Basketball in Africa

by Wale Quadri

It has always been the norm in our society that when a year runs its full course and a brand new one approaches, the tendency to count the blessings of the out going year is irresistible.

The mood at this period is to seat back and critically take stock of activities from the beginning of the year till the end in order to master the mistakes of the past years and probably chart a new course for the new born year.

Just as it is important for individual to take stock, so it must be for institutions, organizations and the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) should be no exception.

For the NBBF, it would be a hand sell. While other sports federations will indulge in some self praise for their modest achievements in year 2007, NBBF led by its president Elder Jacob Buba Gyang will perhaps bury its head in shame for backsliding in the year 2007.

For the slamming and dunking game, the out gone year is that of one step forward, multi steps backward.

Rather than building up on the success story of year 2006 that brought a renewed hope for the game, activities within the basketball circle became paralyzed in 2007. The inability to dunk off the 2006/2007 domestic league season, following the withdrawal of its sponsor, V/Mobile (now Celtel) was a sore point for the NBBF board.

In spite of his position as Comptroller-General (CG) of Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), Elder Gyan (board) failed to muster enough energy to draw new sponsors, thereby pouring bucket of ice on the game and its stakeholders.

Players and officials of the game loafed around the Indoor Sports Hall, National Stadium, Lagos like an expectant father sauntering around the corridor of the Labour Room to hear the cry of his new born baby. Though, while the father eventual smiled on arrival of his new born baby, for Nigerian basketball players and officials they waited in vain for the league to hold.

The ripple effect of non-availability of the domestic league took its tolls on the national teams performances at continental and international levels.

The chains of failures started mid in the year when the Junior Tigers, reigning African champions fell like a pack of card at the 8th FIBA U-19 World Championship in Novi Sad, Serbia, finishing 13th best against their 11th position they earned four years back in far away Athens.

While the players and officials gave their best against all odds, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) did nothing or little to get the team’s preparation started in earnest.

The country’s overall performance at the 9th All Africa Games, Algiers 2007, where Team Nigeria failed to defend its top position achieved on home soil four years ago in Abuja did not come to many as a surprise. What shocked the basketball fraternity were the lackluster performances recorded by both male and female national teams.

After recording gold at the Abuja 2003, Senegal subverted the Nigeria’s Lady Tigers to claim top position in basketball event, while D’Tigers only succeeded in defending the bronze they won on home soil behind continent’s basketball power house, Angola and Egypt.

As if these failures were like butter in the mouth, the Nigerian senior national team headed to Luanda, Angola for the FIBA Africa Championship for Men (Afrobasket 2007), a Beijing 2008 qualifier. Dwelling on what transpired before the championship will be like a wife nagging her husband bad preparation.

While other African countries jostling for the sole Olympics ticket journeyed Europe for tune up matches, Nigeria hurriedly assembled a ‘crack’ team and landed in Luanda few days to the commencement of the championship. Funny enough some Nigerian players met their newly recruited American coach for the first time in Angola.

The result, Nigeria did not make it the top three and they kissed Bejing Olympics bye, while minnows like Cape Verde and Cameroon secured a place for another attempt at qualifying for the summer Games in Beijing, China.

Lady Tigers followed in similar circumstance in Senegal, where relatively unknown Malian team booked their Olympic ticket courtesy of finishing top at the event, another path of qualification was opened to Angola and Senegal in the coming Olympic qualifying tournament for women in Madrid, Spain, from June 9–15, 2008.

At the African clubs championship, First Bank and Dolphins refused to fly the country’s flag high in far away Maputo, Mozambique where the Africa Champions Cup for Women took place. The Adewunmi Aderemi led Elephant Girls finished a distance seventh position, while Dolphins finished second from behind.

In the male version of the African clubs contest, the tale of losses continued in Angola.

Niger Potters of Minna, Nigeria’s sole representatives failed to live up to expectations after their heroic performance at the Africa Zone 3 elimination championship. The team finished fifth behind Angola’s duo Primeiro de Agosto, Petro Atletico, Abidjan Basketball Club (ABC) of Cote d’ Ivoire and Interclub of Angola at the FIBA Africa Club Champions Cup for Men.

Nigeria’s other representatives; Ebun Comets failed to show up for the qualifiers due to lack of funds.

However, the developmental programe of the federation may have fared better in the past year, as spirited efforts of Masai Ujuri, Olumide Oyedeji and Nestle Milo kept the kids going.

Thanks to Olumide Oyedeji annual camp for kids and Masai’s Big Man Camp which ensured that the kids brushed up their knowledge of the game in the year 2007.

Even though, Nestle disappointed the kids for not holding its annual Milo Basketball Kiddies Clinic in 2007, the little efforts in sustaining the Milo Secondary School Basketball Championship were worth commendable.

What do we expect in the New Year? Of course, it is our fervent prayers that the much awaited sponsor, as it has been rumoured within the federation will bring an end to the lull in our domestic league.

The major challenges that will confront the NBBF in the New Year include immediate commencement of the 2008/2009 domestic league and collective efforts at resuscitating the developmental programes of the federation.

However, the only success story of the federation is perhaps the staging of the Zenith Bank Elite 8 Female Premier League, even as the competition needs more time to mature.

In conclusion 2007 has gone with its basket of woes for NBBF and its empty promises, while lovers of the game welcome 2008 with a renewed hope for basketball.