17 June 2009
NIGERIA : Camping rescheduled for Nigerian-based Tigers
ABUJA (Afrobasket) - The home-based players invited to the Nigerian camp for the Libya 2009 African Nations Cup for Men will now go into camping this weekend having failed to enter into camp as originally scheduled last weekend. The assistant coach of the Nigerian team to the competition Sani Ahmed told FIBA AFRICA that the hitch that caused the delay has been over come.
“We had some little technical issue with the training venue but that has been sorted out and with that we’ll hold the programme this weekend. It’s a short one and we hope to be well on time before the main camping begins in Houston,” Ahmed said.
By the arrangement, 15 players are billed to camp in Kaduna for about three days. The screening will cut down the players to less than 10 in number and those selected are scheduled to join the main camp in Houston, USA ahead of the African jump ball in Tripoli, Libya by August.
The main camp will open in USA on June 26th. The camping will form the major part of the first phase of camping.
By the details of the national camping schedule, the June camping will take a break on July 1st to enable the players in camp take part in the NBA Summer League. The first part of the camping will feature 24 players based abroad.
“The Houston first stage is for the 24 players based abroad that have been screened and selected. Everybody is to get a chance to cross to the next level,” the associate head coach Masai Ujiri said.
When the players return on July 20th only 14 of the original 24-man list will return as the team will be trimmed down. The 14 selected players from the Houston camp are expected to form the backbone of the final team of The Tigers to Tripoli and Benghazi – the Libyan cities where the African competition will hold from August 5 to 15.
American John Lucas has been named the new head coach of The Tigers. The best of the Nigerian camp will compete with the foreign based players when the camps merge, we were told. Nigeria and 15 other countries will battle for the African cup and the three tickets to the FIBA World Championship holding in Turkey next year.
By Pius Ayinor, FIBA Africa
“We had some little technical issue with the training venue but that has been sorted out and with that we’ll hold the programme this weekend. It’s a short one and we hope to be well on time before the main camping begins in Houston,” Ahmed said.
By the arrangement, 15 players are billed to camp in Kaduna for about three days. The screening will cut down the players to less than 10 in number and those selected are scheduled to join the main camp in Houston, USA ahead of the African jump ball in Tripoli, Libya by August.
The main camp will open in USA on June 26th. The camping will form the major part of the first phase of camping.
By the details of the national camping schedule, the June camping will take a break on July 1st to enable the players in camp take part in the NBA Summer League. The first part of the camping will feature 24 players based abroad.
“The Houston first stage is for the 24 players based abroad that have been screened and selected. Everybody is to get a chance to cross to the next level,” the associate head coach Masai Ujiri said.
When the players return on July 20th only 14 of the original 24-man list will return as the team will be trimmed down. The 14 selected players from the Houston camp are expected to form the backbone of the final team of The Tigers to Tripoli and Benghazi – the Libyan cities where the African competition will hold from August 5 to 15.
American John Lucas has been named the new head coach of The Tigers. The best of the Nigerian camp will compete with the foreign based players when the camps merge, we were told. Nigeria and 15 other countries will battle for the African cup and the three tickets to the FIBA World Championship holding in Turkey next year.
By Pius Ayinor, FIBA Africa
# posted by afrbk : 15:19
