any questions as regards player welfare should be directed to these two gentlemen. He did not state, however, if he is stepping down from the Board.

As expected, most of the comments have been from a political perspective; while some have questioned the mode of operation of the board and gentlemen referenced, others have attacked the competence of the player representative and the sincerity of his post. But like I always suggest, we should look beyond political sentiments and discuss the more fundamental issues that lie herein - our approach to player representation. 

Isn’t it time to find at a more practical and functional way in which the demands and welfare of the players can be appropriately addressed? 

There are two factors we need to critically consider - a) Who becomes the player representative and b) the mode of operation or platform from which the player representative acts. 

The best way out - an active league player as representative with an independent platform (not as a Board member). Let`s take a cue from the NBA, the WNBA, and their respective players` association. 

Here are the things I think we must have to make any meaningful progress;

1. A more functional platform - There might have been good intentions when a spot was created for representatives of the players on the Board of the basketball federation. However, there is no way such representative will have the power and authority to sincerely and genuinely act on behalf of the players especially when it concerns the action of the board directly or indirectly. Let`s consider the roles of the Human Resources Director and the President of the Staff Union of an organisation. Expecting the HR Director to fight on behalf of the staff for increment in wages or improved welfare packages is just a waste of time. Usually, all the HR Director will do is communicate management decisions that pertain to staff to them. Your player representative of the board will seek the approval of the board to carry out any activities and as we have seen in Ejike Ugboaja`s case, the board might choose to frustrate all efforts of the representative. We need an independent platform.

2. A Streamlined Group - The phrase `Nigerian Players` or `Basketball players of Nigeria` is a very vague description as it encompasses too wide a group; a group containing people with diverse needs. How do we define Nigerian players - national team player, pro team players, unattached player, 3x3 player, student-athletes, recreational (or for leisure) player? Why don`t we segregate and regroup? Why don`t we start small and then scale up if need be?. The group of players with the urgent need is the league players, so let them come together to form two distinct groups - premier basketball league players and women`s league players

3. A Reflective Representation - As highlighted above, when it comes to the welfare of players, the `players` in question are league players (The welfare of the national team players is never an issue as they have Team Managers to deal with that). So, choosing someone outside this particular group of people to represent them at any level whatsoever, is not the most ideal thing to do. Ejike Ugboaja is not an active league player neither was Olumide Oyedeji when he was the players` representative on the Board from 2013-2017. The only time a round peg was put in a round hole was when Stanley Gumut was given the role on the Tijani Umar Board. We need an active league player to lead the organisation of league players. 

4. A Collective Participation - For the organisation of league players to work, all the league players need to play an active role - from election/appointment of officials, general meetings, financial contribution, to implementing action plans and decisions taken. It has to be all-inclusive. One way to go about this is to get the Captain and Assistant/Vice Captain of each team to form the General Council of the organisation, who in turn choose the leader and a couple of deputies. The success of any kind of player forum depends largely on the willingness of all players to come together.

5. A Target Audience - If we are able to streamline and categorise the players concerned, we should also pick out the exact group that the league players should table their grievances to. The last administration made an effort to delegate authority by setting up a League Management Board for the male league. If this is sustained, then it is the League Management Board that the players should establish communication with, specifically. I sincerely hope this model is sustained.

6. A Concise Request - Every negotiation starts with a list of demand. So, for the organisation of league players to be successful in its fight for better welfare, they need to indicate what `better welfare` means to them as detailed and as concise as possible - minimum salary for players, increased game bonus, insurance, and other non-monetary benefits, life after pro-basketball etc. Players must realise that paying power of clubs are different - state-owned clubs might have the capacity to pay more than private clubs and some state clubs might be more interested in the sport than other counterparts - so, demands should be reasonable and realistic.

The demand should also be seen as a door to meaningful discussion and negotiation with team owners, so the manner of approach is important.

7. A Transparent Beginning - We have demanded transparency from administrators in recent times. We need to extend it to players too because frankly, not all players have a welfare problem, some players are well taken care of. These players will be seen as being loyal to the club if they decide not to be a part of the organisation. So, players need to be transparent about their earnings so the current state of things is better understood. This would help in defining what better welfare should be. The knowledge of the state of things will also get the general public to empathise with the players, people can do the maths and put things in proper perspective. 

8. A Commitment to Success - The logistics of getting everyone on board will cost money - traveling, meetings, paperwork etc. and players (not the clubs, League Management Board or the Federation) will be responsible for these expenses. See, with independence comes responsibility and in this instance, that includes money and time. I expect the veteran players to spearhead this movement and every player who clamour for better welfare to support in any way they can. Beyond Facebook posts, it is time for players to put their money (and time) where their mouth is. 

9. A Sincere Cry for Help - For the organisation of league players to work, a lot of professional help is required - legal advisors, accountants, strategists, media experts, brand communicators, human resources consultants etc. Considering that the organisation would not be able to afford them anytime soon, they should reach out to as many people as possible who are willing to help. I can guarantee that people will be glad to help. 

Administration after administration, players have complained about their welfare, maybe it is time they did something about it. Like Oni Afolabi rightly said, `It`s time for players to stand up as individual entities and groups to fight for their rights. For how long will they wait for external forces to fight their battles for them` 

In my article on the Team Owners` Council, I mentioned that we need a third force to balance the activities of the League Board and the Team Owners` Council. The organisation of league players is that balancing force. Imagine if we had a round table between the three parties to discuss and agree on how best the league can be run. It would be the defining moment of our league. 

Early this year, FIBA Africa announced that it will change the format of the club continental championship. The FIBA Africa Champions Cup was renamed FIBA AfroLeague. The maiden edition of the league, based on the 2018 basketball season of participating countries, is expected to tip off in January next year.

Some of the objectives of the league are to increase the coverage and duration of the competition.

Here are things you need to know about the 2019 FIBA AfroLeague;

15 Teams played to qualify - Fifteen teams emerged as representatives of their zones after participating in the zonal qualifiers. They are; AS Sale (Morocco), ES Rades (Tunisia), JS Kairouan (Tunisia), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), Civil Defenders (Nigeria), Elan Sportif (Benin), SLAC (Guinea), ASB Mazembe (DR Congo), ASB Terreur (DR Congo), Al Ahly (Egypt), Smouha (Egypt), Primeiro D’Agosto (Angola), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique) and COSPN (Madagascar).

Three Zones produced the highest number of participants - All seven zones participated in the qualifiers to produce the 15 teams for the AfroLeague. Zones 1,3 and 6 produced the highest number of participants with three teams each, Zones 4 and 5 produced 2 each while Zones 1 and 7 had one qualifying team each 

A wildcard to be issued - A wildcard will be issued to one team to make up the 16 teams needed for the tournament. It will go to the Zone with the highest number of participating teams at the zonal qualifiers. Considering that Zone 3 - where Nigeria belongs - and Zone 1 already have three teams each in the tournament, it is unlikely that either will get the wild card.

Three phases will be played - The FIBA AfroLeague will be played in three phases - Sweet Sixteen, Elite 8 and Final Four. Sweet 16 will feature 16 teams divided into four groups who will play against one another in a round robin format.

The two top teams from each group will form the Elite 8. These 8 teams in the Elite 8 will form four groups of 2 teams each and will play home-and-away games in the knock-out format to determine who advances to Final Four.

Sweet 16 will hold from January 25 to March 10 while Final Four will be played from May 17-19.

Draws will take place early next month - The draws to determine the teams in the groups, as well as the announcement of the hosting teams of Sweet 16, will be held early next year as soon as FIBA Africa resumes from break on 2nd January 2019. The venue for the draw has not been decided but, according to sources, will mostly be Abidjan. 

We can`t wait for January to come as we look forward to the maiden edition of the all-new FIBA Afroleague and wish the Nigerian teams - Rivers Hoopers and Civil Defenders - a good outing.

Got any questions? Email us at bballnaija@gmail.com 

Written by Ayotunde Onabolu

Heading towards the trade deadline, the major talk around the NBA was whether the New Orleans Pelicans would bow to the enormous offer made by the Los Angeles Lakers for the want-away star, Anthony Davis. But as deadline day approached, two things became quite apparent—the Lakers were not going to put their entire team up just to trade for Davis whom they could still make an offer for when trade talks resume on July 1. 

The race for the Eastern Conference title and a chance to face perhaps the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals just got more exciting and intriguing with the trades the major East teams made.

The first team to make a statement trade, without question, was the Philadelphia 76ers. Elton Brand absolutely got this one spot on! When the 76ers traded Dario Saric, Robert Covington and Jerryd Bayless for Jimmy Butler in November, a lot of people thought they gave away too much for a player who could as well become a rental service since he becomes a free agent at the end of this season. The team had a better idea—Tobias Harris!

Look, Harris is playing the best basketball of his life, and when the Los Angeles Clippers led the Western Conference standings earlier on in the season, much of it was due to the very impressive nightly performances by the 26-year-old forward from the University of Tennessee. So far, Harris is averaging 20.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, shooting 49.6 percent from the floor and 43.4 percent from three-point territory—all numbers career highs for him.

Adding Harris to a solid starting lineup that already has Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons—2019 NBA All-Stars—and Butler, a four-time All-Star—only makes the 76ers way more solid than ever. Also, the other two pieces the 76ers got from the deal with the Clippers are valuable upgrades to the bench, compared to what they had to let go of. 7-foot-3 center Boban Marjanovic is a welcome backup for Embiid, while Mike Scott is a tested and trusted stretch-big. Compare the three new additions to the three subtractions—Wilson Chandler, Landry Shamet and Mike Muscala, and there could not be much argument that the 76ers got a lot better than they were before the trade deadline.

The most exciting part of this trade is that there are talks from the front office of the 76ers that there are plans to keep the four major pieces of the team—Embiid, Simmons, Butler and Harris—for a long time in what they have called their own Big-Four. Oh, didn’t they add to their bench James Ennis—a good 3-and-D player from Houston?

Exciting times lie ahead for Philly!

In what seemed like a reaction to the moves made by the 76ers, the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks acquired Nikola Mirotic from the Pelicans in a three-player deal involving Jason Smith and Stanley Johnson who headed the opposite direction.

Why is this move great for the Bucks? Well, Mirotic is averaging career highs in points (16.7) and rebounds (8.3) and is nailing 2.7 threes a game (ninth in the NBA) at a decent 37 percent clip. The Bucks are having a very productive year offensively. Their 117.8 points per game ranks only behind the Warriors; their 26.5 assists a game ranks fifth in the league and their 48.2 field goal percentage ranks second only behind the Warriors. 

It gets more interesting.

The Bucks are making 13.3 threes a game behind only the Houston Rockets. Adding Mirotic to this team will further provide floor spacing and stretching, and with Giannis Antetokounmpo playing at an MVP level, the Bucks’ three-point shooting will only get better. The Bucks are the leading rebounding team in the league and as such, Mirotic, a proper rebounder for his size, will only make them better.

The Toronto Raptors left it late, but for good reason. They added a three-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection and former Defensive Player of the Year—Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles, and a 2024 second round draft pick.

Gasol is 34 years old and definitely on the downward curve of his career, but he is averaging 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and a career-high 4.7 assists per game. Gasol is an excellent passing big man, second only to Denver’s Nikola Jokic in assists per game among centers. Gasol also remains a defensive force down-low.

It is left to be seen what sort of role he will play in Toronto’s rotation especially with Serge Ibaka starting more games at center and Pascal Siakam continuing to establish himself firmly as a top contender for the Most Improved Player award, but better believe that a 34-year-old who logged 33.7 minutes a game for the Grizzlies has more than enough to offer the Raptors.

The Boston Celtics did not make any trade deals before the trade deadline, but they really did not have to. Their team is as solid as you could expect a title contender to be with incredible talents like Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris, Marcus Smart and of course Gordon Hayward who seems to be content providing a spark off the bench, among others. They made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year without Irving and Hayward and still pushed LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games, losing Game 7 mainly because their three-point shots were not falling.

Who knows what could have been if Irving and Hayward were healthy? And although they have struggled at times this season, it will be absolutely ridiculous to write them off. Some teams just know how to ramp up their game when it matters the most and the Celtics somehow seem like one of those teams.

Just close your eyes for a second and think about the fact that the Bucks, Raptors, Celtics, 76ers, and of course the Indiana Pacers—who seemed out of sorts after losing star man Victor Oladipo to a season-ending injury, but have somehow suddenly rediscovered their mojo—are locked in a 5-way battle for the conference title. This means if these five teams finish as the top five seeds in East in any order, then there is a potential for a ridiculous four seed versus five seed in the very first round! 

