Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have qualified for the 2025 AfroBasket tournament after being on the brink of missing out, thanks to three wins from three in the final round of qualifying this weekend.
The triple win hauled Nigeria from the brink of AfroBasket ignominy as D’Tigers secured their spot at the tournament, with wins over hosts Libya, Uganda and Cape Verde, all three teams they lost to previously.
Nigeria were on the verge of missing out on Africa’s premier basketball competition for the first time in 32 years, after having gone 0-3 in their previous qualifying window. They went into this final window knowing that only a full house would guarantee their ticket to Angola.
A first step towards that objective was a complete roster overhaul. Their last series was prosecuted with just two overseas players, Devine Eke and Mike Nuga. That changed this time. Although the NBBF did not include any NBA-based players, the current team still had a significant number of players playing professionally abroad.
They were led by captain Ike Nwamu, who said the thought of not qualifying was so embarrassing it was not even an option.
“That thought never really crossed my mind,” said the France-based player, despite how precarious the situation was. “I knew we would qualify because I knew what type of players we had, what type of staff we had and what type of preparation we did.
“And I didn’t want to live with that disappointment because I would have been very embarrassed, as we should be, because of our basketball history.”
But Nigeria’s basketball chops has never been the issue. Administrative infighting and financial drama have traditionally hobbled on-court performance. While things remain on shaky ground, the NBBF have so far continued to navigate the slippery slope without keeling over.
In the end, they accomplished their objective, starting with a close 89-82 victory over Libya, following that with a 72-62 win over Uganda and closing out with a 78-62 blow-by of Cape Verde.
Abdulrahman Mohammed, who masterminded these results, also coached the team to those three losses, and he reflected cautiously about the issues off the floor affecting the team.
ESPN
