WCup Qualifiers: We don’t know these D’Tigers, says coach Odah

Following the underwhelming performances of Nigeria at the just concluded Window One of the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Tunisia, Head Coach of FCT Basketball, Emmanuel Odah, has said most of the players who represented the country are unknown to Nigerian basketball stakeholders.

In three matches, D’Tigers lost two matches to hosts Tunisia 78-88, Guinea 55-69 but managed to beat Rwanda 75-69 in overtime in the final Group C match, thereby finishing the first window in third position.

Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, the former junior national team coach said apart from poor preparation, only the outgoing basketball federation knows where it recruited the average players to represent the country.

He said apart from Stanley Okoye a member of the victorious 2015 squad and two homegrown players, the rest are unknown and not deserving of the green-white-green jerseys.

“Apart from Stanley Okoye who was there with us in 2015, and the two local players, Chingka Garba and Paul Dibal, the rest are unknown to some of us.

“Nobody knows the remaining members of the squad. How they were selected to represent a country like Nigeria is best known to the basketball federation.

“The players lacked the diehard spirit of Nigerian athletes. They simply don’t have the killer instinct our players are known for.

“Had it been the never-say-die spirit was in them, they wouldn’t have lost to Tunisia and Guinea. Imagine, Guinea that we are used to beating defeated us this time.

“The preparation for the tournament was shoddy but it wasn’t surprising because that has become the trademark of the federation,” said Odah.

However, Odah said that with the decision to hold elections into the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NNBF) in January, there is a glimmer of hope for Nigerian basketball.

He said, before now, there were attempts by the present leadership to extend its tenure to July but that is no longer feasible.

“Nigerian basketball has gone 30 years backward under the present leadership but we are hopeful that the new board to be elected in January would resuscitate basketball.

“The need for selfless and visionary leadership in Nigerian basketball cannot be over-emphasised,” he enthused.

Odah concluded that basketball stakeholders should be guided by noticeable changes that have been introduced in other sports like volleyball, handball, cricket, etc by members of the newly elected boards.

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