Think for a second about a first-round playoff series involving any two of these five teams! Sheesh!

LeBron, the dominant factor in the East for several years is now a Laker—no guarantee that he will continue his consecutive conference finals dominance in the West—and that means the battle for supremacy in the East this year could become one of the toughest conference battles in a long time. 

Photo - Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

By Ayotunde Onabolu

Saturday February 16, 2019 was Day Two of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in the Queen City, Charlotte, North Carolina, where an estimated 150,000 guests and 1,500 journalists from across the world had arrived to experience the ambiance of festivities which would culminate in the biggest and most popular stars going at it during the All-Star Game. But in the midst of the weekend that began with the Celebrity Game and ended with the All-Star Game, two events would shape African basketball history, perhaps forever. Here is a timeline of the day’s events:

1:00 AM West Africa Standard Time (WAT) 

Africa stayed up very early that Saturday morning to enjoy the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles as the viral comedian, Famous Los scored 22 points and led the Home team coached by the legendary Dawn Staley to an 82-80 win over the Away team.

3:00 AM WAT 

It’s that time when sleep is sweetest, but basketball freaks and addicts (in the most pleasant way) defied sleep—after all, it’s the weekend—to watch the MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars with Los Angeles Lakers’ enterprising young player Kyle Kuzma taking home MVP honors as his 35 points led Team USA to a 161-144 win over Team World for which Nigeria’s Josh Okogie played. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ 20th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft scored 13 points in 18 minutes off the bench, including a monstrous put-back dunk right over Jarrett Allen of the Brooklyn Nets with about four minutes played in the third quarter.

9:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) 

A group of African journalists (including the writer) made their way to Bojangles Coliseum, a multi-purpose arena on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte to catch the All-Star Practice and Media Day, during which numerous media personalities thronged the floor to ask questions from the various All-Star Saturday Night participants and the Team LeBron and Team Giannis All-Stars who were going to compete in the All-Star Game the following day.

When asked what message he had for African folks back home who would be staying awake to watch him compete in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest later on in the day, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Hamidou Diallo said, “Well, I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve and [I’m] looking forward to tonight and I can’t wait to get out there to showcase [them].” 

An interesting thing to note here is that at this point in time, Diallo, who was born to Guinean parents in Queens, New York had the fewest reporters talking to him in the arena. He was relatively unknown. Originally drafted 45th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets and then traded first to the Charlotte Hornets and then to OKC, the 20-year-old struggled to get playing time for the ball club and was promptly assigned to OKC’s G-League affiliate, Oklahoma City Blue. Little wonder reporters generally ignored him and opted for the more popular faces that would compete with him in the Slam Dunk contest later that night—Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins who had thrown down massive dunks during the Rising Stars game a night before; Dennis Smith Jr of the New York Knicks who was taking part in his second Slam Dunk competition and homeboy rookie; Miles Bridges of the Hornets.

11:00 AM ET

The African journalists, representing countries such as South Africa, Senegal, Tanzania, Rwanda, Morocco, and Nigeria, decided to leave the Bojangles Coliseum before Media Day ended. But why? Something was brewing. They had to go to the Charlotte Marriott City Center Hotel on West Trade Street, Uptown Charlotte for an event, details of which weren’t made public as at that time. All that was said was that an important announcement was going to be made by the NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver. The event was scheduled to start at noon ET. 

At noon ET, there were no signs of the event starting despite the presence of quite a number of guests. “African time” had certainly kicked in. Sigh. Some guests had taken their seats while some others were seen chatting with one another as the start of the event was awaited. Of course, there were those latecomers. Typical, isn’t it?

12:45 PM ET/6:45 PM WAT

Finally, the event starts! Isha Sesay, formerly of CNN, hosted the event which would turn out to be one of the most important events in African basketball history. NBA Commissioner Silver mounted the podium and gave THE ANNOUNCEMENT (pun unintended, but if you know, you know)—the monumental announcement—that the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) are teaming up to launch what will be called the Basketball Africa League (BAL)—a 12-team league that will commence early 2020. Wow!!!

The BAL will be the NBA’s first professional basketball league outside North America. To prove how pivotal and important this is, the NBA has held preseason games in China, with two preseason games scheduled to hold in India later in the year; regular season games have been played in Mexico City and London, and the NBA Africa exhibition has held three times. Organizing a pro-league outside America pretty much shows that there must be something special about the African continent.

The BAL will replace the existing Africa Basketball League (formerly called FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup). 12 teams will participate in the inaugural competition. The modalities for selecting the 12 teams and the competition format will be announced subsequently.

The Secretary General of FIBA, Andreas Zagklis expressed what the partnership between the NBA and FIBA concerning the BAL would bring to the table. “FIBA and the NBA are two big organizations; the NBA, an excellent league organization that will for the first time participate in such a level of involvement in a league outside of North America, and FIBA, the world basketball federation, joining powers for a continental league. This by itself, I think brings an added value, and in reality, what we are doing as of today is bringing our long-standing partnership with the NBA to the next level.”

NBA Vice-President and Managing Director of NBA Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall also spoke about the BAL. “This is not something we’re creating side-by-side [with the Africa Basketball League], it is going to be one product—the Basketball Africa League—on the continent where the best players in Africa and certainly, the best players from around the world will come and have another league where they can participate, whether they’re from America, Russia or Serbia. The vast majority of the players will be from Africa.”

There were several eminent personalities present at the announcement including Six-time NBA champion and principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Michael Jordan, presidents of some NBA teams including Masai Ujiri (Toronto Raptors), past and current NBA players, and so on. Former US President Barack Obama, who featured through a video message, will be involved in the league, although his role has not been defined.

The announcement of the BAL generated great excitement back in Africa as stakeholders, players, and fans can’t wait for the commencement of the league.

2:00 AM WAT (Sunday)

It’s sleep time across Africa, but of course, basketball fans in their numbers stayed awake to catch the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night which began with the Taco Bells Skills Challenge won on a half-court shot by Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum. In one of the closer Three-Point Contests in recent history, Brooklyn Nets’ sharpshooter Joe Harris stunned the greatest shooter in NBA history, Steph Curry to win the honors, setting the stage for the Slam Dunk Contest which was soon to follow.

Of course, Africans remembered the promise made earlier by the relatively unknown Diallo from OKC. He was going up against more popular players than him—Collins, Smith Jr and Bridges. For his second dunk—the best dunk of the competition, Diallo called out Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal whom he positioned at the top of the restricted area. Africa held her breath as the 6-foot 5-inch guard with an insane vertical of 44½ inches started his run from just outside the top of the arc, jumped over the 7-foot Shaq, dunked the ball hard, stuck his elbow in the rim and ripped open his Thunder jersey to show off the Superman shirt underneath. Vince Carter, the first NBA player to perform the “elbow-left-in-the-rim” dunk would have been proud.

You can imagine how many sleeping neighbors of the African basketball addicts suddenly woke up upon hearing the screams from their wide-awake noisy neighbors celebrating the ridiculous dunk by Diallo, who hung on to win the Slam Dunk Contest.

Diallo became the first African to win any event in All-Star Saturday history, wrapping up what was a historic and remarkable day for African basketball. His win was the perfect icing on the cake for Africa who was still basking in the euphoria of the announcement of the BAL.

At the press conference after his win, when asked by the writer whether he thought his win, coupled with the announcement of the BAL was a sign that the black continent was set to emerge out of the shadows of the rest of the developed world, Diallo responded, “Yeah, definitely. If you look around the league, we have a bunch of African players, a bunch of them [are] producing and a bunch of them are great players. My goal for Africa is to try to establish a platform there and try to go back home as much as possible and do things for the community out there and show them what it’s like to be around an NBA player and stuff like that. So, I can’t wait, I’ve got a lot of things planned for Africa this summer.”

Ayotunde Onabolu covered the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina for BballNaija.

Images - The Guardian, NBA, Getty Images, Bleacher Report

Inspired by the good work of Masai Ujiri, Toronto Raptors President and co-founder of the Giants of Africa Foundation, former Senate President Dr. Saraki has announced that he will build basketball facilities across the nation. 

He shared this on his verified Twitter handle @bukolasaraki earlier today (13 June 2019):

"Yesterday, it was a pleasure to spend some time at the Toronto Raptors training facility and meet with Masai Ujiri, the Nigerian-born President of the organisation. What a state of the art facility! Congratulations. I was pleased to hear about Masai’s Giants of Africa Foundation that works to create a pathway for the continent’s underprivileged youth through sport with the goal of growing the game of basketball within Africa. With basketball facilities in Rwanda, Kenya and other parts of the continent, I mentioned to Masai that it would be great for his Giants of Africa foundation to augment it’s basketball clinics by building similar ones in Nigeria. I have committed to work with himself and other well-meaning Nigerians to build similar basketball facilities in different parts of the country. This will create more opportunities for our young talented Nigerians."

Dr. Sakari is known to be passionate about basketball. He shared a video of himself shooting hoops to commemorate with the men`s national team when they won the FIBA Afrobasket tournament in 2015. We look for this project and wish him the best.  

Basketball fans across the country who have been patiently waiting for league games to commence can breathe a huge sigh of relief. The Basketball Federation has announced that the men`s league will be held from the 8th of July to the 9th of November 2019 while the women`s league is expected to tip off on the 1st of July. The Lagos State Basketball Association has also rebranded the city league - Eko Basketball League scheduled to tip off later this month. 

The schedule of games of the men`s league has not been announced as the Federation awaits clubs` confirmation of participation. Invitation letters and registration forms have been sent to 25 teams, from both Atlantic and Savannah Conferences, expected to participate in the league.

The teams include Lagos Islander, Union Bank, and Dodan Warriors who have been absent from the premier league following a ban in 2016 for participating in the African Basketball League, as well as the winner and runner up of the Division 1 Championship. All the clubs interested in participating in the women`s league are to apply for a slot out of the 24 slots available. 

The Eko Basketball League will feature 8 men`s team - Nigeria Customs, Police Batons, Raptors, Dodan Warriors, NAF Rockets, Hoops and Read, VGC Pitch Bulls and Flames of Lagos - and 7 women`s team - First Bank, IGP Queens, MFM Basketball Club, First Deep Water, Raptors, Customs and IGP Queens. The league games will be played at the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, the National Stadium, Surulere and the Lagos State Sport Centre (Rowe Park),Yaba.

Exciting times ahead.

The women’s senior basketball team – DTigress – will officially commence preparations towards the 2019 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket Tournament as training camp opens tomorrow in Lagos. Ahead of the camp resumption, Head Coach Otis Hughley has invited 15 players to contest for a spot on the final roster.

The invited players are familiar faces from past tournaments – six of the twelves players that won the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket in 2017, and ten of the twelve players that made history in the FIBA Women’s World Cup last year were invited.

The invited players are;

Adaora Elonu (Team Captain)

Jasmine Nwajei

Elo Edeferioka

Promise Amukamara

Aisha Balarabe (nee Mohammed),

Sarah Imovhioh

Ezinne Kalu

Atonye Nyingifa

Sarah Ogoke

Evelyn Akhator

Elizabeth Balogun

Ifunaya Ibekwe

Theresa Onwuka

Victoria Macaulay

Kunaiyi Pallas Akpannah

Understandably, no home-based player was invited to the camp as there have been no league activities so far this year. DTigress will start their title defense on Friday 9th August in Dakar. 

The last time Ndidi Madu wore the national colours was on the podium in Mali as she received her gold medal for the 2017 FIBA Women`s Afrobasket. She announced her retirement in June 2018 as she chose to focus on youth development through coaching and her foundation. Gladly, we get to see her again with DTigress as she has been appointed Assistant Coach of the team ahead of the 2019 FIBA Women`s Afrobasket.

In the statement released by the Basketball Federation, Madu will join Coach Otis Hughley in the camp in Lagos and to Dakar Senegal for the tournament. Madu was Head Coach of the girls` middle school, Valor Collegiate Academy. 

She reacted to the news on her Instagram Page (@first_lady_14); "From Nigerian National team player to now the Nigerian National team Assistant Coach. I am truly grateful for this opportunity! God is awesome! Dreams come true everyday"

We wish Ndidu Madi the best in her new role. 

