Igoche hails D’Tigers for securing 2025 Afrobasket ticket
Basketball promoter and founder of the Mark D’ Ball Basketball Championship Mark Igoche has commended D’Tigers for qualifying for the 2025 Afrobasket tournament in Angola with a game to spare, The NewsNGR reports.
The Nigerian men’s basketball team secured their spot after defeating Libya 75-70 and Uganda 87-67 in their recent matches, before capping their qualifying campaign with a 77-62 victory over Cape Verde on Sunday.
Igoche praised the team’s performance under coach Abdulrahman Mohammed, highlighting their remarkable fourth-quarter display against Uganda where they outscored their opponents 32-8.
“All I saw during the games we played against Libya and Uganda was a resilient team driving with a passion to subdue all obstacles, especially against Uganda in the fourth quarter. This typifies the Nigerian spirit,” Igoche stated.
The basketball enthusiast expressed optimism about the future of the sport in Nigeria, particularly with the recent establishment of the National Sports Commission led by Mallam Shehu Dikko as Chairman and Bukola Olopade as Director General.
“This feat shouldn’t obliterate the rot and decay that basketball has suffered in Nigeria, but the good news is that with the coming on board of the National Sports Commission under well-seasoned sports administrators, the sport will soon witness that RESET,” he added.
Meanwhile, NSC Chairman Dikko has pledged the Federal Government’s support for D’Tigers ahead of the tournament proper in Angola, while advocating for increased participation of domestic league players in future campaigns.
“I looked at the final roster of 12 players and there were just two home-based players. We are planning to get to that territory where more players from the domestic league will be involved,” Dikko said.
The NSC boss emphasized the importance of developing the domestic basketball league, noting that a country’s national team strength reflects the quality of its league.
“Our growth in basketball will be measured by how many players from the home scene are good enough to play for the national team and not players who went abroad to make a name for themselves in the advanced leagues before becoming key to the national team,” he added.
Dikko also promised to address issues causing a crisis in the sport, working in conjunction with the Nigeria Basketball Federation to ensure all stakeholders are united.
Nigeria last won the Afrobasket trophy in 2015, and Dikko has set the target of reclaiming the title in Angola as part of the commission’s podium performance campaign.
