Basketball in Africa

Abuja — Coach of Kano Pillars Basketball Club of Kano Sani Ahmed has set his sight on doing the state proud when his team files out in the African club championship.
He attributed hard work together with concentration as the reason for the fifth consecutive victory in DSTV/NBBF Super 8 Premier league won at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National stadium, Surulere Lagos.
Pillars defeated its arc-rivals Markmentors Basketball Club of Abuja by 89 to 88 points to win the league and the coach told LEADERSHIP Sports that planning for the African club continental championship is their next step.
He, however, said the full commencement towards the Africa Club Continental would start when the right date for the tournament had been given.
"We will make sure to curb what happened to us in last year's inter club FIBA tournament in Tunisia not happen again, because beating the defending champions Agusto de Premiro basketball of Angola got into the players' heads. They were praising themselves on the social networks like Twitter, facebook and before it was known to them they lost concentration.
"We hope to win the next FIBA Africa Club Continental but it is not going to be easy, most of the team that came for that competition brought some foreigners, players from NBA but you know one thing we don't have money in Nigeria to bring any foreigner but we went with local players and we played well which is a good experience for them. At the continental tourney we will try to do well at least to get a medal."