Experts Want Home-Based Players In D’ Tigers

A board member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Igoche Mark has called for the inclusion of home-based players into the national male basketball team, D’ Tigers.

He made the call in an interview with newsmen in Otukpo, Benue State, on the backdrop of Nigeria awaiting FIBA wild card for the 2014 world championship.

Mark, the founder and organiser of the yearly “Mark D Ball’’ tournament in Otukpo, assured of the board’s determination to secure the wild card for D’Tigers.

According to him, a lot of effort has been committed to actualising the wild card project.

He noted that the country has talented home-based players going by the number of discoveries at the ongoing championship, which included the “Face of Idoma’’ Sports Beauty Pageant.

The board member pointed out that home-based players should be given the opportunity to develop the Nigeria basketball league.

“Judging from what is going on right now in this tournament, I can say that more talents have been discovered for the country’s basketball team.

“We have confronted the coach on this issue and we were made to understand that there was an open camp where all the players will fight for shirts,’’ Mark said.

Also speaking, Ejike Ugboaja, a national team player and an Olympian, urged Coach Ayo Bakare of D’Tigers to desist from relying much on foreign-based players.

Ugboaja, who recently moved to Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Basketball Club in Turkey, urged Bakare to give the home-based players an opportunity to be part of the team.