08 August 2008
NIGERIA : Country Beat CIV, Togo
by Pius Ayinor
Lagos
Nigerian national male basketball team, The Tigers began their run through the African qualifiers to the 2009 Nations Cup in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire late Tuesday with a 55-45 win over hosts Cote d'Ivoire.
It was Nigeria's first game in qualifiers for the African Zone Three teams comprising also Ghana, Niger Republic, Liberia, Benin and Togo. It was also expected to be the toughest match of the championship for The Tigers who have finished in the runners up position on the continent thrice in the last decade.
"We got well by every calculation; everything is okay with us," the Nigeria Basketball Federation Secretary Mr. Francis Gbiri told THISDAYSports.
"We pray it continues to work like this as we face the other teams and fulfill our mission here on very high terms."
The Nigerians beat their opponents from Togo 76-41 late last night at the same venue.
Two teams are to qualify from the competition in Cote d'Ivoire just as two teams will qualify from other five zones of the continent to make up the full list in Tripoli, Libya next year. Nigeria had entered as host for the 2009 edition but withdrew to become the hosts for 2011 event. The Tigers finished fifth in the last edition held in Angola which automatically forced them into playing the qualifying series.
Abdulrahman Mohammed of the Nigeria Customs team is the captain of the team in this tournament. The initial one hundred percent Nigerian Premier League players were joined by Tunji Awojobi who has been with the team since 1995, Olumide Oyedeji a former NBA player and Ejike Ugboaja also based in America.
Lagos
Nigerian national male basketball team, The Tigers began their run through the African qualifiers to the 2009 Nations Cup in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire late Tuesday with a 55-45 win over hosts Cote d'Ivoire.
It was Nigeria's first game in qualifiers for the African Zone Three teams comprising also Ghana, Niger Republic, Liberia, Benin and Togo. It was also expected to be the toughest match of the championship for The Tigers who have finished in the runners up position on the continent thrice in the last decade.
"We got well by every calculation; everything is okay with us," the Nigeria Basketball Federation Secretary Mr. Francis Gbiri told THISDAYSports.
"We pray it continues to work like this as we face the other teams and fulfill our mission here on very high terms."
The Nigerians beat their opponents from Togo 76-41 late last night at the same venue.
Two teams are to qualify from the competition in Cote d'Ivoire just as two teams will qualify from other five zones of the continent to make up the full list in Tripoli, Libya next year. Nigeria had entered as host for the 2009 edition but withdrew to become the hosts for 2011 event. The Tigers finished fifth in the last edition held in Angola which automatically forced them into playing the qualifying series.
Abdulrahman Mohammed of the Nigeria Customs team is the captain of the team in this tournament. The initial one hundred percent Nigerian Premier League players were joined by Tunji Awojobi who has been with the team since 1995, Olumide Oyedeji a former NBA player and Ejike Ugboaja also based in America.
# posted by afrbk : 18:40
