PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES
Nigerian basketball had an abysmal 2023, as the D’Tigers were unable to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and the D’Tigres won an unprecedented fourth consecutive African championship.
The unprecedented victory of the D’Tigres at the 28th Afrobasket Women’s Championship in Kigali, Rwanda, made the Nigerian women only second in history to accomplish four consecutive titles, a feat previously accomplished by Senegal.
Following an extended period of twelve years without achieving any form of recognition, D’Tigress finally concluded their suspense by being crowned the champions in 2017.
The group then proceeded to achieve remarkable victories in 2023, 2021, and 2023.
Rena Wakama, the coach of D’Tigress, is the first female coach to win the Afrobasket championship. Many believe that with her captaincy, greater aspirations are possible shortly, particularly in light of the Olympic qualifiers.
In contrast, the men’s national team experienced a year they would prefer to ignore to rectify the situation in 2024. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2023 African championship and for the first time since Beijing 2008, failed to secure an Olympic ticket.
During an interview with Samuel Akpan of Persecond News, renowned basketball coach Ogoh Odaudu and the coach of the D’Tigers discussed in profound depth the reasons behind his team’s failure to secure Olympic tickets as well as the impact the NBA programme has had on young Nigerians.
Additionally, he deliberated on the potential investment of a sponsor in the national basketball league for the upcoming year.
The following are excerpts from the Odaudu interview.
Evaluation of Nigerian Basketball in 2023
During the final round of the World Cup qualifiers, we relied solely on homegrown players to win every match. Furthermore, we were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Afro-Can Basketball Championship by the eventual champions, Congo.
We hosted the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Lagos but were unable to purchase tickets due to a lack of preparation. Overall, I believe we performed well in 2023; the women’s team compensated for the men’s inadequacies during the period under review.
Putting together an all-new squad to defend the Cup of Nations and winning the tournament four times in a row is historic; therefore, 2023 can be deemed a triumph given the resources at our disposal and the results that we achieved.
What prevented the Nigerian men’s team from qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris?
Our pre-tour preparations were inadequate; the teams we faced, such as Senegal, had just returned from a training trip to China, and the Guinean team had been camping in Côte d’Ivoire. However, all of the opposing teams were essentially prepared for the tournament.
Despite having only six days to prepare for the games, our performance fell short of competitive readiness. Programme scheduling complications further complicated matters; had we been granted additional time to prepare, the narrative would have been different.
During the Olympic qualifying games, we frequently lost concentration in the fourth quarter. Was there a particular cause for this?
Basketball is considered a chemistry game; however, our team failed to bond adequately due to the lack of friendly games preceding the tournament. In contrast, Senegal entered from China, having played quality games prior to the games in Cameroon. Consequently, our insufficient preparation hindered our ability to perform as a cohesive unit when the stakes were high. Despite possessing talented players and players, our team failed to bond appropriately.
Is the NBA programme in Nigeria capitalising on the ecosystem’s deficiency in terms of a developmental framework?
No nation will desire to do so. The NBA provides international exposure for our young players; it is also a source of pride for every young Nigerian who aspires to play professionally to obtain a platform similar to the NBA, which grants them access to opportunities with European and American clubs.
These players, who have represented major organisations, return home for national duty with a wealth of experience from which the domestic players can learn. The NBA is also collaborating with FIBA to establish the Basketball African League (BAL), an additional initiative that provides children from the continent with the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
The NBA is not coming to Nigeria to take away our structure; we already have a league for both men and women. Unfortunately, they have not sponsored the league in a while, which is why some people believe the NBA is bringing their structure to Nigeria. The Nigeria Basketball Premier League has existed since long before the NBA even considered bringing its structure to Nigeria.
The internal discord also hindered our progress, but now that it has been resolved, we should have a sponsor for the league shortly, and things will return to normal. Based on the situation on the ground and everything I have observed thus far, it is extremely likely that we will secure a sponsor.
Anticipated Events in 2024
We require the full backing of Nigerian citizens; the girls will begin their Olympic qualifying matches in February, and if the males are to qualify for the Cup of Nations in 2024, we will require their entire support. The support we have received from Nigerian citizens has been tremendous, and we are determined to restore Nigeria to its rightful position on the continent and in the globe by 2024.
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