Coach Julie Negedu-Akere of Nigeria’s Under-18 women’s basketball team has praised the players who represented the country at the Afrobasket Championship in Pretoria, South Africa.
Her commendation came as the U18 men’s and women’s teams arrived at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, yesterday.
“It was quite a good experience for us, and considering how the journey was from Lagos to South Africa, I can say that the players gave a good account,” Negedu-Akere said. “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.
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“The exposure these players have gained can’t be quantified.”
The teams finally arrived at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, around 2 pm aboard Kenyan Airways, a delay from the initially scheduled 11:30 am.
The women’s team, the J’Tigress, secured a ticket to the FIBA U19 World Cup, which will be held in the Czech Republic from July 12 to 20, 2025. Despite their achievement, the J’Tigress lost the women’s final to Mali 76-56 on Saturday.
The men’s team, the J’Tigers, did not advance to the final, having been defeated by Mali in the semi-finals on Friday. Mali retained their top spot by defeating Cameroon 60-51 in the final on Saturday.
Both Mali and Cameroon will represent Africa at the world event.