Basketball
Kwese Premier Basketball: Pillars, Falcons Win Conference Six Playoffs
Nigerian Premier Basketball League defending champions, Kano Pillars and top notch Nigerian club, at the weekend emerged champions of the Savannah and Atlantic Conference Six of the Kwese Premier League playoffs after winning all the five matches.
The two Conferences had six teams each, saw actions at the Murtala Muhammed Square, Kaduna and the Indoor Sports Hall of the Kwara Sports Complex, Ilorin.
Kano Pillars defeated hard fighting Gombe Bulls 104-97 points in their first game, defeated Kada Stars 91-58 points, won Bauchi Net 85-44 points, fell Niger Potters 103-71 points and beat Plateau Peaks 80-64 points to maintain an unbeaten run.
Coach of the Kano based team, Sani Ahmed, speaking on his team’s performance after the championship reiterated his club’s desire to retain the trophy after the Final Eight in Kano. “Winning the Savanna Conference Six shows the level of consistency in the club. It also tells of the amount of hard work put in by the players to winning tournaments.”
Ahmed said the ultimate goal of the team is to retain the Final Eight trophy next month. “The team is not one hundred percent perfect yet. We are still a high scoring side averaging 80 points per game but we are still going to do more so as to defend and win the Final 8 at home in Kano.
Our tradition is to win any tournament we find ourselves in. So, we aim to retain the Final 8. We have noticed some weaknesses and lapses in the course of our games and will work on them before the Final 8. I noticed the boys sometimes get complacent; but we need to be consistent and more perfect in taking shots.”
The coach also disclosed that the Conference play-off was part of preparations for his team’s participation in an invitational tournament slated in Malaysia in the first week of September.
“Immediately we conclude the Final 8 we shall be honouring a fully sponsored trip to Malaysia for an invitational tournament involving teams from Japan, China, Malaysia and teams from other Asian countries. Good enough we will be prepared because the Kwese Premier Basketball League Final 8 as good preparations for the tournament.”
In the Atlantic Conference Six Play-offs, Kwara Falcons tutored by Adewunmi Aderemi, also defeated all five opponents, Police Batons 106-70, Oluyole Warriors 77-67, Customs 84-73, Hoops and Read 78-73 and defeated Rivers Hoopers in the final game. In the Atlantic Conference, Rivers Hoopers placed second, Hoops and Read third place and Customs fourth. Police Batons and Oluyole Warriors didn’t make the Final 8.
Falcons coach, Adewunmi Aderemi, stated in a post event, that his team will return to training as soon as possible to get the needed fitness for the Final 8. “My dream is to help pick a continental club ticket for the club.
“We shall try our best to win vital games in Kano when the Final 8 begins. We won’t let the Atlantic Conference victory enter the heads of our players, the journey is still far and I believe strongly that, we shall make a very big impact in the Final 8.”
Musa Kida, the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), has been appointed as a non-executive chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the country’s apex oil company. His appointment is part of the sweeping overhaul that the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu made in the first working day after the Sallah break.
The sacking of the board of the NNPC sees the appointment of Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing Mele Kolo Kyari. Prior to his current appointment, Kida was the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water Services, of Total Nigeria.
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Basketball
NSC DG Bukola Olopade Congratulates NBBF Boss Musa Kida for new appointment as NNPC Chairman
The Director General of the National Sports Commission NSC, Bukola Olopade, has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Musa Kida, for his appointment as the new Board Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Olopade said Musa Kida has been one of Nigeria’s most efficient and Productive Sports administrators who has sacrificed a lot for the growth of Nigerian Basketball.
The DG maintained that his latest appointment is a testament to his years of passion, hard work, dedication and a very successful track record in the oil sector for more than two decades.
” Musa Kida is an accomplished administrator whose achievements cut across both the oil sector and Nigerian basketball. I have no doubt that the NNPC Limited will attain better efficiency and attract more investment under his watch”.
” Under his leadership as the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, we have seen the steady growth of the country’s basketball and how the National teams have continued to achieve new heights.
” At the last Olympic Games in France, the Nigeria Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress was one of the shining stories for Team Nigeria, where they set a new record by making it to the knockout phase before losing to the United States”.
” I personally know the efforts behind the scenes that kida put in for Nigeria to achieve that feat with the girls in France and the Nigerian girls have been an unrivalled team on the continent for some time now”.
The DG added that he does not doubt that Musa Kida will use his new position to further earnest the development of Nigerian Sports especially basketball especially now that there is a new focus on growing a sustainable Sports Economy.
” Whilst the Oil sector will benefit immensely from the Expertise of Musa Kida as the new Board Chairman of the NNPC Limited, Mr President, has further helped to place Nigerian Sports in a better pedestal by putting one of us in a very strategic place like the NNPC”, he concluded.
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Basketball
FIBA names Nigeria’s Agada among those who starred the most on the last day of the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers
The 16 teams that will be competing at this year’s FIBA AfroBasket from 12-24 August have been confirmed, with some teams securing their places on the final day of qualifying.
A quintet of individuals put in stellar performances to send their teams to this year’s African championship in style.
Teams have 169 days to prepare for the 2025 edition of the AfroBasket set to be hosted by former champions Angola, who will be chasing a record-extending 12th title.
FIBA- Africa looked at the matches and the players and featured nine players who were the stars of the final day on Sunday.
Here is FIBA’s analysis: The return of the Tokyo Olympian has been a blessing for Abdulrahman Mohammed’s Nigeria.
For the second game in a row, Agada was a thorn in their side’s side, scoring 23 points in a convincing 77-62 win over 2021 AfroBasket semifinalists Cape Verde.
The 30-year-old played just over 30 minutes and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double while adding six assists and five steals for an efficiency rating of 29.
Nigeria entered the competition after an 0-3 start, but his disruptive presence on the floor helped them to a 3-0 run to qualify, averaging 19 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The other players highlighted are: Ousmane Drame of Guinea, Karim Maneof Senegal, Childe Dundao of Angola, Siriman Kanoute of Mali, as well as Ntore Habimana (Rwanda) Aliou Fadiala Diarra (Mali) Allan Dokossi (Central African Republic)and Nisre Zouzoua (Cote d’Ivoire)
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The league title will be icing on Soname’s birthday cake on Sunday
As major global sporting events beckon, Morocco’s monarch launches the Kenitra-Marrakech High-Speed rail project
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