20 April 2007
NIGERIA : African Nations Cup - Tigers Know Foes Today
By Pius Ayinor
Lagos
The Nigerian national basketball team best known as The Tigers will know their opponents today as the draw for the 2007 African Nations Cup competition holds in Luanda, Angola.
The Nigerian team qualified directly from Algeria last year after beating them in a bitter third place match won by higher rated Nigeria. The victory not only ensured Nigeria was in Japan 2006 FIBA World Championship but put The Tigers straight to Angola 2007 without going through the rigours of the qualifying games.As the teams prepare for the draw agency reports confirmed that the chairman and the secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation for Africa (FIBA-Africa), Alain Ekra and Alphonse Bille, respectively, are already in Luanda to attend the draw ceremony. The biggest African senior male Basketball Championship (Afrobasket2007) is to take place from 10-26 August.The competition, which will take place in the provinces of Cabinda, Huila, Huambo, Benguela and Luanda, will be disputed by the host country's team (title holders), Senegal (vice champions), Nigeria, DR Congo, Algeria, Central African Republic, Morocco, Mali, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, South Africa, Rwanda, Liberia and Cameroon.
This competition will be the very first to be played by 16 countries - up from the 12 that the last in Algeria. The two top teams from each group will qualify into the quarter final stage and then move accordingly into the semi and final games. While hosts Angola, Senegal, Nigeria and Egypt are seen as the teams to beat the likes of Rwanda and Liberia are clearly there to make up the numbers and gain experience for the future.
The winners of the competition will gain automatic ticket to the 2008 Olympics in China while the second and third winners will feature in another FIBA tournament with other continental representatives to fight for more tickets.
Lagos
The Nigerian national basketball team best known as The Tigers will know their opponents today as the draw for the 2007 African Nations Cup competition holds in Luanda, Angola.
The Nigerian team qualified directly from Algeria last year after beating them in a bitter third place match won by higher rated Nigeria. The victory not only ensured Nigeria was in Japan 2006 FIBA World Championship but put The Tigers straight to Angola 2007 without going through the rigours of the qualifying games.As the teams prepare for the draw agency reports confirmed that the chairman and the secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation for Africa (FIBA-Africa), Alain Ekra and Alphonse Bille, respectively, are already in Luanda to attend the draw ceremony. The biggest African senior male Basketball Championship (Afrobasket2007) is to take place from 10-26 August.The competition, which will take place in the provinces of Cabinda, Huila, Huambo, Benguela and Luanda, will be disputed by the host country's team (title holders), Senegal (vice champions), Nigeria, DR Congo, Algeria, Central African Republic, Morocco, Mali, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, South Africa, Rwanda, Liberia and Cameroon.
This competition will be the very first to be played by 16 countries - up from the 12 that the last in Algeria. The two top teams from each group will qualify into the quarter final stage and then move accordingly into the semi and final games. While hosts Angola, Senegal, Nigeria and Egypt are seen as the teams to beat the likes of Rwanda and Liberia are clearly there to make up the numbers and gain experience for the future.
The winners of the competition will gain automatic ticket to the 2008 Olympics in China while the second and third winners will feature in another FIBA tournament with other continental representatives to fight for more tickets.
# posted by afrbk : 14:32