Redbull is known to be synonymous to freedom, and its campaigns are centred around expressions and street culture. One way Redbull has promoted the street culture over the years is the investment in street basketball through the RedBull Reign 3x3 Competition. The event is hosted in cities across the globe including the Houston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Toronto, Paris. 

The good news - Redbull Reign Global 3x3 Competition is coming to Nigeria. 

There will be two qualifiers - Ibadan and Lagos, and teams from these qualifiers will advance to the National finals. The Ibadan qualifiers will take place at the Awo Stadium, the University of Ibadan on Friday 19th July while the Lagos qualifiers will be at the University of Lagos Sports Centre, Lagos. 

The bigger news - the event is free. 

All you have to is form a team of three with one substitute and show up at the event. Registration will take place at the venue of the qualifiers by 10 am on game day. The national finals which will take place at the legendary Rowe Park, Yaba Lagos will be the qualifying tournament for the world championship in Canada. In simple terms, whoever wins the national finals will represent Nigeria in Canada.

The ultimate news - the trip to Canada will be fully sponsored by Redbull

You do not want this opportunity to pass you by. Do you? 

Street basketball is back!!!

The IBB team, last week, won the inaugural edition of the Red Bull Reign in Nigeria after defeating Treasures in the National Finals played at the Lagos State Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba. In the build-up to the National finals, teams participated in the qualifiers in both Lagos and Ibadan. 

Sixteen teams participated in each qualifier with eight teams advancing to the national finals from each centre. Flames, Festival, Fire, Kings, Victory, Seal, IBB, and Treasure all made it from Lagos, while some of the teams from the Ibadan qualifiers include Raptors, Rockets, and Timberwolves.

IBB team won a cash sum of a hundred thousand Naira among other prizes and an all-expense-paid trip to Canada to represent Nigeria in the global finals in Toronto later this month. The team will compete with other Red Bull Reign finalists from different countries around the world including Angola, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Hong Kong, India, Kosovo, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

3x3 basketball is considered to be the number one urban team sports and its inclusion in the Youth Olympics from next year is a testament to that popularity. Red Bull Reign could not have come to Nigeria at a better time.

Congrats to the IBB team and all the best to them in Canada.

Although the women’s basketball team – DTigress – won the FIBA Afrobasket Women in August, the road to the 2020 Summer Olympics is still a long one. The ladies will have to play two qualifying tournaments for one of the available Olympic spots.

The first tournament – Africa Pre Qualifying Tournament – to be hosted by Mozambique from Thursday, November 14 to Sunday, November 17 will feature the top six teams from the recently concluded Women’s Afrobasket. The six teams have been grouped as follows;

Group A: Nigeria, Mozambique, DR Congo

Group B: Senegal, Mali, Angola

The teams will play in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will play semi-final games and the winners will represent Africa at the Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (WOQTS) in February. There will be no finals. 

This is not peculiar to Nigeria. Except for the host country, Japan and 2019 World Cup winner, USA, all other teams must qualify for the Olympics through the WOQTs. 

The WOQTs will feature a total of 16 teams – top 6 from EuroBasket Women 2019, 2 winners of the Africa Pre-Qualifying Tournament, 4 winners from the Americas Pre-Qualifying Tournaments, and 4 winners from the Asia/Oceania Pre-Qualifying Tournaments. 

The 16 teams will be drawn into four groups and each group will play in each of the four WOQTs. The top three teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Since Japan and the USA will play in the qualifying tournaments, the tournaments in which they play will each award only two additional spots.

The venues for the WOQTs and the date for the draws are yet to be announced. 

Images - FIBA.basketball

Since the announcement of the partnership between the NBA and FIBA Africa to have a collaborative basketball league in Africa, we have all looked forward to the maiden edition of the tournament which replaces the existing continental championship. Tomorrow, the journey to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) begins. 

There are three ways teams can participate in the BAL; through the qualifying tournament, getting a wild card or emerging as champions of their respective national basketball league. The entire league will be in different stages; Qualifying Tournament, Elite 16, Regular Season, Super Six and Final Four. 

Thirty-two (32) teams – grouped into six groups – from 32 different countries will participate in the Qualifying Tournaments which will play in 6 cities from Tuesday, October 15 to Sunday, November 3. The top two teams from each of the six groups will advance to the next round of the qualifying tournament – Elite 16. They will be joined by four wild card teams to make up the 16 teams. 

The groups of the Qualifying Tournaments for the Elite 16 are:

Group A (Bamako, Oct 22-27): Groupement Sportif des Pétroliers (Algeria), Alnaser (Libya), AS Police (Mali) and Seydou Legacy Athletic Club SLAC (Guinea).

Group B (host TBD, Oct 29-Nov 3): Abidjan Basketball Club (Côte d`Ivoire), ASPAC (Benin), Braves of Customs (Ghana), AS Nigelec (Niger) and National Port Authority - Pythons (Liberia).

Group C (Libreville, Oct 15-20): Forces Armees et Police FAP Basketball (Cameroon), Les Abeilles (Central Africa), Manga (Gabon), Virgen Maria de Africa (Equatorial Guinea), and ASB Mazembe (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Group D (Dar es Salaam, Oct 15-20): Patriots BBC (Rwanda), Hawassa Basketball Club (Ethiopia), City Oilers (Uganda), JKT Basketball Club (Tanzania), Brave Hearts (Malawi), and Dynamo BBC (Burundi).

Group E (host TBD, Oct 22-27): Ferroviario de Maputo (Mozambique), Jozi Nuggets (Republic of South Africa), Mercenaries Basketball (Zimbabwe), Unza Pacers (Zambia), Dolphins (Botswana) and Lions Club (Namibia).

Group F (Antananarivo, Oct 29-Nov 3): Kenya Ports Authority (Kenya), Cobra Sports Club (South Sudan), Gendarmerie Nationale Basket Club (Madagascar), Beau Vallon Heat (Seychelles) and representatives from Comores (Comoro Islands) and Mauritius.

During the Elite 16 tournament expected to tip off later this year or early next year, the 16 teams will be grouped into 2 groups of 8 teams each. The top 3 teams from each of the two groups will be a part of the 12 teams that will play in the inaugural season of the BAL which will tip-off on March 2020. The other 6 spots are reserved for the winners of the respective Premier Basketball Leagues in Nigeria, Senegal, Angola, Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt. Petro de Luanda, Zamalek, AS Sale, and US Monastir are confirmed winners of the respective league in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia respectively.

The regular season of the BAL will be hosted by six cities - Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Rabat (Morocco) and either Monastir or Tunis (Tunisia). When the regular season tips off, the 12 teams will be grouped into two conferences with each conference team playing 5 games each in three of the six host cities.

The top three teams from each conference will advance to the playoffs tagged – Super Six – and will play in a round-robin format to determine the four teams that will participate in the BAL Final Four. The BAL Final Four and the Finals will be single-elimination games played in the Kigali Arena, Rwanda. 

Expectations are already high as partnerships with Nike, Jordan and Pepsi have already been announced. NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall has been named President of the league while NBA Africa’s Head of Business Operations John Manyo-Plange will be Vice President and Head of Strategy and Operations of the BAL.

It is time.

Images - FIBA.basketball

by Ayotunde Onabolu

The wait is over and the 2019-20 season of the NBA is upon us!

For the most part, team rosters are set, with the exception of a few teams waiving players surplus to requirement and signing role players to fill up available roster spots after having several opportunities in the preseason to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these players.

That said, it is time to take a look at the teams that should challenge for the title, taking into consideration the strength of the players and coaches at their disposal. Of course, injuries will always play a major role. Like we saw with the Golden State Warriors last season, injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson reduced the overwhelming favorites at the start of the season to the underdogs in the finals.

That kind of phenomenon is bound to happen, but for the sake of this article, it will be assumed that the teams are healthy, of course with the exception of a few teams with injuries that will sideline some of their important players for most or all of the season like Kevin Durant (Nets), Klay Thompson (Warriors), DeMarcus Cousins (Lakers) and most recently, high-flying Gerald Green (Rockets).

We begin with the contenders in the Eastern Conference.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

The 76ers got so close to the Eastern Conference Finals last season but could not scale the hurdle as Kawhi Leonard’s Game Seven buzzer-beating game winner - one of the greatest shots in NBA playoff history - sent eventual champions, Toronto Raptors through to the Eastern Conference Finals at their expense.

It can only be imagined how far the 76ers could have gone if they did not lose to the Raptors. In the offseason, they lost Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick in Free Agency but added veteran experience in 12-year All-Star Al-Horford. Horford is one of the more underrated players in the game as a lot of work he does on both ends of the floor is not adequately captured on the stats sheet. 

Also joining the 76ers is Josh Richardson from Miami, a shooting guard who can play defense at a high level and can shoot the three-ball. With Horford and Richardson joining the team and playing alongside Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons and star of the team, Joel Embiid, what the 76ers now have is a team that is as potent defensively as they are offensively - everybody in that starting lineup is a legit two-way threat.

The disappointment of losing in seven games to the Raptors in the conference semifinals will also serve as fuel and motivation to Coach Brett Brown and his players to not just make it to the conference finals but to get to the NBA Finals and even win it all.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Image - NBA

The Bucks won a league-leading 60 games in the regular season, led the league in points and rebounds, they were third in field goal percentage and attempted and made the second most three-point shots behind the Rockets. On defense, they led the league with the lowest opponent field goal percentage and had the best defensive rating.

The Bucks had and still have the league’s Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. They still have most of the pieces that combined to deliver one of the better seasons in the franchise’s recent history, a brilliant season that culminated in an Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Raptors, and have added some veteran quality and experience, most notably in Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews.

One major reason the Bucks could not overcome the Raptors despite going up 2-0 in the finals was the unreliability of Antetokounmpo’s jump shot, which led him to force the issue and dropping his offensive production output considerably.

This offseason though, Giannis has been working on his jump shooting with help from new teammate and one of the finest shooters the league has ever seen, Korver. If that jumper becomes very potent, then Giannis will be totally unstoppable and the Bucks’ chances of grabbing their first NBA title since 1971 will skyrocket.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

The Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets all fall into this category as teams that will make some noise during the regular season, but their ability to actually contend at the crucial stages of the playoffs will be brought to intense scrutiny for a vast variety of reasons. Whilst these three teams boast of some incredibly talented players, overall quality and experience could prove to be their undoing.

The Celtics lost Kyrie Irving to the Nets but got Kemba Walker from the Hornets. Besides being named an All-Star last season and enjoying a very productive year especially in the first half of the season, is Walker really the man to take the Celtics over the hump? The fact that he has played only two postseasons in his eight-year career does not even help.

Image - Bleacher Report

For Indiana, the major question will surround the health of breakout star, Victor Oladipo. They are one of the younger teams in the league, and even though there is quality across the board, the experience at the highest level is not quite there. And that could be a source of concern for coach Nate McMillan and the fans of Indiana, although it appears building a title contender for the next few years seems to be the goal for the Pacers this season.

The major reason the Nets would not be considered as title contenders in the absence of Kevin Durant for pretty much all of next season. The two-time NBA Finals MVP is in the course of his long recovery from the injury to his Achilles tendon which he sustained in Game Five of the NBA Finals.

Kyrie Irving has continually displayed a lack of leadership as the main star of his team as evidenced by his time at the Cleveland Cavaliers pre-LeBron James and most recently his two seasons with the Celtics which were loaded with player unrest with Irving at the center. 

On to the Western Conference we next head:

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

The spotlight of the NBA loving world will be on the city of Los Angeles next season because it houses two teams with immense quality that will challenge for the title next season and for the immediate future. The Clippers by way of history, made it to the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West last season and lost to the Warriors in the first round in six games. They showed some strong character when they came back from 31 points down to beat the Warriors in Game Two at the Oracle Arena. 

Now they have added the reigning Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George, who finished third in the regular-season MVP voting behind Antetokounmpo and James Harden of the Rockets. Add Patrick Beverley to Leonard and George, and the Clippers suddenly have arguably the best perimeter defense perhaps in NBA history!

In Leonard and George, they have two guys who can carry the offensive load of any team they play for, create their own shots and work within the flow of the offense to get wide open shots. In addition to all of the above, the Clippers have the reigning back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year (three overall), Lou Williams. In his last two seasons with the Clippers, Williams has averaged 21.3 points and 5.3 assists off the bench.

That is pretty insane!

