05 September 2012
NIGERIA : Dagunduro takes a step up
| Ade DAGUNDURO (Nigeria). Nigeria v Tunisia. 2012 Olympic Games: Tournament for Men, Preliminary Round. 29 July 2012 |
ROME (Olympics/Afrobasket/Lega A) – The summer started with a bang for Ade Dagunduro, the Nigeria point guard who put on some stirring performances at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Caracas. But it ended with a fizzle at the London Games.
After suffering a hyperextension of the knee early in the team’s second game at the Olympics against Lithuania, Dagunduro was lost to the African squad for the remainder of the competition.
Nigeria, without the player who had been their spark in Venezuela and helped them upset Lithuania and Greece at the OQT, lost their remaining four contests and didn’t progress to the Quarter-Finals in London.
Dagunduro, 26, did enough in the national team shirt to garner the attention of clubs around Europe, though.
Previously on the books of Stella Artois Leuven Bears in Belgium, Dagunduro caught the eye of Virtus Roma and they signed him to him a contract.
All roads now lead to Rome for the fans of Dagunduro.
"I expect a lot from this adventure,” he said.
“Rome is an historic city, and the club has a lot of history.
“It is very exciting to be part of this group, because I know that they are building something special, and even from Italian basketball. I expect a lot.
“I have not seen a lot of games, but all my friends who have played here have said it is one of the toughest leagues in Europe, if not the hardest along with the Spanish league.”
Dagunduro averaged 10.2 points, three assists and 1.4 rebounds per game for Nigeria at the OQT.
The African nation has a wealth of talent to draw from in the American college ranks and will have many options to consider as they go into next year’s Afrobasket, a qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.
Bringing back Dagunduro, a player who was tough as nails on both ends of floor at the OQT, for the tournament in Cote d'Ivoire will be a priority.
For the 1.95m playmaker, all the attention is on his new job in the Italian capital.
“I have a lot of expectations,” Dagunduro said.
“I know that I expect a very tough league, but I hope to be ready for the challenge."
FIBA
After suffering a hyperextension of the knee early in the team’s second game at the Olympics against Lithuania, Dagunduro was lost to the African squad for the remainder of the competition.
Nigeria, without the player who had been their spark in Venezuela and helped them upset Lithuania and Greece at the OQT, lost their remaining four contests and didn’t progress to the Quarter-Finals in London.
Dagunduro, 26, did enough in the national team shirt to garner the attention of clubs around Europe, though.
Previously on the books of Stella Artois Leuven Bears in Belgium, Dagunduro caught the eye of Virtus Roma and they signed him to him a contract.
All roads now lead to Rome for the fans of Dagunduro.
"I expect a lot from this adventure,” he said.
“Rome is an historic city, and the club has a lot of history.
“It is very exciting to be part of this group, because I know that they are building something special, and even from Italian basketball. I expect a lot.
“I have not seen a lot of games, but all my friends who have played here have said it is one of the toughest leagues in Europe, if not the hardest along with the Spanish league.”
Dagunduro averaged 10.2 points, three assists and 1.4 rebounds per game for Nigeria at the OQT.
The African nation has a wealth of talent to draw from in the American college ranks and will have many options to consider as they go into next year’s Afrobasket, a qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.
Bringing back Dagunduro, a player who was tough as nails on both ends of floor at the OQT, for the tournament in Cote d'Ivoire will be a priority.
For the 1.95m playmaker, all the attention is on his new job in the Italian capital.
“I have a lot of expectations,” Dagunduro said.
“I know that I expect a very tough league, but I hope to be ready for the challenge."
FIBA
# posted by afrbk : 19:48
