AfroCan Qualifiers: Nigeria’s D’Tigers Open Campaign Against Guinea

BY ODIMEGWU DOMINIC CHINYEAKA

Home-based Nigerian senior national team D’Tigers will begin campaign for a spot in the finals of the 2023 AfroCan Basketball Championship today, Friday with the game against Guinea.

The match today will be played at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

The 2023 AfroCan final championship has been scheduled to hold in July in Angola.

The Tigers arrived in Abidjan on Thursday aboard an ASky Airlines flight that took off from Lagos.

The President of Nigeria Basketball Federation, Musa Ahmadu Kida said traveling by road to Abidjan was never in the Federation’s plan for D’Tigers. He spoke at the backdrop of reports alleging that the team had made the trip by road.

He said, “If well planned in advance, a team can be traveled by road or ship to Abidjan but as has been our custom and tradition in the NBBF, we make sure all the national team players get the very best traveling experience and that’s what we offered them.”

Three countries from FIBA Africa Zone 3 and one from Zone 2 are in Abidjan to fight for the sole ticket from the combined Zone 2.

FIBA Africa hurriedly arranged the joint Qualifiers because seven countries from Zone 2 did not register for the Qualifiers while five other countries in Zone 3 failed to register also for the event.

Zone 3 teams in Abidjan are Republic of Benin, hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria. Guinea is the only Zone 2 team in Abidjan.

The opening match today is between Cote d’Ivoire and Benin while Nigeria will face Guinea in the second game of Match Day 1.

D’Tigers are being coached Ogoh Odaudu. Odaudu led the D’Tigers to a remarkable outing in the sixth and final Window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Angola in February this year.

Odaudu is assisted by Baba Jubril and Abdulrahman Mohammed.

The roster has nine players of the team that represented Nigeria at the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

Abdulwahab Yakubu, Israel Otobo and Lekan Olatunji make way for Bayo Oduleye, Tolani Buhari and Abba Adamu Adam.

Nigeria finished second from bottom during the maiden edition of the AfroCan in 2019.

The winner of this qualifier will be added to Group A in the 2023 AfroCan alongside Kenya and Gabon. It’s the last qualifying ticket for the 12-nation AfroCan.

Nigeria team list:

Anaiye Johnson Ojoneka

Anyaoha Wisdom Christian

Ezeh Victor Tochukwu

Oduleye Adebayo Adebola

Chimbuo Chinedu Martins

Afuwape Michael Okiki

Daramola Michael Ilerioluwa

Odufuwa Kanyinsola Joseph

Agu Ibe Abuchi

Koko Victor Anthony

Buhari Tolani Ibrahim