Basketball in Africa

Three-time champion of the Nigeria DStv Premier Basketball League, Kano Pillars basketball club at the weekend picked an away win to shore-up its position in the Savannah conference of the league.
The former champion coached by Coach Sani Ahmed posted a 87-67 points victory over new-comer Defenders basketball club of Abuja to make it a 3-0 recorded with two of the victory coming from away having defeated Niger Potters basketball club of Minna 75-50 points in the 2011/2012 season opener.
Defending champion, Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt also recorded a valuable away win in the Atlantic conference of the league with a 77-72 points victory over Islanders basketball club of Lagos at the Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos while conference leader Dodan Warriors basketball club maintain its leadership of the Atlantic conference with an 88-45 points spanking of Police Baton basketball club in a local derby in Lagos.
Customs basketball club gave Union bank basketball club some scare in the fourth quarter of their week-3 game losing by 54-58 points while Chariots basketball club fell to Comets basketball club by 63-68 points.
Niger Potters basketball club of Minna recorded the best result of the weekend with a 97-67 points win over Tapgun Rockets basketball club of Jos in Minna.
The 30-point margin victory for the Potters thus gave them a rise in the Savannah conference log from sixth place to fourth while Kada Stars basketball club of Kaduna narrowly edge home side Immigration basketball club of Kano by 73-70 points just as Yelwa Hawks basketball club of Bauchi had the better of city rival Bauchi Nets basketball club by 65-63 points.
Four clubs Kano Pillars and Yelwa Hawks from the Savannah conference and Dodan Warriors and Royal Hoopers in the Atlantic conference are yet to taste defeat in the three-week old DStv league.
Week-3 Results
DODAN WARRIORS 88 - 45 POLICE BATON
ISLANDERS 72 - 77 ROYAL HOOPERS
DEFENDERS 67 - 87 KANO PILLARS
BAUCHI NETS 63 - 65 YELWA HAWKS
CUSTOMS 54 - 58 UNION BANK
CHARIOTS 63 - 68 COMETS
NIGER POTTERS 97 - 67 TAPGUN ROCKETS
IMMIGRATION 70 - 73 KADA STARS

By Eddie Akalonu
After seasons without any significant play in the NBBF Premier Basketball League, Chariots basketball club of Lagos finally stepped out of the shadows into limelight by a 73-67 upset victory over former champions Comets in over time last week in Lagos.
With celebrations over, both sides again take the centre stage today at the same venue as the Week-3 main attraction. While Comets are hoping to end Chariots planned move to the next level, head coach of the league’s latest team, Alex Owoicho and assistant, Charles Ibeziako say they are not allowing that victory go into their heads and derail their plans.
“We intend to play with same zeal and caution. We are mindful of what is at stake. Some things have been opened to us after two games and we will approach them with same zeal but mindful of the fact that Comets are no push overs in this game,” Owoicho said.
Many enthusiasts have said that the golden time for Chariots to re-write history is now if only they are able to recreate the same form and firepower to win a second time against Comets. Sports Writer Pius Anyinor put it this way: “beating Comets was like Chariots have won the league already.
I pray they maintain it because such gives credence to the game. Well, the win perhaps may have begun to cleanse the wear, tear, sadness and emotion of losses in the past including the Week one shock loss to Union Bank .
We saw the flaws, put ourselves together in the hope of making an impact this time because we felt like if we added some bite, play with caution, things would go our way.
Thank God the approach paid off finally against a team like Comets considered one of the best in the country. We needed the win after strings of loses in the league,” he said shortly after the game.
In same Week two,Warriors, who followed in Chariots footsteps with an 82- 61 win over Union Bank, are set to compound Police Baton woes by extending their losing streak in the Atlantic Conference.

BY JACOB AJOM
Dodan Warriors basketball club of Lagos at the weekend won their third straight match in the ongoing DSTV basketball league after beating Police Batons 88-45 in a grossly one-sided match played Saturday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National stadium, Lagos.
The match which provided little excitement because of the dominance of the victorious Warriors ushered in a more balanced tie between the defending champions, Port Harcourt based Royal Hoopers and Lagos Islanders.
The match was a top of the bill fixture which brought out the best in the two teams as spectators were held spell-bound throughout. The defending champions had the better of the Lagos side, winning 77-72.
In a post match chat with press men, Chief executive of Dodan Warriors, Colonel Sam Ahmedu (rtd) said he was not carried away by his club’s impressive run in the DSTV League so far. “No,” he said. “The season is still young and no one can actually tell the true strength of the teams involved. We will continue to take each match as it comes and not underrate any team.”
Meanwhile, sponsors of the league and the league organisers, the Nigeria Basketball Federation at the week end called for concerted efforts by all stake holders to make the league a success. Managing Director of Multi-Choice Nigeria, John Ugbe hinted that DSTV was inclined to renewing the sponsorship deal for another four years.

