Basketball
OGOH CALLS UP 14 FOR 2019 FIBA AFROCAN
Fourteen players have been selected for the inaugural edition of the AFROCAN Basket Championship taking place in Mali.
Gombe Bulls and Rivers Hoopers of Rivers with four players each dominate the 14-man list released by the home based D’Tigers Head Coach, Ogoh Odaudu for the AFROCAN tipping off on July, 19th in Bamako.
Micheal Okiki, Ibe Agu, Abdulwahab Yakubu and Istifanus Yakubu all of Gombe Bulls will join Abdul Yahaya, Victor Koko Anthony, Onyebuchi Vincent Nwaiwu and Solomon Ezra from Rivers Hoopers.
Kano Pillar’s trio of Azuoma Dike, Lucky Subel and Godwin David who have been in the African Games camp in Abuja have all been called up by Ogoh Odaudu.
Others are Hoops & Read sensation, Ogunsemore Jide Micheal, Defenders captain, Joel Ijigba and Akin Akintunde.
According to Ogoh, players were invited based on their recent performances on international and continental club assignments.
“These are carefully selected players based on their activities in the last one year. We needed to pick players who can easily adapt to the style we will adopt in Mali”.
Ogoh will be assisted by Yakubu Usman, Monday Paul (Defenders) and Fisayo Bello while former junior international, Victor Okoro has been appointed as General Manager.
Meanwhile, the NBBF President, Musa Kida has charged the team to see the AFROCAN as a very good challenge to make a name for themselves and show the world how strong the Nigerian Basketball League is.
“I want you to take this as a very good challenge to make a name for us all on the domestic front and also when you go out, you are going to meet teams that have players coming from outside. I think most teams will have a problem as we are all preparing for the World Cup, but you are going to see surely some teams that are going to present some professionals”.
Kida who visited the team in camp on Tuesday said the team must also note that every team will come out strongly against the team with the rising profile of Nigeria on the International scene.
The team will depart for Bamako on Thursday.
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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