Basketball in Africa

(by Olusegun Ikuesan)
Nigeria and Kano Pillars basketball club legendary guard, Abubakar Usman is leading the Savannah conference challenge of this weekend All-Star Game holding tomorrow
(Saturday) at the Sport Hall of the National Stadium, Package-B, Abuja.

Usman who was selected alongside three of his Pillars teammates is set to power the Savannah conference over the Atlantic this time out.

Usman and his Savannah conference teammates must be at their best in order to hold off the Atlantic conference who rallied to a 93-82 points win in the 2010 All-Star Game
held in Kaduna.

Leading the challenge from the Atlantic conference is Comets point guard and 2006 Nigeria U18 National team captain, Orseer Ikyaator as the regular season of the DStv
Premier Basketball League take a one week break.

The Savannah conference will be led from the torchline by Nigeria senior national team coach and Kano Pillars Sani Ahmed while the Atlantic conference will be tinker by
Nigeria U18 Men national team Assistant Coach and Royal Hoopers basketball club Head Coach, Ogoh Odaudu.

Other players who made the All-Star list includes Ibrahim Yusuf, Mathew Onmonya, Dele Ademola and Onyeka Okeke from Kano Pillars; Adeolu Olaiya Ojo, Abdulwahab

Yahaya and Abubakar Yusuf from Kada Stars; Abdulwahab Yakubu of Bauchi Nets; Peter Echoi made the list from Yelwa Hawks while former Nigeria Junior international Abel Baraya of Plateau Peaks and Shehu Mohammed of Niger Potters basketball club complete the list.

Making the Atlantic conference list alongside Ikyaator are, Mohammed Bukar, Godwin Ikonshul, Jacob Ogenyi and Romaric Ludivic from Dodan Warriors; Michael Ohiero,
Musa Usman, Azuoma Dike and Abayomi Oyeniyi from Royal Hoopers basketball club; Kayode Balogun and Tosin Mehinti from Islanders with Godspower Igben of Union Bank basketball club making the list.

A 3-point shooting and Slam Dunk contest will preceed the All-Star Game. The 3-point shooting and dunking contest will not be defended by the 2010 winners, Shola
Alayande and Mathew Eseigbe as both did not enter for the contest this year.

The 3-point contest draw six contestants and these includes Timothy Terry of Yelwa Hawks, Abdulwahab Yakubu of Bauchi Nets, Sabo Gabriel of Niger Potters, Azuoma Dike of Royal Hoopers, Oladipupo Osunnubi Dodan Warriors and Obum Darlington Onyia Comets basketball club.

Six dunkers are also on the line-up to thrill the fans and they include; Mathew Agbo-Agbah of Tapgun Rockets, Bright Akhuete of Bauchi Nets, Innocent Dinshal of Kano Pillars, Williams Ndoumbe and Adeola Alade from Union bank and Musa Usman of Royal Hoopers basketball club.

Events of the day according to the Organising Committee will start at 14H00 with the shooting contest followed by the slam dunk contest while the All-Star Game is expected
to jump-start at 16H00 with FIBA Graded referee Babatunde Popoola leading two other FIBA Africa Graded referee, Ado Ahmadu and Ibrahim Hassan taking charge of the
game.