Also on the bench for the Clippers is Montrezl Harrell who recorded averages of 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds and was also a finalist for the Sixth Man award. So, the Clippers have starters that can light it up on both ends of the floor as well as quality on their bench that is arguably superior to the rest of the league maybe.

If the team is healthy, then the Clippers look very solid to grab their first title in franchise history and get out of the shadow of the Lakers for good.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Image - CBS Sports

Laker fans all over the world have not been more excited in the past few years than they are right now because of the quality of their team when compared to what they have had to put on display since 2013 when they last appeared in the playoffs. 

Anthony Davis is finally going to have a chance to play alongside a superstar for the first time in his career, even though he is currently listed as day-to-day after spraining his right thumb in a preseason game against the Nets in China.

But once he returns to full health status, playing alongside one of the greatest players of all time, LeBron James will be one of the highest achievements of his career. 

Davis has been ranked a Top Five player in the league in the last five years, despite only appearing in a total of 13 playoff games in his career. James is also motivated to play alongside Davis especially since injury forced him to play only 55 regular-season games last season and miss the playoffs entirely. 

Alongside Davis and James is a cast that is made up of NBA champions like Danny Green, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, and Quinn Cook (yes, he is an NBA champion!), as well as veterans Avery Bradley and Dwight Howard who has something to prove, and a budding star in Kyle Kuzma.

There are lots of reasons for Laker fans to be optimistic and the spotlight will be on them with LeBron entering the twilight of his illustrious career. 

HOUSTON ROCKETS

The Rockets have been in the title race for the past three seasons but have not quite lived up to the billing. An unfortunate injury to Chris Paul in Game Six of the 2018 Western Conference Finals ultimately killed their chances at a finals appearance, and they also lost to the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals last season in six games, even with the Warriors losing Durant to injury in Game 5 of that series.

Superstar and year-after-year MVP candidate Harden has shown much dominance in the regular season in the past few years but has not been able to translate such regular-season prowess to the playoffs on a consistent basis when it matters most.

This season, Harden will be reunited with a former teammate at Oklahoma City Thunder and former MVP, Russell Westbrook who continues to be a triple-double threat year in, year out.

Obviously, Westbrook is not a reliable shooter of the basketball, but you cannot question his drive and intensity in games. One major question about Harden and Westbrook playing together is the fact that they are both heavy usage players, ranking among the top five heavy usage players in the last five years. Another question is whether center Clint Capela has an improved offensive game that transcends just alley-ops and can contribute to the success of the team offensively.

But even with all those questions lingering on the Rockets, they cannot be written off as title contenders in a very difficult Western Conference.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Has anyone written off the Golden State Warriors already? Is it so soon to write off a team that has made the last five NBA Finals and has won three of those five? It is true the Warriors no longer have KD and Thompson is injured for a long time, but they have added D`Angelo Russell from the Nets.

With Russell comes good shooting and great facilitation, the kind that can create wide-open opportunities for Stephen Curry. Curry looks set to produce an MVP type season. Just imagine this scenario: The Warriors welcome back Thompson from his ACL injury around March and grind out a fourth to a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference. How well do you think the Warriors could fare in the playoffs with a healthy Klay playing with Curry, Russell and Draymond Green?

The bottom line is this: The Warriors CANNOT be written off entirely, as echoed in the words of Green after losing to the Raptors in the finals, “That’s just not smart. We’re not done yet,” and Curry, “I wouldn’t bet against us being back on this stage next year.”

Image - NBC Sports

The Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz are teams that will most certainly have a say in how the West will pan out next season. The young Nuggets who finished with the second-best record in the West last season and lost to the Trail Blazers in the conference semifinals have surely grown in experience and still have pretty much every major player that was a part of that brilliant season, starting with Nikola Jokic. They also welcome back Michael Porter Jr - the 14th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft - from injury in what will officially be his rookie season.

The Nuggets need to play as hard and as well as they did last season and pay attention to the little mistakes they made, and they might just as well find themselves in the conference semifinals for a second straight year, with a chance to go one step further at the very least. Who would have thought that the Trail Blazers would play the Western Conference Finals last year?

Damian Lillard balled out of his skin and got some elite-level assistance from CJ McCollum as they went all the way and only lost to the Warriors. They have lost a few pieces from that team, including Al-Farouq Aminu, but they have also added some quality at the center position in Hassan Whiteside who can be such a major force if only his head is in the right place.

Jusuf Nurkic also looks set to return to action at some point in the season. Nurkic suffered a devastating injury in a double-overtime victory over the Nets on March 25, an injury described as “sustained compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula.” The Jazz added Mike Conley, a veteran and very underrated point guard, and Bojan Bogdanovic, a trusted wing, to their team in Free Agency.

Adding Conley and Bogdanovic to Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Joe Ingles will provide offensive efficiency to the team and will not deplete their defensive solidity - something Utah has developed as an identity. The Jazz cannot be called title contenders right away because of the difficult nature of the West, but their say in how things pan out eventually will not be in doubt.

As the two-time league Champions, Rivers Hoopers, continue preparations for the 2019 Premier Basketball League season, team Coach, Ogoh Odaudu confirms that all hands are on deck to ensure the team comes out victorious and qualify for the maiden edition of the Basketball Africa League. 

"No team is going to be easy, not in this type of situation. You have to approach each game with a 100% level of seriousness. We are not going to underrate any player, we are not going to underrate any team."

According to the coach, the team has been practicing twice a day for over a month and he believes the team is ready for the competition. He, however,  acknowledges that the absence of quality practice games with other top teams has been a challenge. The team has only played against locally selected teams and against each other unlike the teams in Lagos State that have tournaments such as the Eko Basketball League to participate in. 

"We are prepared to the best that we can right now, we have done all the thing we need to do, we have put all we need to put in place in place. It is now left for us to go out there and translate it when the game starts"

Regardless, Coach Odaudu is still very confident that the team has what it takes to win the championship and qualify for the Basketball Africa League.

"It`s not going to be an easy task, we are going to do our best to come out tops and hopefully grab the one slot awarded to Nigeria"

Having being rescheduled a number of times, the Premier Basketball League is expected to tip off in both conferences on Sunday 20 October 2019 in Ilorin and Zaria respectively.

After about five months of basketball action with over 20 games played, the inaugural edition of the Eko Basketball League comes to an end this weekend. The men’s and women’s playoffs finals are scheduled for the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere. 

The league featured 8 men’s and 6 women’s teams in the regular season with each men’s team playing 14 games and each women’s 10 games. Hoops & Read was the regular season winner in the male category and Dolphins were the regular season winner in the female category. The top four teams in the women’s group and the top six teams in the men’s group advanced to the playoffs. 

First Bank defeated First Deepwater and Dolphins defeated Raptors in women’s semifinals. In the men’s, Raptors defeated Dodan Warriors while Hoops&Read defeated Nigeria Customs in a best of 3 series games. 

The men’s final will be played between Hoops & Read and Raptors while the women’s finals will be between First Bank and Dolphins. The event starts at 1 pm on Saturday 3rd November. This is the first time a female league will be played in Lagos State.

The four Nigerian basketball stars on the AS Nigelec roster - Timothy Kwaor, Dele Ademola, Eli Abraham, and Onyeka Okeke have helped the Niger club finish top two in the Group B qualifiers of the Basketball Africa League going on in Cotonou, hence qualifying for the next round - Elite 16 - of the qualifiers.

Although the club lost its first game against Abidjan Basketball Club, they won the remaining three games against Braves of Custom, NPA Pythons, and ASPAC respectively. They finished with 7 points and no matter the outcome of the other group games played today, they will advance to the next stage of the qualifiers. 

Timothy Kwaor, Eli Abraham and Dele Ademola averaged double-digit points in the four games played with 21pts, 18pts, and 16pts respectively.

AS Nigelec, along with 11 other teams from Groups A, C, D, E and F; and the four wild card teams, will play in the Elite 16 later this month 

Image - FIBA

After a total of 16 days of games played in the first round of qualifiers across 6 different groups, twelve teams have qualified for the next stage of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) tagged Elite 16.

The twelve teams are GS Pétroliers and AS Police from Group A, AS Nigelec and Abidjan BC from Group B, FAP Basketball and Manga from Group C, Patriots BBC and City Oilers from Group D, Ferroviario de Maputo and University of Zambia Pacers from Group E, and Kenya Ports Authority and Gendarmine from Group F.

The twelve teams will be joined by four wild card teams to complete the sixteen teams that will participate in the next round. They have been groups into East and West Divisions comprising of teams each as follows;

East Division

Kenya Ports Authority

Gendarmine

Patriots BBC

City Oilers

Ferroviario de Maputo

Univ of Zambia Pacers

2 wild card teams

West Division

Abidjan BC

AS Nigelec

FAP Basketball

Manga

AS Police

GS Petroliers

2 wild card teams

Kigali Arena, Rwanda will host the East Division games from 26 November to 1st December while the West Division will be played in Yaounde Cameroon from 17th to 22nd December. 

The eight teams in each division will be placed in two groups of four where they will play games in a round-robin format. The top two teams in the group will play against each other in the semi-final games to determine the finalists. The finalists and winner of the third-place game from each division will qualify for the regular season of the league. 

They will be joined by the winners of the respective men`s premier basketball leagues in Nigeria, Morrocco, Angola, Tunisia, Senegal, and Egypt. The regular season of the league is scheduled to start in March 2020. 

Images - FIBA

In a colourful and cultural fashion, the maiden edition of the Eko Basketball League came to an end at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere. 

First Bank Women`s Basketball Team emerged winners of the women`s final after defeating rivals Dolphins 58-46. Mary Isambuk and Marilyn Ogoigbe played a key role in the club`s victory with both players finishing with double-digit points - 14pts and 13pts respectively.

In the men`s final, Hoops & Read won their game against Raptors Basketball League 79-67. Bolaji Emilagba made 5 3-point shot, finishing with 27 points. Three other Hoops & Read players - Komonibo Victor (19pts), Owen Oriakhi (10pts) and Aliu (12pts) all had double-digit points.

According to the Chairperson of the Lagos State Basketball Association, Ms. Barbara Harper, the maiden edition of the revamped league is an indication of the initiatives the association has in store towards the development of the sport in the state.

"Like our commitment when we first came on board, we revamped the dead Lagos State City League with the Eko Basketball League, adding the women`s competition for the first time. We will continue to push the frontiers of basketball development in Lagos State with both elite and grassroots programs. This is the beginning for us"

Mary Isambuk and Bolaji Emilagba were awarded league Most Valuable Players. 

Images - Itopa Sule/Brian Obehi

After two years of absence from the national women`s team, the 2017 Afrobasket Champion Upe Atosu rejoins DTigers for the Olympic pre-qualifiers scheduled to hold this month. Atosu was named as one of the twelve players invited for the competition by Head Coach Otis Hughley.

The full list is as follows;

Upe Atosu

Ezinne Kalu

Promise Anumakara

Atonye Nyingifa

Sarah Imovbioh

Evelyn Akhator

Adaora Elonu

Aisha Balarabe

Ify Ibekwe

Victoria Macaulay

Elizabeth Balogun

Pallas Kunnayi-Akpannah

The pre-qualifying tournament will be held in Mozambique from Thursday, November 14 to Sunday, November 17, 2019. Nigeria is grouped along with Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Image - FIBA

Tomorrow, 6th November, the players representing Nigeria in the four categories - senior men and women, U-18 boy and girls - at the 3x3 FIBA Africa Cup will head out to Kampala, Uganda. The players have been camping in Abuja for 3 weeks under the supervision of coaches Acha Chris, Christopher Okoh, Juliana Akhere, and Nnorom Mark. 

Here is the team composition;

Senior men:

1. Ibe Abuchi Agu - (Gombe Bulls);

2. Subel Lucky - (Kano Pillars);

3. Godwin David - (Kano Pillars) and

4. Koko Victor - (River Hoopers).

Senior women:

1. Okoro Ifunanya - (First Bank);

2. Theresa Mac-Dangosu - (Nig. Customs);

3. Okah Chinwe - (Air Warriors) and

4. Gloria Umeh - (Plateau Rocks).

U18 boys:

1. Mustapha Oyebanji -(Kwara Falcons)

2. Kanyinsola Odufuwa - (Hoops & Read)

3. Oyedokun Olamilekan (Flygerian)

4. Lekan Akomolafe - (Kwara Falcons)

U18 girls:

1. Ubi Majomary - (Dolphins)

2. Joseph Godsgift - (MFM)

3. Ezebilo Grace - (MFM)

4. John Grace (First Bank)

In the maiden edition of African championship in 2017, the men`s team won gold while the women won silver. However, both senior teams fell short in 2018 with the men winning the bronze while the women finished in 4th place.

