Nigerian Basketball - The African Mirror

Sep

2021

Nigeria defeat Mali to complete AfroBasket three-peat

BOITUMELO RANTAO AFRICAN powerhouse Nigeria defeated Mali 70-59 in a scorching Women’s African Basketball Championship (AfroBasket) final hosted at the City Arena in Yaounde, Cameroon. Nigerian forward Victoria Macaulay made a three-point shot 30-seconds into the anticipated final to open the scoring - and the two-time defending champions never looked back. D’Tigress (Nigeria’s Senior Women’s Basketball team) led the entirety of the final, momentarily looking stifled in the second quarter as Mariam Coulibaly mounted a comeback with Mali. Nigeria led 31-24 going into halftime after the Malian women fought back valiantly. Nigeria dominated from the third quarter and beyond, extending…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

River Hoopers splash new signings

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER RIVER Hoopers have added American duo Chris Daniel, Taren Sullivan and National Basketball Association (NBA) Champion Festus Ezeli to their roster ahead of the upcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL). The Nigerian outfit has set about assembling a powerhouse squad for the first installment of the competition. Ezeli won the NBA Championship in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately injuries limited Ezeli's time in the NBA in 2015-16 - He was planning a comeback before signing with the River Hoopers. In his final season with the Warriors, Ezeli averaged 7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

The golden quartet of Afrobasket

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO FORTY games - over 2016 minutes - of blood, sweat and some tears during thrilling action at the African Basketball Championship (Afrobasket) have produced the continent’s top four basketball nations. The qualifying window, which took place in the two cities Monastir, Tunisia and Yaounde Cameroon, produced four teams, reigning Champions Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Egypt who outclassed their group mates. These four teams have yet to lose a fixture in the six qualifying games played and seek to take their brilliant form into the Afrobasket finals held in Kigali, Rwanda from August 24 to September 5. Tunisia,…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria off to a great start

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO OPENING day of the African basketball championship (Afrobasket) qualifiers started in electrifying fashion in Monastir with Nigeria staking their claim as Africa’s finest. Nigeria prevailed as winners (75-70) against an impressive South Sudan team in the latter’s first continental competition. D’Tigers (Nigeria national men’s team) had to pry the victory away from the determined South Sudan team coached by former National Basketball Association (NBA) All-star Luol Deng. https://twitter.com/AfroBasket/status/1362137886557155328 Currently ranked number one in Africa, under the guidance of new head coach Mdon Udofia, Nigeria booked their ticket to the main Afrobasket showcase scheduled for late 2021. Point guard…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

The emergence of Nigerian Basketball as a global powerhouse

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO “WHO doesn’t want to go to the Olympics? “asks Nigeria’s star and power forward Evelyn Akhator. The common answer rolls effortlessly off the tongue for most but means so much more to an athlete looking to achieve their life’s goal. Nothing less could be said of the Nigerian Women’s basketball team. A positive atmosphere radiates around the team searching for their second Olympic bid in Tokyo. The team’s first Olympic experience came in Athens in 2004 finishing in 11th. After missing the last three Olympics games, they are looking to make an impact following back-to-back triumphs in the…