09 August 2008
NIGERIA : Cote dIvoire beat Nigeria 56-52
With the absence of its three foreign-based players Tunji Awojobi, Olumide Oyedeji and Ejike Ugboaja who heads for home after securing a ticket for the country in 2009 FIBA Africa Championship for Men Nigeria suffered her first defeat in the FIBA Africa Zone-3 qualification losing by 58-52 points to host Cote dIvoire in a reverse fixture.
The Coaches Ayo Bakare and Sani Ahmed tutored side from investigation decide to take the remaining games lightly after beating host Cote dIvoire (65-55) and Togo (76-43) in their first meeting.
The Nigeria national team, DTigers with nine home-based players left is confident of beating the Togolese so as to finish top of the zone qualification.
According to a source from the Nigerian camp in Yamoussoukro venue of the qualifying matches who spoke to our correspondent on telephone Friday night that there is no cause for alarm as the country is happy to be back among the big nations that will jostle for a place in the 2010 FIBA World Championship billed for Turkey.
We are happy once again that after going through tortuous qualifiers which we are not used to since the country have not dropped beyond the third position in past FIBA Africa Championship to book a place in Libya 2009 Championship, we are confident of picking one of the three tickets for the 2010 World Championship, the source opined.
Analysts have therefore charged the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF to be up and doing in its responsibilities of ensuring that the country perform creditably in all international engagement from the U16 to the senior championships.
They argue that the country does not need the services of foreign coaches to do well in major championship based on the premise that last two expatriate coaches (Sam Vincent, Kevin Cook and Robert Mclum) engaged in the last four years did not live up to expectation instead they succeeded in taking the country basketball several steps back-ward.
They want the NBBF to emulate the spirit in Angola, saying that reigning Africa champion does not have half of the top qualities players at the country disposal but mal-administration couple with bad judgments have continue to rob Nigeria of its rightful place in Africa and World basketball stage.
The Coaches Ayo Bakare and Sani Ahmed tutored side from investigation decide to take the remaining games lightly after beating host Cote dIvoire (65-55) and Togo (76-43) in their first meeting.
The Nigeria national team, DTigers with nine home-based players left is confident of beating the Togolese so as to finish top of the zone qualification.
According to a source from the Nigerian camp in Yamoussoukro venue of the qualifying matches who spoke to our correspondent on telephone Friday night that there is no cause for alarm as the country is happy to be back among the big nations that will jostle for a place in the 2010 FIBA World Championship billed for Turkey.
We are happy once again that after going through tortuous qualifiers which we are not used to since the country have not dropped beyond the third position in past FIBA Africa Championship to book a place in Libya 2009 Championship, we are confident of picking one of the three tickets for the 2010 World Championship, the source opined.
Analysts have therefore charged the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF to be up and doing in its responsibilities of ensuring that the country perform creditably in all international engagement from the U16 to the senior championships.
They argue that the country does not need the services of foreign coaches to do well in major championship based on the premise that last two expatriate coaches (Sam Vincent, Kevin Cook and Robert Mclum) engaged in the last four years did not live up to expectation instead they succeeded in taking the country basketball several steps back-ward.
They want the NBBF to emulate the spirit in Angola, saying that reigning Africa champion does not have half of the top qualities players at the country disposal but mal-administration couple with bad judgments have continue to rob Nigeria of its rightful place in Africa and World basketball stage.
# posted by afrbk : 16:21