The second day of the nigerian championship (Premier Basketball League) was played this week-end.

Results
ROYAL HOOPERS 67 -57 CUSTOMS
UNION BANK 61 - 82 DODAN WARRIORS
KANO PILLARS 88 - 46 BAUCHI NETS
KADA STARS 92 -68 DEFENDERS

The National Basketball Federation will hold elections to fill in the vacant positions of President, first Vice President and legal Advisor in May according to Albert Kayiranga, the acting Ferwaba President.
The posts fall vacant when former Hoops boss Eric Kalisa, Henry Munyengabe and legal Advisor Shema Maboko resigned last year.
“We shall hold elections in May after the playoff games and AGM meeting.”Kayiranga said refusing to reveal whether he would contest for Presidency.
Meanwhile the playoff games will come to a climax this Saturday in titanic thriller which will pit last year’ champions KBC against the country’s most successful club APR.
The winner will walk away with Rwf 0.3m, while runners-up and third placed team will pocket Rwf 0.2m and Rwf 150.000 respectively courtesy of tournament sponsors Imbuto Foundation who pumped in Rwf 16m in the tourney as a means of using sports to raise awareness about Malaria in the country.

The Hoops league is also scheduled to start in June.

March Madness is not just a US collegiate basketball matter. It is an international celebration of the game, especially with the rising number of players born outside the United States who take part.
Africa is no exception. More and more African-born prospect student-athletes have chosen to pursue their sport and educational careers on the other side of the Atlantic.
 When, in a few days time, 68 collegiate teams from different conferences start competing for a place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Final Four, a large number of Africans will be involved in the process.
 There are currently over 400 international student-athletes competing in Division I Men’s Basketball and 80 of them are from Africa, according to the NCAA.
 However, this figure does not include athletes who hold dual-citizenship. For example, University of Texas point guard Myck Kabongo was born in DR Congo, but he represents Canada.
 Africans make up the third largest group of international players competing in Division 1 behind Europeans (157 student-athletes) and North America (114 non-US).
They are followed by Australians (34), South Americans (20) and Asians (7).
 Five years ago (2006-07), there were 424 international student-athletes competing in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball, and 88 of those players were from Africa.
 Africans became madly attracted to the NCAA since international programmes such as Basketball without Borders (BWB) started campaigning and promoting education and sports outside the United States.
 Cameroonian international and Milwaukee Bucks forward Luc Mbah a Moute is an example, as he joined the BWB in Johannesburg at the age of 16, before accepting an offer from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) programme.
 The recruitment process by US colleges outside the country has benefited not only the schools, but the players’ countries of origin.
 These youths compete against the best prospect players in the world and benefit from learning with experienced head coaches, the best they can get.
What makes me really enthusiastic about the rising number of Africa-born players in the NCAA is the fact they are not just quantity. Instead, there is also quality among them.
 Despite showing some limitations in his offensive game, Louisville University's Senegalese centre Gorgui Dieng is currently one of the top 10 blockers in the NCAA, with 3.2 swats per game.
 Inspired by NBA African players such as Mbah a Moute, Bismack Biyombo, Serge Ibaka, DeSagana Diop and Christian Eyenga, the new generation of young African players find in the American universities the rare high-education and sports career that their native countries cannot offer.
 Nigerian Ugo Okam, for instance, is pursuing his education at highly-rated Harvard University.
 There are players from all corners of Africa, including from countries with low tradition in basketball - Ghana, Uganda and Chad are all represented in Division 1.
 With 25 players, Nigeria is the most representative country, followed by Cameroon with 15. Senegal and Ivory Coast combine for 19 players.
 South Africa, Chad and Sudan have three players each, followed by Egypt, Mali, Benin with two apiece, while Guinea-Conakry, Tunisia, Angola, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Uganda have one single representative.
 I am not the only one advocating sport and education to youth players.
 Ivory Coast international and Gonzaga University forward Guy Landry Edi agrees: “I believe they play in the NCAA because there is not better system in the whole world where you can play basketball at high level and follow your education at the same time. Especially Africa needs more educated people for the continent to advance. If basketball does not work or you get injured you have your education to be successful in life.”
New Mexico State University South African center Tshilidzi Nephawe is one of the 80 African student-athletes.
This is what his coach Marvin Menzies said when I asked him about the rising number of African players in the NCAA: “I think (it's) because they are talented. They bring great size and athleticism and discipline. I think all of the players that I’ve had the opportunity to recruit from Africa have also been very coachable. I think culturally they tend to be a self-disciplined and self-motivated type of player.”
 Davidson University head coach Bob McKillop, who counts with Tunisian Youssef Mejri in his squad said: “Basketball has become a global game. The NCAA is filled with players from International backgrounds. This is also happening in the NBA as players from all continents can be found on rosters.”
If federations take considerably attention, some of these young players may be extremely useful at next year AfroBasket, to be staged in Ivory Coast.

