Sports
Rio 2016: Nigerians Laud D’Tigers
Some Basketball enthusiasts
at the weekend continued to laud Nigeria’s Senior Men’s team, D’Tigers, as they churn out impressive results ahead of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games.
The Nigerian team defeated their Chinese counterparts 80-76 in Houston on Friday, making it three straight victories in their build-up to the Games.
D’Tigers had earlier defeated Argentina 96-92, but lost 79-101 to the South Americans in the second leg encounter in Las Vegas.
The team will play the U.S. on today in Houston, including some other few closed door warm up games with U.S.-based NBA clubs to fine tune their strategies for the Olympics.
Patrick Omorodion, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Media Officer, told newsmen that the team was in superb form ahead of the Games.
He said that in spite of the delay in the release of funds by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the team had continued to give their best.
“The players are wonderful; they deserve a lot of commendations in their zeal to give a good account of themselves, while wearing the national colours at the Olympics.
“Let us remember that the Ministry of Sports has yet to disburse funds toward their preparations; the team has to receive cash rewards for winning the 2015 Africa FIBA Cup in Tunisia.
“But for the well-wishers of the game, the team would have been in complete jeopardy.
“It is indeed a sad development that the ministry is not giving them and other athletes due support,’’ Omorodion said.
Head Coach, First Bank of Lagos Basketball Club, Peter Ahmedu, said that the players had shown that they were a set of serious professionals, yearning for Nigeria’s success at Rio Olympics.
“I am particularly impressed with the team though we cannot expect too much from them based on the calibre of other teams coming for the Games.
“They are definitely going to show their stuff, and what we are proud of is that they will surely fly the national colours at the Games,’’ Ahmedu said.
Former Head Coach of Lagos Islanders, Lateef Erinfolami, said the D’Tigers’ inclusion in the basketball event at the Olympics is a morale booster for the development of the sport.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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