18 June 2009
NIGERIA : Dodan Warriors bouncing back
LAGOS (Premier League) - Dodan Warriors of Lagos have announced that they have completed the process leading to a big return in the Nigerian basketball circle. The detail for the big bounce back into the league scene was given by the coordinator of the team Col. Sam Ahmedu (rtd) in a chat with FIBA Africa in Lagos during the week.
“After a seeming lull in our activities in the past 2 years, the Dodan Warriors Basketball programme is being re-branded to meet up with the challenges of the times. To this end a sweeping reorganization will take place within the management to make the Warriors brand more vibrant. However, our core value which remains the development of our youths, through basketball and education will remain the same,” Ahmedu said.
At the close of the last season, the Dodan Warriors management sold the franchise for their female team the Dodan Amazon which prompted many followers of the game in Nigeria to suggest that the Warriors basketball programme was gradually winding up. But Ahmedu has said that the decision to let go the ladies was only strategic to the advancement of their programme without much distractions.
“In the light of the likely take off of the Premier League as a result of the sponsorship deal with sealed with MultiChoice by the last board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), the Warriors brand seeks to reposition itself in order to be more competitive and result oriented.”
The Dodan Warriors have been key players in the Nigerian basketball scene since inception in 1994 when they joined the system in third division and played through the ranks to enter the top flight Premier League in 1997.
In 2006 the Warriors became the first Nigerian club to host the FIBA Africa Champions League play off and finished with a bronze medal in the competition held at the National Stadium, Lagos.
The Dodan Warriors Programme has also produced over 50 kids in colleges in the United States with many others now playing professionally in different leagues across the world. The Lagos based club is hopeful that their fan base will continue to grow.
By Pius Ayinor, FIBA Africa
“After a seeming lull in our activities in the past 2 years, the Dodan Warriors Basketball programme is being re-branded to meet up with the challenges of the times. To this end a sweeping reorganization will take place within the management to make the Warriors brand more vibrant. However, our core value which remains the development of our youths, through basketball and education will remain the same,” Ahmedu said.
At the close of the last season, the Dodan Warriors management sold the franchise for their female team the Dodan Amazon which prompted many followers of the game in Nigeria to suggest that the Warriors basketball programme was gradually winding up. But Ahmedu has said that the decision to let go the ladies was only strategic to the advancement of their programme without much distractions.
“In the light of the likely take off of the Premier League as a result of the sponsorship deal with sealed with MultiChoice by the last board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), the Warriors brand seeks to reposition itself in order to be more competitive and result oriented.”
The Dodan Warriors have been key players in the Nigerian basketball scene since inception in 1994 when they joined the system in third division and played through the ranks to enter the top flight Premier League in 1997.
In 2006 the Warriors became the first Nigerian club to host the FIBA Africa Champions League play off and finished with a bronze medal in the competition held at the National Stadium, Lagos.
The Dodan Warriors Programme has also produced over 50 kids in colleges in the United States with many others now playing professionally in different leagues across the world. The Lagos based club is hopeful that their fan base will continue to grow.
By Pius Ayinor, FIBA Africa
# posted by afrbk : 19:10