The men`s team is grouped along with Mauritius and Uganda, while the women`s team is grouped alongside Uganda and Kenya. The U18 boys are grouped with Niger, Uganda, and Burundi; while the girls will play against Egypt, Mali, and Kenya. The games will tip-off on Friday 8th November.

Images - NBBF

The women`s senior basketball team - DTigress - will participate in the FIBA Women`s Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year as one of the two countries from continent. The team defeated Mali 74-59 in the semi finals of the Africa Pre-Qualifying Tournament played in Maputo. 

According to the rules of the tournament, no finals were played. The two winners of the semi final games will advance to the WOQT schedule for February 2020. Mozambique defeated Senegal 56-49 in the second semi final game, and will join Nigeria.

With this victory, DTigress have a 16 game winning streak in continental games that dates back to the 2015 FIBA Women`s Afrobasket.

Images - FIBA

Port-Harcout based Rivers Hoopers defeated Raptors Basketball Club 97-57 to win the 2019 Presidents Cup played at the National Stadium Surulere. 

In the finals, which Rivers Hoopers dominated from tip off to final buzzer, Ikechukwu Benjamin, Victor Anthony and Solomon Ajegbeyi finished with double digit points with 20 points, 15 points and 11 points each. Victor Anthony also had 12 rebounds to provide the game with its only double-double. 

Two of the team`s players - Abdul Yahaya and Ikechukwu Benjamin, along with Kwara Falcons` Godwin David, Niger Potters` Gabriel Erameh and Raptors` Ginikachukwu Godspower were named tournament`s top five players. 

Abdul Yahaya was the Most Valuable Player, and he dedicated his award to his team mates.

`I want to appreciate my teammates because without my teammates, I would not be the MVP or one of the top five players of the tournament. All the glory goes to God and I thank my teammates and coaches`

Oyebanji Mustapha of Kwara Falcons was highest scorer, while Ginikachukwu Godspower made the most three points in the tournament. Victor Anthony blocked the most shots, and Raptors` Innocent Ebuka was highest rebounder. 

With this victory, Rivers Hoopers will represent Nigeria at the maiden edition of the Basketball Africa League scheduled to start next year in March. They join the league winners from Senegal, Angola, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. 

Images - Nigeria Basketball Federation

Lagos-based talent management company, Temple Management Co. in conjunction with the Lagos State Basketball Association is organising a club invitational basketball tournament tagged The Temple Jam Basketball Tournament.

The tournament which tips off tomorrow 18 November 2019, will feature 8 clubs including 6 existing clubs in Nigeria, one club from Ghana and the newly formed Gidi Giants. The 8 teams have been grouped into Groups A and B as follows;

Group A - Gidi Giants, Niger Potters, Delta Force and Oluyole Warriors

Group B - Gombe Bulls, Ebun Comets, Yema Youth (Ghana) and Anambra Flames.

The four teams in each group will play in a round robin format, and the top two teams will advance to the semi finals. Daily schedules are as follows;

Day 1 - 18 November

Niger Potters vs Delta Force

Gombe Bulls vs Tema Youth

Comets vs Anambra Flames

Gidi Giants vs Oluyole Warriors

Day 2 - 19 November 

Anambra Flames vs Gombe Bulls

Oluyole Warriors vs Delta Force

Tema Youth vs Comets

Gidi Giants vs Niger Potters

Day 3 - 20 November

Niger Potters vs Oluyole Warriors

Anambra Flames vs Tema Youth

Comets vs Gombe Bulls 

Delta Force vs Gidi Giants

The games will be played at the Molade Okoya Thomas hall of the National Stadium, Surulere from 12 noon daily. 

In case we had forgotten what giving back to the community looks like, the last two days at the St Anthony`s Secondary School in Ilorin will serve as a reminder. After 22 years, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Webber Engineering Ltd, Opeyemi Babalola returned to his secondary school to fulfil his promise of building a multipurpose outdoor court. 

`I have always wanted to go back to St Anthony to make an impact. There is an obvious decay in sports infrastructure in general, I saw it and wanted to do something about it. What better way to start than go back to my secondary school?`

The two-day launch of the basketball court also featured a basketball camp for over 200 boys and girls to teach them the fundamental of basketball and encourage them start at an early age. The camp featured top basketball coaches from across the country including Coach Peter Ahmedu. Basketball t-shirt and kits were also presented, along with equipment and balls which will be used for basketball, handball, volleyball and badminton. 

Babalola studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ilorin, after which he studied Subsea Engineering at the University of Aberdeen. He has worked for multinational companies like General Electric and OneSubsea, and on multi-million dollar projects within and outside the country. 

He believes that having the right sports infrastructure is key to the performance of athletes and he hopes this new court will help revolutionise sports in Nigeria. The total project cost is estimated to be above five million naira. 

Bolaji Emilagba, `The Floor General` as he fondly called was part of the Hoops & Read team that finished third in their debut season in the Kwese Premier Basketball League. In the past months, he has won the Eko Basketball League trophy with Hoops & Read, emerging as the tournament Most Valuable Player. Without a doubt, he is a rising star in the Nigeria. For someone who did not start playing basketball until he was 16, this is not bad at all. 

“I did not get to see a game of basketball until I was 14. So I started really late. I did not play basketball in secondary school until I left, so I started playing when I was 16.”

In his interview with Victor Komonibo on the `Flat Out with Komo` podcast, Emilagba shared his journey starting basketball, becoming the player he is now and his experience so far playing in the league. 

“It was very hard and tough for me because I met a lot of people in the game that were already good. I met a couple of guys that were really good at that time, people like Jide the point guard from Unilag (Ogunsemore). These guys really inspired me - their ball handling skills, their speed. When I saw them, you know, they were like my age mate, so I thought if they can do it I can do it too.”

Luckily for him, he was raised in Lagos and had access to the Lagos State Sports Council (Rowe Park) where a lot of young kids have learnt and are still learning to play basketball, and where most of the basketball camps at that time were held. He started with Adopt-A-Talent camp, and then the Olumide Oyedeji Basketball Camp, but the most memorable for him was the Top 50 Camp. 

“I think I remember the first time I played in the Top 50 Camp, it was in 2014. Then you had to compete to make the camp, people will come from different states. You’d see a lot of people in the screening trying to make the camp. You just had to be outstanding. If you leave that camp and you don’t get better at basketball, I don’t know where else you’ll get better.“

He played for Hoops & Read in Division One, and has since played for clubs like Dodan Warriors and most recently, Lagos Islanders. And he has grown from a young basketball camper to a most valuable players. He attributes this growth to an advise he received from basketball legend, Tunji Awojobi. 

`Tunji Awojobi called me into his room and he asked; “Young fella, I see you can really get buckets but what else can you do? Can you defend, can you play on both ends, can you get your teammates going”. I was young and I thought all basketball was about, as long as the ball was going through the hoop but he enlightened me more about being the point guard.`

The Floor General is surely one player to look out for in Nigeria, and a future star in the Nigeria league.

You can listen to the full podcast here 

Images - Sule Itopa/Dolphins

The second round of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers tagged - Elite 16 - will tip off tomorrow at the Palais Polyvalent des Sports in Yaounde, Cameroon. The 12 teams that qualified from the first round and the 4 teams that were given wild card will participate in the tournament. 

These have been grouped into two - Group G (West Division) and Group H (East Division), and the top three teams from each group will make it to the regular season of the Basketball African League.

Group G

Class A - Forces Armees et de Police, Nigelec Basketball Club, Groupement Sportif des Pétroliers, and Al Naser.

Class B - Abidjan Basketball Club, BC Mazembe, Manga Basketball and AS Police.

Group H 

Class A - Patriots Basketball Club, G.N.B.C, University of Zambia Pacers, and J.K.T Basketball Club.

Class B - Kenya Port Authority, Ferroviario de Maputo, Cobra Sports, and City Oilers.

Group G games will be played in Yaounde and will tip off tomorrow. The eight teams in the group have been put into two classes of four teams each. The teams in each class will play in a round robin format with the top two teams advancing to the semifinals. The two winners of the semifinals and the winner of the third place game qualify for the BAL. The same format will be applied for Group H which will hold in Kigali from December 17 to 22.

Five Nigerian players - Eli Abraham, Timothy Kwaor, Dele Ademola, Wahab Yakub, and Onyeka Okeke - will be participating in the Group G games - four with AS Nigelec and one with Al Naser. 

All the games can be streamed live on FIBA`s YouTube channel and Facebook page. 

Images - FIBA

Azubuike Ekuma was part of the Rivers Hoopers team that won the recently concluded President`s Cup, which means he will play in the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League. 

However, the heart of the 21 year old is still in fashion and modelling, and has always aspired to be a model. He shared this in an interview with Femi Adefeso.

“I naturally always loved fashion but got asked by someone where I was doing my computer program what I`m doing with this height. My reply, truth be told, was I want to be a model.”

But fate had something else in store for him. He was referred to the basketball court at the U.J Esuene Stadium in Calabar. That’s how his basketball journey started. 

He picked up the game really fast, and was noticed by coaches. He was invited to the NBA-FIBA Basketball Without Borders camp in South Africa in 2015, and participated in 3 different editions of the Top 50 Camp. 

He joined the premier league in 2016 playing for Customs in the first year and Niger Potters in the second. However, when the harsh financial reality of the clubs hit him and he had to look for an alternative source of income, he turned to his first love, fashion. 

“I got owed huge amount of money, for a young man that was what pushed me to learning a skill. Sewing naturally came to my mind being that I love fashion and love modelling. The idea of being my own model and designer at the same time just consumed my thoughts.”

He relocated to River State to acquire the necessary skills, and he created Zubi Cares NG. During his stay in Port Harcourt, that he was approached and signed championship team, Rivers Hoopers. 

Ekuma currently combines his fashion and modelling business with professional basketball, and he hopes to promote Zubi Cares NG in the near future. 

In his interview on the The Brilliant Idiots podcast, Russ explained what makes Kobe Bryant legendary in very simple and clear words; he left a mentality. 

Kobe Bryant embodied the Mamba Mentality; the ultimate mantra for a competitive spirit. The Mamba Mentality is all about focusing on the things that matter the most and putting in the hard work necessary. Kobe Bryant worked on being the best version of himself in every way possible.

The Mamba Mentality

Beyond this intentional hard work, Kobe Bryant also believed in the need to inspire people to greatness, and this was evident in his relationship with other athletes and the younger generation. To Kobe Bryant, inspiring the next generation is the key creating something that will last generations.

“Now, championships come and go. But if you really want to create something that last generations, you have to help inspire the next generation. And they create something great, and then that generation will inspire the one behind them. And that’s when you create something forever. And that’s what’s most beautiful.”

The Legacy

To say his demise is devastating is an understatement. Basketball fans, who have had Kobe Bryant posters on their walls since they were kids and who were influenced by him to either play the game or love the game, lost an icon. People at Bryant Stibel lost a partner, an investor, an entrepreneur and creative visionary. Vanessa and her daughters lost a key part of their lives impossible to replace. The world lost a hero. We take comfort in the fact that, to the very end, he was focused on something that mattered a lot to him, his daughter.

So, if you are reading this, here is how we would celebrate Kobe Bryant’s life; we put our very best into thing that matter the most to us, and we commit to becoming the best we can be. And to everyone that holds a position of influence over basketball in Nigeria, think about what people would say about your impact on the game when you pass on.

Rest easy, Kobe Bean Bryant. We are certain that if heaven does not have a basketball court, you will create one. Nobody can stop you from playing one-on-one with Gigi. 

The End

Photo Cred - Getty Images

Ahead of the 2020 Toyko Olympics, the leadership of the Nigerian Basketball Federation has appointed Mike Brown as the new head coach of the men`s national basketball team, DTigers. Prior to his appointment, the 49yr old coach was the associate head coach of the NBA team, Golden State Warriors  

Confirming his appointment to The Undefeated, Mike Brown expressed his delight joining the Nigerian team;

"I am honoured and humbled that Musa Kida and the Nigerian Basketball Federation have given me this opportunity. The Nigerian Basketball Federation has been very professional and organised throughout the vetting process. They want to continue to build a world-team and organisation on and off the court."