Julio Chitunda

With three away wins in both Conferences in Week One the NBBF/Dstv League enters Week Two today and tomorrow with astounding results expected as usual.
Defending champions, Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt fresh from their 59-49 points win over Police Baton could increase their lead today as they are again at home to another Lagos side, Nigeria Customs club who crumbled to Dodan Warriors Warriors 74-65 last weekend in Lagos.
Coach Ogoh Odaudu side have made it clear they have their sight on yet another title and may use all the home advantage to prove this as the Customs side may not be difficult to handle.
And in Lagos, two games hold in the Atlantic Conference where in one, Dodan Warriors have a tough one against high riding Union Bank who won 77-70 over Charriots last Saturday while Islanders host Police Baton in the second game.
In the Savannah Conference, four matches come up with Pillars who won away to Niger Potters by a wide margin of 75 -50 hosting Bauchi Nets in Kano, Tapgun Rockets battle Nigerian Immigration in Zaria, Yelwa Hawks host Potters in Bauchi and Kadda Stars face the Defender in Kaduna.

By Brown Msyani
The Citizen Correspondent
Dar es Salaam. Red-hot Savio produced another scintillating performance yesterday to beat ABC 59-56 and rack up their ninth successive win in the ongoing RBA League at the National Indoor Stadium.

George Tarimo netted 26 points and Sylvan Yunzu had another strong performance inside with 10 points and three rebounds to ensure Savio remained unbeaten.
The victory also meant the former RBA League and National Basketball Championship (NBL) winners moved four points clear at the summit of the table with 18 points.
Savio went to courts with a psychological edge having defeated the same opponents 59-55 last Sunday.
And on Saturday, they wasted no time terrorising the army team, taking a convincing 14-9 first quarter lead. ABC, hoping to return to winning ways, were a pale shadow of themselves for a better part of the first quarter as they struggled to contain Tarimo and Yunzu.
In the second quarter, Savio picked from where they left off, stretching their opponents in early minutes, but ABC, who missed the title by a whisker last season, regained their poise as the game progressed.
The victors won the quarter 12-10 to make the scoreboard read 26-19 their favour at the interval.Savio returned to the third quarter still looking dominant with Romanus Anania pulling the strings in the middle of the pack.ABC worked hard to thwart Anania’s dominance and their efforts paid off a bit as they went down to a narrow 11-10 defeat.
Hoping the game was done and dusted, Savio lowered their tempo in the final quarter, allowing ABC to pour forward and almost overturned the deficit with a 27-10 win.Filbert Mwaipungu was the top scorer for ABC after notching 15 points.

Speaking after the game, Savio head coach Dassy Makula said he was happy with his team’s performance and expected his stars to keep the winning run going.“Today was another good day for Savio, we really deserved the win and hopefully we’ll keep this rhythm going,” he said.
ABC coach Leonard Kwale, who was left reeling after dismal first three quarters, said they would go back to the drawing board hoping to win their next game.Saturday’s other games saw Oilers demolish Prison 53-41 while Dar Outsiders earned their first win of the season after beating Airwing 62-44.

2012 Playoffs
Yesterday’s results
Men
APR 88-59 KBC
Women
APR 89-52 NUR

APR closed in on their first trophy of the season after yesterday’s win at Amahoro Indoor stadium. The Indomitable lions roared to a convincing 88-59 win over rivals and reigning league champions Kigali Basketball Club (KBC).
APR swept the first quarter 21-9 before a great comeback from KBC in the second quarter 22-18. However, Cliff Owuor’s side won the third (21-9) and fourth (21-19) sets to edge closer to their first title in two years.
Owuor is now confident APR will finish off the job come Saturday.
In the ladies fray, APR continued their dominance after seeing off National University of Rwanda (NUR) 89-52.
This year’s edition has been bankrolled by Imbuto foundation as part of their national campaign to fight against Malaria.
The winners will pocket Rwf0.3m while the first and second runners-up will settle for Rwf0.25m and Rwf0.2m respectively.