Basketball in Africa

Defending champion of the Nigeria Basketball Federation organised Zenith Bank Women league First Deepwater basketball club will tomorrow opened her title chase campaign in the final phase of the league.

The high profile match will be a test case for the Oil and Gas ladies coached by Coach Lateef 'Latua' Erinfolami is the first among the nine game of the phase at the sports hall of the national stadium, Lagos.
First Deepwater Chairman, Engr. Babatunde Babalola has urge his players to go all the way in its attempt to retain the Nigeria domestic league title.
Babalola says the players and their handlers will be handsomely rewarded should they retain the league diadem they won last year.
The Oil and Gas mogul told Trustsports that he is satisfy with the performance of the team who is just three seasons old in the Nigeria top flight league.
The club last weekend hosted its playmaker Nkechi Akashili to a reception for being part of the bronze winning and fourth place finish of the Nigeria senior women national team at the 10th All Africa Games and 22nd Afrobasket for Women in Mozambique and Mali.
The defending champion will take on Delta Force of Asaba on October 21 it will be the turn of Plateau Rocks of Jos to test the might of the champion on October 22 while it will have another test game against Dolphins basketball on October 23.
Coach Erinfolami and his wards will continue their search for a second consecutive title ambition when they stake their pride against Nigeria Immigration basketball club of Kano before the break on resumption on October 26 First Deepwater of Lagos will take on Adolescent Health and Information Programme (AHIP) basketball club of Kano and it will take on FCT Queens of Abuja on October 27.
The champion biggest test comes on October 28 against former champion First Bank and round off her campaign against the Nigeria Customs Service basketball team on October 29.
Coach Erinfolami says his players are battle ready and would approach each game as if it's the last.
The former Nigeria international is optimistic that First Deepwater will retain the title for a second season running and go on to do the nation proud at both the FIBA Africa Zone-3 qualifiers which the club has bided to host and the final round of the Africa Champions Club for Women.