24 October 2008
NIGERIA : U-18 Nigeria want the title
Nigeria's Under-18 men's basketball team are poised to retain the African title after winning three of their matches at the ongoing 16th FIBA Championship in Egypt .
Emmanuel Okolo, the team's assistant coach, told the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN ) in a telephone interview that the Junior Tigers outplayed Algeria 69-63 in the third match.
They had earlier beaten Cote d' Ivoire 66-53 and Kenya 81-49.
Okolo said Nigeria would take on Congo DR later today and a victory over the Central Africans would take the Tigers to the quarter-finals.
He said that the spirit in camp was high, adding that there was cohesion in the team and hoped the confidence created by the successes, would give them the edge.
"Our boys have been playing to expectations and I don't see anything stopping them now.
"I want to believe that the performance is as a result of hard work, the series of clinics, and camping organised for young players in the country before our departure," Okolo said.
NAN reports that four of the five teams in the group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The five teams in the group are Nigeria , Algeria , Congo DR, Kenya and Angola.
Emmanuel Okolo, the team's assistant coach, told the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN ) in a telephone interview that the Junior Tigers outplayed Algeria 69-63 in the third match.
They had earlier beaten Cote d' Ivoire 66-53 and Kenya 81-49.
Okolo said Nigeria would take on Congo DR later today and a victory over the Central Africans would take the Tigers to the quarter-finals.
He said that the spirit in camp was high, adding that there was cohesion in the team and hoped the confidence created by the successes, would give them the edge.
"Our boys have been playing to expectations and I don't see anything stopping them now.
"I want to believe that the performance is as a result of hard work, the series of clinics, and camping organised for young players in the country before our departure," Okolo said.
NAN reports that four of the five teams in the group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The five teams in the group are Nigeria , Algeria , Congo DR, Kenya and Angola.
# posted by afrbk : 12:02
