D’Tigers Ready For Mali Clash At AfroBasket Tournament
Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, will be ready to make the nation proud when they take on Mali at the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket tournament in Kigali, Rwanda on Wednesday by 11am.
As teams prepare for the tournament, D’Tigers head coach Mike Brown has assured that his players will be ready for the competition. Stephen Domingo will lead D’Tigers out as team captain when the tournament begins.
D’Tigers will be banking on its offensive prowess as they get their Afrobasket campaign underway against Mali. When asked how confident he is going into the tournament as a title challenger, coach Brown said that his philosophy is to take it “one game at a time.”
“One game at a time, we have a new team,” Brown said. “None of these guys with the exception of one, played in the Afrobasket before (Jordan Ogundiran) and he did not really ball. Ibe Agu was here too (during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers) and he did not play much.”
“We are young and we will just see whether we get better anytime we get on the floor and lets see what happens.”
Mike Brown announced his final 12 man roster for the competition, with Tk Edogi, Daniel Utomi, Ike Ndugba, Stephen Domingo (Team Captain), Ben Emelogu, Jordan Ogundiran, Emmanuel Omogbo, Jeremiah Mordi, Celestine Joseph Nwafor, Ibe Ahuchi Agu, Ikechukwu Benjamin and Victor Anthony Koko.
A member of the team, Jeremiah Mordi, will be stepping out on the court as a proud Nigerian when the team starts their Group C opener against Mali.
Mordi, 28, praised the teams Head Coach Mike Brown for his high work rate and eye for details as he assured that no stone is being left unturned by all to represent Nigeria in a proper way.
“We have been taking it vey seriously,” Mordi said. “We have been practising twice a day, really focusing on the principles that Coach Brown has brought both offensively and defensively and a lot of attention to details.
“We don’t skip any step and we are just trying our best to represent.”
Chidi Nwoke/NBBF.
