‘D’ Tigers Deserve Praises, Not Condemnation’

A Basketball Instructor, Mr Stephen Okafor has urged sports enthusiasts in the country to commend the efforts of the national male Basketball team, D’Tigers, at the London Olympics, instead of condemning them.

Okafor told newsmen, yesterday, in Abakaliki that the team’s performance at the London Olympic Games was an exhibition of patriotism and dedication to duty.

Our correspondent reports that D’Tigers lost 73-79 to France on Monday, a result that put an end to their campaign in the basketball event of the ongoing Games.

“Qualifying for the Olympics for the very first time was a big achievement for the team, as it put the nation among the comity of top basketball nations.

“The players braved the fatigue of traversing the globe in search of a qualification ticket, to compete against more established teams.

“Though they could only win one game against Tunisia, they became the highest scoring African side at the Olympics which places them as the best in the continent,” the basketball instructor said.

According to him, the team had to cope with some unforeseen circumstances that blighted the overall performance of the team at the London Games.

“Most of the players played with nagging injuries, while they also faced the problem of inexperience, being their first time at such a big stage.

“The team reminded us of one of the Super Eagles teams of the ’90s which made tenacity and total commitment its watchword,” Okafor said.

He called on the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) to build on the team’s performance at the Games, for a better performance in future competitions.

“The NBBF should avoid the mistake of disbanding the team because of its poor performance and build on the experience the players have been able to acquire from the event.

“The players should be kept together and blended with some new promising players to form a more formidable team.

“Adequate incentives should be given to them for motivation, as is the case with football teams that have performed creditably in international competitions,” he said.

Okafor, however, noted that the dismal outing of Team Nigeria at the Games was a sad reflection of the current state of the country’s sports sector.

“Maladministration has continued to be the bane of the country’s sports and it is only when this recurrent issue is frontally addressed that we may see some semblance of improvement,’’ Okafor said.