Mike Brown will replace Coach Alex Nwora who was appointed as head in 2017 and who was in charge of the team during the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket, the World Cup African qualifiers, and the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Alex Nwora will support Mike Brown as an assistant.

Mike Brown`s immediate responsibility will be to put a team together and get them ready ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics which begin on Friday, 24 July in Tokyo, Japan. 

"I have learned that the vision is to provide the team with the necessary resources to compete at the highest level. Their commitment will enable players and coaches to focus their energy on competing at the highest possible level every time we step on the basketball court."

Mike Brown`s record includes leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the franchise`s first NBA Finals in 2007 and winning the NBA Coach of the Year in 2009. He was the head coach of the Cavaliers from 2005 to 2010, and also during the 2013-14 season. He coached the Lakers in 2011-12, and led the Golden State Warriors to a 11-0 record while Steve Kerr was away due to his back surgery during the 2016-17 playoffs.  

The 2020 Summer Olympics will be the team`s third consecutive appearance. In the two appearances so far - London 2012 and Rio 2016, the team only won one game each and failed to advance from the group stage. Mike Brown`s goal will be to improve on that performance. 

The women`s basketball team needed to start the FIBA Women`s Olympic Qualifying Tournament on a good note for a chance to represent Africa at the 2020 Summer Olympics, and that is exactly what they did in their opening game against Mozambique. 

DTigress started the first quarter on a slow note, turning the ball over five times and trailing by one point at the end. However, Adaora Elonu`s fade away jump shot at the beginning of the second quarter set the tone for the rest of the game. 

"I think we did a good job from the second quarter to the last quarter of the game. The first quarter was a little difficult for us just trying to get our rhythm because we had not been together for a while coming from our different teams. So it took us a while and once we did that we picked up our defensive and offensive rhythm, and we played the way we wanted to towards the end" - Adaora Elonu

Promise Amukamara, Ezinne Kalu and Adaora Elonu all finished with double digit points with 14 points, 11 points and 10 points respectively. Elizabeth Balogun who made her debut with the team had 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.Impressively, all 12 players on the court scored points. 

Despite the win, Coach Otis Hughley said there is more work to be done. The coach emphasized the need to make good shots during the post game conference.

"We just don`t shoot well at times, because if we did, we will be difficult to beat."

The team scored 54.5% of their field goals, 66.7% from within the arc and 15.4% 3 point shots. 

Although, we still have two more games to play, this victory puts us in a good position to qualify for the Olympics. Our next game is against Serbia on Saturday 8 February. 

Images - FIBA

It is officially 21 days to the tip off of the maiden season of the newly formed Basketball Africa League (BAL) and the excitement continues to build up. Ahead of the beginning of the season, the 12 teams have been grouped in two conferences - Nile and Savannah. 

The representative of Nigeria, Rivers Hoopers have been grouped along with Zamalek Basketball (Egypt), US Monastir (Tunisia), Ferroviario de Maputo (Mozambique), FAP (Cameroon) and Patriots BBC (Rwanda) in the Nile Conference.The Savannah Conference comprises of GS Petroliers (Algeria), Petro de Luanda (Angola), GNBC (Madagascar), AS Police (Mali), AS Sale (Morocco) and AS Douanes (Senegal). 

Rivers Hoopers and the rest of the Nile Conference teams will be play their games in Tunisia, Lagos and Egypt, while the Savannah Conference games will be played in Angola, Senegal and Morocco. The playoffs and the finals will be played at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda. 

The first Savannah Conference games will be played in Dakar from Friday March 13 to Sunday March 20, while Nile games will commence in Tunis the week after from March 20 - 22. The Lagos games will be played at the indoor sports hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium from April 17 - 19. 

The teams in each conference will play in a league format and at the end of the group stage, the top four teams in each conference will advance to the single-elimination playoffs in Kigali. 

According to a press statement released by Rivers Hoopers, the teams has intensified training ahead of the league and hope to put on a show when the league starts. 

Surrey Scorchers` forward, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, will be joining the Basketball Africa League from the British Basketball League after signing for Egypt`s Zamalek Basketball Club. 

Bryan-Amaning confirmed his move on the Scorcher`s official website;

`My next step is the new Basketball Africa League sponsored and organised by the NBA. I got the opportunity through Luol Deng, the league ambassador, and Dzaflo Larkai, both former Brixton Topcats players and obviously two big time professionals`

Before joining Scorchers, Bryan-Amaning helped the London City Royals win the BBL Trophy averaging 17 points per game. He also led the team to the play-off finals at the O2 Arena. 

He expressed excitement ahead of the BAL tip off next week in Dakar, Senegal.

`The opportunity was one I could not turn down as it is the inaugural season and it`s always good to get in at the beginning. I can`t wait to play in my father`s home nation`

Image - Surrey Scorchers

Although, it has been four years after the men’s national team’s outing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, we cannot help but wonder if the outcome would have been different if certain things did not happen, or if circumstances were different. 

DTigers’ centre and team’s number one hype man Olaseni “Shane” Lawal suffered an injury in our first game of the tournament, an injury that sidelined him throughout the tournament and for quite a while after. Our guard, Ben Uzoh also battled with health issues. The most baffling though, was that Stan Okoye did not play any of our five group stage games. 

We got some closure on this when he explained why during his Instagram Live session with the NBBF yesterday that it was the coach’s decision. 

”It was just the coach’s decision. It’s fine...I mean it’s fine now but at that time obviously I wanted to play. I felt like I could contribute to help us win. Even if it wasn’t scoring or whatever, I felt like I could do something. But it was the coach’s decision and I respected that. But it just motivated me to work harder the next year” 

Okoye was a part of the DTigers team that played at the 2019 FIBA World Cup and he plays professionally at Herbalife Gran Canaria in Spain

Image - FIBA

Everyone who watched the final game of the 2019 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket can attest to the fact that it was a memorable game. The Nigerian women’s basketball team - DTigress, were hoping to defend their title having won the 2015 tournament while the host nation, Senegal, wanted to win in front of their home crowd. 

Promise Amukamara shared her experience during her Instagram Live session with the NBBF.

“That was definitely a game to remember. Their fans were great, very loud. So many people were inside, and so many people were outside trying to get in. The environment was unbelievable...i mean...it was a great environment to play in.”

With 15,000 fans in the Dakar Arena, the crowd broke the record of the biggest crowd in African basketball. The previous record was 11,500.

Being her first Afrobasket final, Amukamara had asked Ezinne Kalu what it was like playing in the Afrobasket. 

“She was like ‘it’s the hardest championship you’ll ever play in’. She said it’s very physical, hard and the refs are not going to call the regular fouls. So you’ve got to play through it” 

Having experienced what it’s like playing in Africa and the hurdles that come with it, the veterans on the team and members of the coaching crew tried to prepare the new players mentally. 

“Aisha who is veteran told us they’re going to try to get into your head, so we should just stay focused. ‘Don’t do nothing, just stay focused’. The coach told us not to worry about what was happening outside the game.”

Despite all the warnings, the preparations - physically and mentally, Amukamara still recalls the ordeal the team went through. To her, it was plain crazy. 

“But what we went through was kind of crazy. We had fans throwing stuffs at us. I remember going into the locker room at halftime, and someone threw salt in my eye..some sandy stuff in my eye. You know, just to get into our head and distract us from our goal which was winning the championship. Yeah, the fans were crazy. I have never seen something like that before. It was really unbelievable. 

”Whenever we had timeout or anything, whenever we gathered around listening to the coach, some fans will come to move our bench, throw sand on the floor. It was crazy. And the security guards who were there didn’t do nothing. It was very strange and crazy”

This perhaps made the victory sweeter as DTigress won 60-55, and Ezinne Kalu was named Most Valuable Player. 

Image - FIBA

by Adedammy Adedotun

Since the corona virus epidemic hit earlier this year, it has impacted the entire global economy including the sports industry. Major tournaments has been postponed including the Summer Olympics while professional leagues have been forced to make the tough decision of either postponing or outright cancellation of ongoing sessions as in the case of Eredivise.  

Professional sports league in Nigeria are not exempted. The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) suspended the league till further notice in March, and now, the Management Company and the club owners are considering ending the season. There might be hope for basketball.

Over the years, the calendar for the Premier Basketball League in Nigeria runs form March to July/August. The women`s league tips off much later. This give the league an advantage (similar to NFL and WNBA) to push tip off to later when, hopefully, the epidemic would be over. Since we have had tournaments hold much later in the year - CBL, Eko Basketball League, and abridged President`s Cup, this should not be a problem. 

This indicates that the league can have a full season after the crisis. But before this can happen, the basketball community needs to HEAL!!!

Things have not been the same since the Federation elections in 2017 and the subsequent communications from the world governing body, FIBA. This has led to division in the basketball community and among professional basketball teams as two separate leagues were held in 2018 with the respective clubs playing the league organised by the set of administrators - Musa Kida & Tijjani Umar - they associate with.

This led to the court case where Gombe Bulls and Kwara Falcons sought for an Order of Interlocutory Injunction, and questioned the legitimacy of the country`s representatives at the continental tournament for clubs. Subsequently, the court ordered both parties not to organise any league in the country pending the "determination of a substantive case". This is why a President`s Cup was held late last year instead. The nail in the coffin is that the league does not have any known sponsor at the moment as Econet Media shut down Kwese TV last year. 

Without COVID, the Nigerian basketball community has a lot of work to do in getting the league back on track and building on the progress it has made, albeit slow, and success it enjoyed up to the 2017 season. With COVID, the task becomes harder, and one that can only be achieved if the league clubs come together to bury old hatchets and commit to moving on together on a united front. This will mean out-of-court settlement of all existing court cases, and placing the interest of the club and league above any individual political ambition, and personal ego. 

We need to HEAL!!!

In his article, Sebastien Audoux predicted that corporate organisations will cut expenses one of which is sports sponsorship. patronage will stop and leagues will have to provide evidence of the direct value they create to retain their sponsorship. For the Premier Basketball League, the potential value must be demonstrated to attract any sponsor, and that will not happen if there are pending court cases, disgruntled club owners, and warring sport administrators.

Post COVID economic realities also means that it will be difficult for a single organisation to provide enough sponsorship revenue to fund the league. Therefore, the league has to consider multiple revenue sources including media rights, headline and category sponsorship, shirt sponsorship, ticket sales etc. Again, this cannot be achieved with the current state of the basketball community. 

The future of sport leagues is said to depend on their ability to generate new experiences and capture a new kind of fan loyalty. Sadly, the Nigeria league has not given its fans much to desire for a while now, and its continuous inability to organise a proper league means it will continue to lose it fans to other basketball leagues around the world, and perhaps to other sports.

To retain and engage these fans, the league must get back on track with its games across the country, get the games back on our television screens, and give the fans something to hold on to. Because, now more than ever, the league needs it loyal fans. It makes marketing easier. 

Sebastien Audoux concludes that for sports to be big winners after the COVID crisis, leagues will be forced to undertake the change they kept postponing, enemies will start working together, weak leagues/sports will die and be reborn under better leadership. For professional basketball in Nigeria to come out of the crisis better, the basketball community must HEAL!!! 

To celebrate the memory of her late mother, Afrobasket champion, Evelyn Akhator has set up a not-for-profit organisation called the BENNY A FOUNDATION through which she plans to donate to charity and organise basketball camps for kids. 

For Akhator, this became necessary as it was her way of properly appreciating her mother, Benedicta, who died in an accident in January 2013 for all the sacrifice, support and encouragement. 

"Although things were a bit tough but my mother was always positive. She would save for weeks to replace my worn out basketball shoes with new ones and sponsor me to basketball camps in other states. She always assured us that tough times don`t last but tough people do"

Akhator shared this during her chat with Latipha "Phatill" Adebayo in The LogBook.

Sadly, Akhator`s mum passed away in the same year Akhator gained admission to play college basketball in the United States. 

"The only thing I love more than basketball in this world is my mother. But after losing her in an accident, I folded up my love and channeled it towards basketball"

2019 FIBA Women`s Afrobasket in Senegal. (Image - FIBA)

She has not looked backed since then. 

Akhator was drafted into the WNBA as the 3rd overall pick by Dallas Wings in 2017. She has won back to back Afrobasket trophies with the women`s national team in 2017 and 2019, making the Top 5 player list on both occasions. She currently plays pro-basketball in France with Flammes Carolo.

