Preparations are officially underway by the men`s national team for the qualification tournament of the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket with the release of the provisional list of players.
The released by the team`s new head coach, Mike Brown features 20 foreign-based players including 7 member of the team that qualified the country for the Summer Olympics during the 2019 FIBA World Cup - Captain Ike Diogu, Stan Okoye , Ben Uzoh, Ike Iroegbu, Talib Zanna, Ekpe Udoh and Michael Eric.
Festus Ezeli, 2015 NBA Champion, made the list and will get the opportunity to represent the country for the first time and also return to the court after his long rehab from his knee injury. Mike Gbinije also returns to the team after a 5 year absence. He last played for country at the historic 2015 FIBA Afrobasket tournament.
Ike Nwamu, Tonye Jekiri, Christopher Obekpa, Braxton Ogbueze, Mike Efevberha, and Obinna Emegano who featured during the team`s 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifying rounds were also invited to the team.
Other new players invited to the team include Chima Moneke (PF - Orléans Loiret Basket,France), Zaid Christopher Hearst-Okpalannaka (SG - Antibes Sharks, France), Obi Enechionyia ( PF - Real Betis, Spain), Rasheed Sulaimon (SG - Casademont Zaragoza, Spain) and John Ogbunu
Although the Federation has not announced when the camp will resume, the Secretary General, Afolabi-Oluwayemi Olabisi, already confirmed that the players will not camp in Nigeria.
“They will not be camping in Nigeria. The majority of them are not in the country and so to bring them to Nigeria amidst ongoing pandemic is going to cost the federation more.”
The qualifiers will hold in Kigali, Rwanda from November 25 to 29. Nigeria is grouped along with Algeria, Mali and host, Rwanda.
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