Sports
Nigeria’s Potentials In Basketball Excites Ex-Star
A former professional
basketball player, Tamika Raymond has in Abuja said Nigeria has the potential to be among the world’s leading countries in the basketball sport.
Raymond said this at the opening of a four-day basketball clinic organised by Open Mic Forum, a sports and entertainment consultant, in collaboration with the United States Embassy, Abuja.
The former Connecticut Sun player said the basketball game would however thrive in Nigeria only if adequate facilities and other necessities were provided to teach the young ones the sport’s rudiments.
“Building nice infrastructure and having nice indoor courts, as well as getting adequate funding, will go a long way in changing the face of the game in Nigeria,’’ Raymond who played in the Women National Basketball Association (WNBA) said.
The former Tamika Williams, who married a former basketballer, Ben Raymond, said the clinic’s aim was to impart the game’s rudiments on Nigerian kids.
“Nigerian kids are in their hundreds in the U.S playing basketball. Nigerians and Senegalese have the highest representation in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and WNBA.
“But Nigeria has the brightest kids I have ever coached. They are naturally athletic and talented. They are also well built for the game.
“But sometimes the fundamentals are lacking. They can jump, run and catch, but they don’t have the form to shoot and defend.
“These are the things we have come to teach these kids,’’ the former player said.
Detlef Schrempf, one of the instructors and the first German in the NBA, also told newsmen that the enthusiasm of Nigerian youths to embrace the sport was encouraging.
“I am excited to be here. We have some young talents here, but we can’t create a perfect player in few days. We want to create a basis for them to learn some fundamentals of basketball.
“This is not about playing professional basketball. This is about learning some stuff about sports, working together and learning how things work as a team.
“We are not here to make NBA basketball players. Obviously, I was fortunate enough to get to that point, but that is not what this camp is about.
“It’s about sharing knowledge, bringing guys together, communicating and building relationships,’’ Schrempf said.
Mohammed Suleiman, Co-ordinator of Open Mic Forum, said they were more concerned about getting the kids to avoid roaming the streets so that they can be useful in life.
Suleiman said their main target was to use sports and entertainment to reach out to the kids who do not know how to talk into the microphone.
“We are committed to creating speakers and talents out of people. We are also improving the talents in people.
“As simple as it looks, a lot of people tend to stammer when speaking through the microphone.
“But when you pick up young kids, you find them sharp and bold on the microphone. They can express themselves.
“We are developing people who are definitely the leaders of tomorrow. They have to take charge of that leadership from now.
“If you know how to talk to people, you will lead people if you don’t know how to talk to people, you will be in the background,’’ he said.
About 300 students from 15 schools in the FCT are participating in the four-day programme.
Sports
Friendly Match: Isaako Set To Host Khana All Stars “Morrow”

Isaako All Stars FC of Opuoko and Khana Khana AllStars Football all in Local Government Area of Rivers State will tomorrow engage in a friendly football match at Opuoko Mini Stadium.
Chatting with Tidesports in a telephone interview yesterday the Chairman of Khana All Stars Saro Tap-le said that the encounter is not going to be an easy game in spite it is an AllStars game.
He express his side readiness for the encounter stating that the opportunity as come for them to showcase their talents.
However, the chairman explained that AllStars game is not about winning but the excitement, love, unity and friendship it creates is more important.
” Tomorrow game is not going to be an easy one despite is a AllStars game. We are going there in a full force to do what we know how to do best and to showcase our talents.
“As Chairman of Khana All Stars I believes we have an edge over the Isaako All Stars be we are training so hard for the encounter” Tap-le said.
Also speaking the Chairman of Isaako All Stars Mina Zaasi Iloori sees the match as an opportunity to build relationships.
” My brother it is an AllStars friendly game I think winning is not important but the paramount thing is the relationship we are going to create among both teams and my community at large
” We are training hard because of the encounter because I will not be in my house and somebody will rob soap in my eyes.
” As I speak with you we are just coming from back training ground to ensure all my players are fit for the match.
” I am using this medium to call on football fans to come en mass to Opuoko Mini Stadium tomorrow and enjoy the best of round leather game.
I promise the game will be an exciting display of football talents and sportsmanship”, Iloori said.
Kiadum Edookor
Sports
UCL: Henry Calls For Return Of Away Goals Rule
Thierry Henry has called for the return of the away goals rule in the aftermath of the bombastic Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
The visitors at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys came within milimeters of clinching the first leg of the final-four clash after former Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted late in the second-half.
But the linesman was quick to raise his flag, and semi-automated offside ruled out what would have been a thrilling conclusion to the high-octane 3-3 draw.
The hosts came from behind twice to share the spoils, chasing Inter Milan from the first minute of the game after Marcus Thuram stunned the Barcelona faithful into silence with his neatly flicked goal.
Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter’s lead 20 minutes later, but it took just three more for the Blaugrana to finally get on the scoresheet courtesy of a moment of magic from teenage starlet Lamine Yamal.
Ferran Torres drew Barcelona level ahead of the break, but Lamal was forced to play catch-up again in the second-half after Dumfries scored his second.
In light of the impressive effort from Inter, Henry wondered if the team should have got more from the fixture ahead of the second-leg at the San Siro.
‘I know it’s been like that for a very time, and we have to accept it,’ Henry said of the removal of the away goals rule, ‘But off air I was talking to Jamie (Carragher), and I was like, “how can you score three goals away from home and you don’t have an advantage?”
‘Away goals for me were massive, you score three goals away and you still don’t have an advantage 0-0 at home,’ Henry shrugged.
UEFA took the decision to scrap the rule which gave goals scored away from home the ability to act as a tiebreaker in the case of level scorelines ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger claimed during his time as Arsenal manager in 2015 that the away goals rule ‘encouraged the team at home not to attack’ and that ‘the weight of the away goal (was) too big today’.
Without the rules, the tie at San Siro will go to extra time and penalties to decide which teams books their spot in the Champions League final.
But based on Wednesday evening’s performance, Henry seemed to give Inter a fighting chance against the newly minted Copa del Rey champions.
Sports
London Marathon Breaks World Record
The 2025 London Marathon set a new world record for the number of finishers despite hot conditions on Sunday for its 45th edition.
A total of 56,640 runners crossed the finish line at the end of the 26.2-mile route, Guinness World Records has confirmed.
The number surpassed the previous record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon in November.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said he hoped the high number of finishers inspired people to apply for the 2026 race ballot.
“The London Marathon was already the most popular in terms of ballot entries, with 840,318 people applying for the 2025 race,” he said.
“It is also the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event with more than £1.3bn raised for charity since 1981.”
The number of people applying for the ballot to enter this year’s race broke the world record of 578,304 for the 2024 edition.
Of UK applicants 49% were female, while there was a 105% increase in applications from people aged between 20-29.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa surged to victory in the elite women’s race in a world record for a women’s only field, while Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe triumphed in the men’s event.