The inaugural season of The Basketball Africa League (BAL) was scheduled to tip off earlier this year in Dakar but was postponed due to the global pandemic caused by the COVID 19 virus. The league is expected to tip off later in the year, and when it does, it will replace the old continental club championship organised by FIBA.

The governing body, FIBA, began the restructuring of the continental championship last year when the FIBA Africa Champions Cup (FIBA ACC) was reformulated and branded FIBA Africa Basketball League, expanding the number of participating clubs from 12 to 16. With the new partnership with the NBA, the competition is now The Basketball Africa League. 

In her interview on The BAL Podcast, Senior Director of Business Operations at the NBA, Morgan Cato, explained the rationale behind NBA`s partnership with FIBA

“The partnership with FIBA shows the essence of true partnership. The NBA is a traditional American entity, and we are coming into a totally different cultural market. There are different processes , there are different norms. There’s just a degree of respect that goes into this partnership, and for it to be successful, it’s necessary at the same time."

Morgan Cato also added that partnership was a better option than competing.

"And we also don’t want to compete, it truly is by partnership that you grow this and exhibit the best basketball product on the court. That’s really why the partnership is important.”

The league will be played in 6 different cities across the continent with the playoffs and finals played at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda.

Images - FIBA/NBA

For basketball leagues, it is easy to focus on the players as they form the core element of professional basketball and ignore other parties such as the officials and front office personnel. This would not be the case for the Basketball Africa League as assured by the NBA Senior Director of Business (League) Operations, Morgan Cato

Morgan Cato, whose job includes enhancing communication, decorum and perception among players and officials, highlighted during her chat on The BAL Podcast that improving the state of officiating is one of the key focus of the BAL.

"We have an amazing referee operations team of people who are just dedicated to educating on officiating. We are expanding and building out a grassroots programme that’s focused on international development of young athletes and then helping them to identify that there are alternative career paths in basketball if you just don’t want to be a player"

Cato added that part of that training and education will be directed at players too, to attain a level of mutual respect between the players and the officials. 

"Also a big piece of officiating and education for our young players is how you interact with referees and officials on the court. Take the time to learn the referees name, the referees learned your name too. They do their research on you, they understand your play style out of respect and to just make sure everyone has the best game as possible. And if you have concerns or questions, learn to get their attention at the right time."

"It’s all of these different nuances that I don’t think people understand about the officiating craft. I will call it a craft because it takes as much time to learn how to be a seasoned and well decorated official as you would put into becoming a basketball player on the court."

This, according to her, is part of the overall strategy to grow the game within the continent and guarantee the success of the BAL when it tips off later this year. This will be done in partnership with FIBA who already have some resources targeted at educating referees and table officials. 

"Officiating is a big part of our game, and it’s a big part of how we will grow the Basketball Africa League. A lot of research and education has been dedicated to it, and it also requires a degree of partnership with FIBA, because if we didn’t have that it will be difficult to have the resources and get to the guys that will help with the training, and just continue to build from there." 

The BAL is scheduled to hold in 6 different cities across the continent with the playoff and finals at the Kigali Arena, Rwanda.

Images - FIBA

The world is trying to return to a bit of normalcy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic while taking the necessary precautionary steps. Offices are resuming and lock-down is being eased across the world. The sport world is not left behind either. Some sport leagues e.g. Bundesliga have resumed with restriction in place while others such as the English Premier League and the NBA are weighing their options. So is the Basketball Africa League (BAL)

The BAL, which should have tipped off in March, was postponed due to the pandemic. Now the organisers are considering their options to ensure that the league still holds this year. The FIBA Africa President and President of the Board for the Basketball Africa League, President Anibal Manave in his interview on FIBA.basketball acknowledged that it is important to have the maiden edition of the league this year. 

"Our hope is that the BAL’s first edition takes place in 2020. It’s important to give all stakeholders involved a sign of confidence. That includes clubs, local federations, sponsors, and public. And the best way to give them confidence is by starting the competition"  

For this to happen, the continental governing body along with the NBA are considering the likely format that the tournament will take when it resumes. The three likely scenarios are as follows;

1. Keeping the original format and have the regular season across six countries and the playoffs and final in Rwanda

2. Playing the regular season in two countries with Nile Conference taking place in one county and Sahara Conference taking place in another country. The top four teams from each group advance to the Final Phase in Rwanda.

3. Playing all the games including the final phase in one one country over the course of two weeks.

The third option is similar to the single site format the NBA is considering for the return and completion of the NBA season using Disney land for games, practices and housing.

When asked about the partnership with the NBA on the BAL, President Manave admitted that the previous format of the club championship was obsolete and that participating clubs needed more games. According to him, there had been calls to FIBA Africa to adjust this format and the organisation had been thinking about it. So, when the partnership offer from the NBA came, they embraced it. 

"The NBA is the ideal partner for this project. They embraced our ideas and together we are going to do everything in our power to make the BAL happen this year."

The President also confirmed that the BAL games will be played using FIBA rules, and that the games will be officiated by African and G-League referees. 

Image - BAL Qualifiers in Rwanda (Source - FIBA)

When the NBA announced on February 16, 2019 at the NBA All Star 2019 African Luncheon that it was partnering with the governing body of basketball in Africa, FIBA Africa, to launch a professional league within the continent, it took the entire continent by surprise. However, this partnership did not happen overnight, Amadou Gallo Fall describes it as a culmination of efforts. 

"We did not just get up and say `Hey, we want to start a professional league`. Obviously, it`s a combination of all the work the NBA has been doing on the continent for many decades. I think, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) was the next logical step"

Amadou Fall, the BAL President shared this in his interview with former professional basketball player and television host Youcef Ouldyassia on the first episode of BAL`s flagship programme - BAL Hang Time. 

"In 2018,during the last NBA Africa Game, I remember the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, the late FIBA General Secretary Patrick Baumann, Hamane Niang who is now FIBA President, Dr Alphonse Bile and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum were all there and really, the conversation started. The discussion was about if we had enough momentum. Did we have enough fans, enough interest etc."

Once those questions were answered, the next step was to come up with a plan to make it work which included partnering with FIBA Africa. For Amadou Fall, it was not difficult getting FIBA on board based on the partnership that has been cultivated over time and the common goal of developing basketball.

"Because we have a common objective. The goal is to grow the game of basketball on a global basis. So, it`s not even a matter of joining forces, there`s a natural alignment. And the collaboration did not just started with the BAL. Obviously, did is where it really manifest itself in terms of how we`ve fully integrated, but all the years we`ve been running Basketball Without Borders since 2003, it`s been in partnership with FIBA. All the developmental programmes like the Jr NBA league that we ran across the continent, we partnered with local Federations"

Although the NBA have numerous initiatives outside of the United States including the NBA Global Games, the NBA Academy, and the Basketball Without Borders, the BAL will be the Association`s first organised league outside the US. When asked how it felt being a part of such history, Amadou Fall smiled.

"It`s a beautiful story"

"We are extremely proud and excited about the opportunity because we have tremendous amount of talent. It`s a young continent, we have a largely young population interested in sports and there is a huge passion for basketball across the continent and we have a growing number of players coming from the continent to play in our league. I think all the stars aligned, there is a hunger for it, there`s an appetite for this. And I think it`s a beautiful story from where we started and with this being the culmination of it all"

He also added that having witnessed the rise in interest and passion for the game across the continent, the increasing talent being identified and nurtured, and the gap in the professional scene, it became necessary to take basketball to the next level. 

"It was a logical step and it happened organically. When we came into Africa, we focused on the basics and the fundamentals - grow the sport and make it accessible, get more people to participant. And then we started organizing the talents with the NBA Jr League and the NBA Academy in Africa. We are identifying the talents and nurturing these talents. We brought 3 NBA Africa Games with sold out crowd. So that made us confident that the region has an appetite and there`s a natural affinity for our sport"

Prior to the global COVID19 outbreak which led to the postponement of the league`s tip-off, the twelve participating teams were scheduled to play their leagues across 6 different African cities including Lagos, Cairo, Luanda, Dakar, Rabat, and Tunis, with the playoffs and the finals in Kigali. For Amadou Fall, it will give cities an opportunity to showcase their rich cultural heritage. 

"It is more than basketball. Aside of the very competition and the product on the court, the way we are going to organize our competition, through these weekend tournaments or caravan, every country, every site we play will have the opportunity to showcase all the cultural facets that attract people to Africa from music to fashion to art to culinary art. These games or these weekends are going to be destinations. I think from that standpoint, it`s not just basketball. It`s a lifestyle we are going to unleash across the continent showcasing what Africa has to offer."

As with the rest of the world, NBA and FIBA Africa are monitoring the global health crisis and will announce when the BAL will be played as soon as it is safe to do so. But we can all rest, assured that whenever that is, the world will witness the best of Africa. And as for Amadou Fall, he isn`t worried about the future either. 

"We are excited for the opportunity to see the best talents from Africa looking at the BAL as their primary destination first. The idea is to create a very competitive product that players will be proud and excited about to come and play in. And I am 100% sure that in a very short period of time, it`s going to happen."

Photo - Close Up 360, 360 Africa, Sports Pro Media

Whenever the name Mustapha Oyebanji is mentioned, what comes to the mind of many is his spectacular game against Delta Force in the 2017 regular season where he scored 40 point, 33 of which were made from 11 three point shots. That game, for him, was the opportunity to make a point to other teams in the league who underrated the young Hoops & Read team and also to his coach that he deserved more playing time. 

Mustee, as he is fondly called started his basketball training with the Warlord Academy in Ogun State under the tutelage of Coach Peter Akindele and played in the Youth Alive tournaments at Rowe Park. His skills earned him a spot on the Coach Ayo Bakare`s Comets team when they played in the Division 1, after which he joined Lagos Islanders in the inaugural season of the African Basketball League.

So when Olumide Oyedeji put together amazing set of young players including Mustapha Oyebanji to play for Hoops & Read, Mustee was ready. The experience was there. But while Oyedeji saw a set of talented players, other teams in the league saw a set of lanky boys with oversize and over-branded jerseys. 

"Whenever they see us stepping on the court, they`ll be like `these boys`. The beef was obvious. I don`t know why. You`ll see guys coming from other teams outside the state to play in Lagos, and people on our home court will be cheering them up instead of us. We never got that support until we started beating those teams".

Mustee shared in his interview on the Flat Out With Komo podcast. 

And if these external factors were not enough, Mustee had to deal with what was happening within the team. He was not a starting five and he felt he was not getting enough playing time.  

"I think then, I always saw myself as the second option. No disrespect to anyone, you know coaches have their own favourite players and all that. So, I think I was getting a problem through that. Like, they were taking me as second option. I start off the bench and all that. But I didn`t let that weigh me down, so I just kept my head straight" 

But his skills was never in question. Most times when he played, he`d finish with a double double. It was just difficult getting more playing time.

Then that faithful day came in Asaba, Delta State, and he got a chance not only to keep his straight but to put his chin up. The team`s starting five including Owen Ohiakhiri, Komo Omonibo was in foul trouble, and Mustee was needed to save the day. And boy, did he!!

"It was insane. I don`t know what came over me that day. Everything was just working for me. I think what really helped was that I don`t hold on to anything on my mind, even though I wasn`t getting the chance to play first five, I was still going to give my best"

The news spread across the basketball circle and his popularity grew. That game helped him validate the nickname "Tafa Buckets"

Mustee acknowledged all the people who have played a part in the development of his skills over the years. During his season with Hoops & Read, that person was the founder, Olumide Oyedeji.

"We learned a lot from Big Olu especially. His scouting report was excellent, and he showed us the way - the NBA way"

In the season that followed, Mustee left Hoops & Read for Kwara Falcons where he reunited with Coach Lateef Erinfolami, his former coach when he played with the Islanders. 

Whether Mustee will break his own record of 11 threes or someone else in the league will, we can only wait. 

Image - FIBA

Frank Osayi`s story is similar to the stories of many Nigerians who would have played professional basketball at the highest level if they had started earlier than they did. Born and raised in Nigeria, Osayi traveled to Netherlands in his early teens and ended up schooling in the Netherlands, Ireland and the United States. He started playing basketball when he was 14 and he fell in love with the game. 

"There was something about the game that made me feel at peace on the court. So it gave birth to a desire to play professionally and in the NBA"

He pursued this dream and played for different teams in Ireland and Netherlands. When he eventually made it to the United States, he discovered how competitive it was joining a professional team in the US and making it to the NBA. He also realized the advantage the players born and raised in the US had over others - they start early. 

