Coach of Nigeria’s U-18 basketball team, Julie Negedu-Akere, has commended the players who represented the country in the 2024 Afrobasket U-18 championship that ended in Pretoria, South Africa. She spoke just as the U-18 men and women arrived at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Monday.
Coach Akere said, “It was quite a good experience for us, and considering how the journey was from Lagos to South Africa, I can say the players gave a good account. That visa challenge took a toll on the players. It was both physical and mental. I just wish we were able to get there earlier, as we experienced a completely different kind of weather.
“One of our girls could not play at all until nearly the third game, and soon nearly everyone in the ladies’ team went down. We recovered physically and were able to beat Egypt and Uganda at the second opportunity, but if you noticed, we were tiring out by the third and last quarter.
“The exposure these players have gained can’t be quantified.”
The teams touched down at about 2 pm aboard Kenyan Airways instead of the earlier schedule of 11.30 am.
Despite losing 76-56 to Mali in the final of the competition in South Africa, the ladies returned home with a ticket to the FIBA U-19 World Cup that will be held in the Czech Republic from July 12 to 20, 2025.
J’Tigers could not make it to the final game as they were beaten by Mali in the semi-finals. Mali successfully defended their top position by beating Cameroon 60-51 on Saturday.
The two teams in the final matches will represent Africa at the world event.
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