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Nigeria’s Senior Men’s National Basketball Team, D’Tigers, has named its final 12-man squad for the fourth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers, as the team prepares to take on Cameroon, Guinea and host Tunisia later this month in Rades.
Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, has urged the team to seize the opportunity presented by the window to move closer to securing Nigeria’s place at the World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the qualififers, Olopade called on the players and technical crew to remain focused on the ultimate goal of qualification, describing the window as a critical juncture for both the team and Nigerian basketball.
“This is a very important window for D’Tigers and for Nigerian basketball. We have a talented group of players and an experienced technical team, and now is the time to translate that quality into results,” Olopade said, adding that the team must play with unity, discipline and the Nigerian fighting spirit to put themselves in the strongest possible position for qualification.
He noted that the entire nation was behind the players and expressed confidence that they would represent the country with pride.
The squad named for the window includes Chimezie Metu, Josh Okogie, Caleb Agada, Stan Okoye, Chima Moneke, Ike Nwamu, Udoka Azubuike, Efe Abogidi, Ebuka Izundu, Manny Obaseki, Jordan Ogundiran and Paul Dibal.
Head Coach David Fizdale leads the technical crew, with Dan Craig, Quinton Crawford, Deji Akindele and Dapo Adegibile serving as assistant coaches.
D’Tigers are billed to open their campaign against Cameroon on August 27, before facing South Sudan on August 28 and rounding off the group stage against Cape Verde on August 30. All matches will be played in Rades, Tunisia.
The fourth window represents another crucial stage in Nigeria’s qualifying campaign, with the team expected to approach the games with determination and discipline as they push to strengthen their chances of earning a place at the global showpiece.
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The National Sports Commission has reaffirmed its continued support for the team and called on Nigerians to rally behind D’Tigers as they pursue a place among the world’s leading basketball nations.
Radès, on the outskirts of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, will host the first round of Group E games, while Dakar, the capital of Senegal, will host the first round of Group F games.
The eighteen games (nine in each city) will take place from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 August.
There will be two rest days in each city. Group F in Dakar will see no action on Friday 28 August, while the Group E teams will have a rest day on Saturday 29 August.
All twelve teams will play on the opening and closing days (27 and 30 August, respectively).
The Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès, also known as the Radès Arena, was inaugurated in 2005 and can accommodate between 15,000 and 17,000 fans. It is located nine kilometres south of Tunis.
Although the Tunisian team has played games in the coastal city of Monastir, 170 km south of Tunis, Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès has been their main venue.
The venue hosted the 2015 FIBA AfroBasket and co-hosted the 2017 edition of the tournament.