"Most of the players there were extremely good and had started playing from a very early age. When this happened, I always wondered "what if i had started earlier in Nigeria, Would this have made a difference?"  

This made him venture into coaching. He wanted to give the younger generation in Ireland the opportunity he did not have and help them start early. He also started organizing pickup games with his peers. Organizing pickup games made him see the need for a better way to organize and manage these games, and as a Software Engineer, he decided to solve it. 

"After organizing games for a few years, I quickly realized that there was a clear need for a better way to manage these pickup games and training sessions. I used email groups, WhatsApp groups and sometimes Facebook groups to manage my team, but they were not efficient enough. This was when I decided to attempt to solve this problem by creating a platform that was basketball specific."

This led to the design and launching of the PGRaters.

The PGRaters app connects basketball players, coaches and organizers from around the world with a vision to bring visibility to the basketball community. The application helps individuals organize pickup games in the neighbourhood and find scheduled tournaments to participate in. It also gives players the opportunity to have their skilled rated and their profile ranked. 

According to Osayi, the main objective of PGRaters is to transform the way basketball is perceived on the playground by creating a global basketball network that increases competitiveness, engagement and excitement. But charity begins at home. While the app has already succeeded in the Ireland, Osayi understands there`s a greater need for such platform in Africa and is working towards its promotion in Nigeria. Growing up in Benin City, Edo State with limited exposure to basketball, he understands how the app will increase the access to basketball through community pickup games. 

"The reason I am focusing on Africa now, starting with Nigeria, is because I feel there are many talented players that have no way of showcasing themselves to the world; players with talents but they have no visibility. So I aim to drive basketball inclusion in the Nigeria."

In an environment where players need more games to help them improve their skills and a platform for recognition, PGRaters provides a perfect tool that will ensure that more games are organised and played, that community basketball is revived and better promoted, that basketball players network more with other players within and beyond their immediate community, that basketball fans are aware of events within the environment and the country at large, and that active players receive feedback and ratings. 

If you ask, this sounds like what basketball in Nigeria so desperately needs at the moment. The PGRaters app is available for download on both Android and IOS. You can also check out the website for more information about the app and its features.  

The PGRaters app is available both on Apple and Play Stores for iPhone and Android users respectively. We did a review of the app using an iPhone. The app is named "PGRaters" on Apple store and it is very easy to search for and to find. 

Once downloaded, the app gives first time users some options to sign up. You can either use your Facebook Account, your Apple ID, a Google account or any other email address. The easiest and fastest option is Facebook while using your email takes the longest time as you need to fill in all your details including First Name, Last Name, Email Address  User Name, Password and Position. Unlike the other options that automatically upload your picture, you have to manually add image if you sign up using your email address. 

Once you set up, you are good to go. A good place to start is by checking your profile and see the options you have. This includes Profile, My Teams, Collect Money, My Sessions , My Posts, Top Rated Posts, Leader-board, Share with Friends and Settings. 

Your PROFILE shows your followers; people you are following; your overall ratings which is broken down into Offense, Defence, Fitness, Speed and Attendance; General Information and Reviews. MY TEAMS allows you create your teams or be a part of already created teams. We recommended that you set allow the app access your location so you can get information about your immediate environment. SETTINGS allows you set a range around your location, log out of the app or delete your account.

The pages on the app are Home - Sessions - Chats - Alerts. Just like other social media platforms, you can update your status with posts, images and videos. For basketball players, this means you can post your shots, dunks and dribbles. You also have a suggested list of people around you that you can follow and the list of nearby sessions and games. This is why it`s important you turn on your location. 

On the SESSIONS page, you can see all the nearby games, games you have confirmed to participate in and games already completed. There`s also a CHAT option that allows instant messaging between individuals and teams. It means once you set up a tournament, you can add all the players to a chat and share information and updates, or just banter. Cool, don`t you think? All your notifications can be easily accessed on the ALERTS tab/page.

Perhaps the most important feature is the basketball button that allows you create a new sessions which could either be a training session, a game or pick up tournament. You get to give your session a title, choose a session type, add description, specify the venue, select date and time, add limit to number of players, indicate if its a free or paid event, and then invite players and/or teams. Technically, the app is making it easy for you to create your own games or tournament within your neighborhood.

The PGRaters app is a much needed app in an environment like ours as it will help basketball players better organize games and tournaments within their communities, improve on their skills and network with other players. It also give coaches a platform to scout from. The app will revolutionize non-league and recreational basketball in Nigeria. 

You can download the app on Apple Store or Google Play Store. Check it out and share your feedback. 

When news broke of the death of Justice Nasir Ajannah, the Chief Justice of Kogi State and a great contributor to the development of basketball in the country, many basketball veterans poured out deep emotional tributes. One of them is former NBA and DTigers` player, Olumide Oyedeji.

In his tribute shared this morning, Olumide Oyedeji mourned the passing of such an exemplary icon. 

"On 28th of June 2020 ,I woke up to some terrible news. My benefactor , mentor, father, confidant ,adviser, friend Justice Nasir Ajanah who hugely shaped my view on life, work, and many other things, had passed away. I’ve never met too many as equally impressive, smart and grounded, humble ,heart of gold, selfless with great act of hospitality and listening ear as Late Justice Nasir Ajanah

It is not that common at this stage to find someone who shape our intellect, interest, and life in general. But my mentor did that. While we were originally brought together by the game of Basketball, I soon began to learn from his views and perspectives and his wealth of knowledge and experience . Which added to the fundamental for my understanding of the world.

I hope that everyone, when such people cross their paths, never take people like Late Justice Nasir Ajanah for granted. I certainly never did, and never will.

Late Justice Nasir Ajanah, you were a great man; you were important; you were a great thinker; you were a great heart; you were special; you were unique; you were an inspiration; you were a role-model; you were a leader; you were an example; you were my kind; you were my friend.

Many loved you; you are gone; yet, you live on. Many think fondly of you; many will remember you for a long time; your name has been engraved in the annals of history. You carved your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.

YOU WILL BE MISSED ..

NIGERIA JUDICIARY WILL MISS YOU ...

NIGERIA BASKETBALL WILL MISS YOU ..

OKENE WILL FEEL YOUR ABSENCE DURING DECEMBER 

ALL THE PLAYERS AND THE BASKETBALL COMMUNITY THAT YOU PUT SMILE ON THEIR FACES WILL MISS YOU .

REST IN PEACE  JUSTICE NASIR AJANAH"

We pray for the soul of the departed Justice and we pray God gives his family and the basketball community the strength to bear the loss. 

by Ayotunde Onabolu

Was Kawhi Leonard the reason the Raptors won the 2019 NBA title? Let us use numbers to put things in perspective.

Basic statistics suggest Kawhi was the MAN, but we can all agree that traditional stats hardly tell the true story. So, we will use a few advanced metrics to attempt to tell the story of the Raptors’ run to history. Why advanced metrics? Although they are not perfect in themselves, some of them still do a great job in attempting to paint an accurate picture of what we are trying to figure out. 

For the sake of this discourse, I will be considering players who averaged at least 20 minutes per game. 

First off are the four factors of basketball success: shooting, turnovers, offensive rebounding and free throw rate. 

In the regular season, Danny Green was the most effective shooter with an effective field goal shooting percentage of 62.2%, followed by Pascal Siakam with 59.1%, followed by Serge Ibaka with 55.7% and then Leonard with 54.6%. It should be noted that effective field goal percentage measures two-point field goals, three-point field goals and free throws. 

On to turnover percentage we head. Unlike mere turnover numbers, turnover percentage accounts for activity (in this case, field goals and free throws) in turnovers. For the Raptors, Leonard led with 8.4%, followed by Green with 10.4%, then Ibaka with 10.7% and then Fred VanVleet with 11.2%. 

Next factor is offensive rebounding percentage which is a measure of the amount of offensive rebounds a player grabbed out of the total amount of offensive rebounds available to his team. Ibaka led this category with 8.6%, followed by Siakam with 5.4%, followed by OG Anunoby with 4.8 and then Leonard with 4.2%.

Finally, among the four factors, we look at free throw rate which measures how often a player gets to the free throw line and how much of his attempts he makes. Leonard led this metric with 0.377, followed by Siakam with 0.320, then Gasol with 0.278 and then Lowry with 0.263.

Leaving the four factors, we will next examine the per 100 possessions statistics - individual offensive and defensive ratings. By quick definition, individual offensive rating is the number of points produced by a player per one hundred total individual possessions, while individual defensive rating is the amount of points a player allows per one hundred possessions. 

For the 2019 Raptors, among qualified players (players who averaged at least 20 minutes per contest), Siakam led in offensive rating with 120, followed by Green and Leonard with 119 and then Gasol with 116. For defensive rating, Gasol led the team with 104, followed by Ibaka and Leonard with 105, and then Siakam with 107. 

Let us now look at a few other very important advanced metrics before we sum everything up. We will examine Win Shares (WS), Box Plus/Minus (BPM) and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP). 

Win shares is a statistic that pretty much says a team’s success is a sum total of the individual players’ successes. In other words, the total number of wins a team records is a sum total of individual wins every player on the team’s roster contributed. So, when you add up the total win shares of the players of a team, it will be approximately equal to the total number of wins the team recorded.

For the 2019 Raptors, Leonard led with a WS of 9.5, followed by Siakam with 9.3, then Lowry with 6.6 and Ibaka with 6.1. In layman terms, it means Leonard was responsible for 9.5 wins of the Raptors 58 total wins and so on and so forth. 

By way of information, it should be noted that Leonard led the Raptors in offensive win shares with 6.1 ahead of Siakam (5.7), while Siakam led the team in defensive win shares (3.6) ahead of Leonard (3.4).

Box Plus/Minus (BPM) is a basketball box score-based metric that estimates a basketball player’s contribution to the team when that player is on the court. To put this metric into proper perspective, check this out:

• +10.0 is an all-time season (think peak Michael Jordan or LeBron James)

• +8.0 is an MVP season (think peak Dirk Nowitzki or peak Shaquille O’Neal)

• +6.0 is an all-NBA season

• +4.0 is in all-star consideration

• +2.0 is a good starter

• +0.0 is a decent starter or solid 6th man

• -2.0 is a bench player (this is also defined as `replacement level.` This concept will be explained shortly)

• Below -2.0 are many end-of-bench players

With this in mind, let us now look at who did what for the 2019 Raptors. Leonard led in BPM with 7.2 (very nearly an MVP-type season from the Claw). Up next is Gasol with 2.9, then Siakam with 2.4 and Lowry with 2.3. We see, according to BPM that Leonard had a terrific season that could have seen him in the MVP conversation if he played more games perhaps, while Gasol, Siakam and Lowry were solid starters at best. 

Let us look at Value Over Replacement Player (VORP).  VORP is defined by Basketball Reference as a measure to estimate each player’s overall contribution to the team, measured versus what a theoretical “replacement player” would provide, where the “replacement player” is defined as a player on minimum salary or not a normal member of a team’s rotation.

Leonard led the 2019 Raptors in VORP with 4.7, followed by Siakam with 2.8, followed by Lowry with 2.4 and then Green with 2.2. 

It should be noted again that only players who logged at least 20 minutes per game were considered for this discourse. The eight players who made the cut in alphabetical order of last names are OG Anunoby, Marc Gasol, Danny Green, Serge Ibaka, Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.

The following table is a summary of all the metrics for the qualified players.

Next thing to do would be to measure the used metrics against one another to determine the importance of one metric against the others. For this discussion, I will rank Win Shares (WS) first since it shares a team’s total wins among its players. Next in rank will be Value Over Replacement Player (VORP), then Box Plus/Minus (BPM), then individual Net Rating which is the difference between Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating, and then the Four Factors. 

After comparing the players based on each metric, here is what the rankings look like:

It is pretty clear that Leonard topped the team in every metric category used.

Next step is to design a weighting system that apportions weights to each metric based on an order of importance. For the sake of this conversation, Win Shares gets the highest weight, followed by Value Over Replacement Player, then Box Plus Minus, then Net Rating and then Four Factors.

After assigning the weights, this is how the players rank overall:

As far as the regular season went, Kawhi Leonard turned out the be the most important player for the Raptors with his MVP-type production. He came under some scrutiny with the concept of load management hanging over his head, causing him to play only 60 of the team’s 82 regular season games.