Basketball
NIGERIA’S KALU HEADLINES TOURNAMENT FIVE LINEUP AT #AFROBASKETWOMEN 2019
The FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2019 champions merited their success and two of their players along with a Finalist and one player from both Semi-Finalists.
Point guard Ezinne Kalu inspired Nigeria with 13 points, 3.2 assists, 3 steals and 2.6 rebounds per game giving her an efficiency of 12 per game and this individual brilliance earned her the Most Valuable Player Award and a place in the Tournament Five.
Kalu narrowly edged out her teammate Evelyn Akhator for the MVP Award as the centre, who played a crucial role in helping Nigeria’s quest to defend their title, averaged 11 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Nevertheless, Akhator made it to the Tournament Five.
Joining on the podium is Astou Traore of Senegal whose individual contribution to defining Senegal as a title favourite throughout the tournament meant that she fully deserved her place at the high table.
Traore, who is no stranger to the Tournament Five having featured at the 2017 edition when she was also named MVP, averaged 15.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Her individual
Mali poster girl Touty Gandega renowned for her intensity on court was rewarded for her leadership by example but most importantly as the best point guard of the competition. She averaged 11.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game as the Malians finished third for a third consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket.
Leia Dongue from Mozambique wowed the Senegalese crowd from the beginning of the tournament to the end and much to their satisfaction, she was applauded when her name was read out to complete the Tournament Five.
Dongue averaged 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for Mozambique.
Her teammate Seda Tamara from Mozambique was the tournament’s highest rebounder with 57 to her name while Angolan super star Italee Lucas was the highest three-point shooter with 12 of them.
Egypt’s internet sensation Soraya Degheidy walked away as the highest points scorer with 85 as her side was handed the Fair Play Award.
This was the 26th edition of Africa’s premier competition for women’s basketball.
FIBA
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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