NBBF in London for talk with prospective sponsor

In its bid to better Nigeria basketball the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF will Monday hold an important talk with a would-be sponsor in London.

The NBBF was invited to the One-Day exploratory meeting with the potential investors in Nigerian Basketball. The meeting which is being organized by MD Sports Management is sceduled to hold between 11.00am and 3.00pm at the Air France Conference Centre, World Cargo Centre, Bidg 558, Shoreham Road, Heathrow Airport, TW6 3RN.

The Federation will be represented by its president, Tijjani Umar and a board member Yusuf Tagwai at the all important meeting.

The duo of President Umar and Tagwai who left the country on Sunday morning for the meeting are expected back on Tuesday so as to be on ground for the January 21-23 Stakeholders meeting slated for the auditorium of the National Institute for Sports in Abuja.

Los Angeles Clippers sign Ike Diogu

The Los Angeles Clippers have signed forward Ike Diogu (6'8''-F/C-83, college: Arizona St.) to bolster their injury-depleted frontcourt.

The Clippers signed the former first-round draft pick on Wednesday, hours before their home game against Houston.

Chris Kaman, Craig Smith and Brian Cook all are out of the Clippers' lineup with injuries.

Diogu has been out of the NBA since Detroit cut him during training camp. After playing in 29 games during the 2008-09 season with Sacramento and Portland, the five-year NBA veteran missed all of last season following left knee surgery.

Kaman is out for a month with an injured left ankle, and the Clippers learned Tuesday that Smith will be out for at least two weeks after getting an epidural for a herniated disc in his lower back.

Courtesy of www.azcentral.com

Champions Club Zone-3: Pillars, Hoopers book final round ticket

t was double honour for Nigerian sides, Kano Pillars and Rpyal Hoopers basketball clubs at the Zone-3 qualifying round of Africa biggest club competition, FIBA Aafrica Champions Club for Men in Monrovia, Liberia as they both snatched the two tickets at stake for clubs in the Zone-3.

Kano Pillars who successfully defended the FIBA Africa Zone-3 title it won last year in Benin Republic defeated Cote dIvoire league champion, Abidjan Basket Club (ABC) by 65-42 points in the last day of the qualifiers on Sunday at the gymnasium of the SKD Sports Complex to maintain its hundred percent record becoming the only team that did not drop a point in the week-long qualifiers.

Shaking off its 87-70 points lose to Pillars on Match Day-4, Royal Hoopers basketball club humbled Togo league champion, Swallows basketball club by 74-29 points in a game that kept the fans cheering all the way.

Hoopers who finished second behind Pillars with four wins and one lose began the final day game against Swallows with a 23-13 points win in the first quarter, as if looking to set record in its first continental outing the Hoopers side coached by the trio of Coaches Ogoh Odaudu, Johnson Orupabo and Lami Johnson stopped Swallows from registering a double digit in the last three quarters winning by 21-04, 20-03 and 10-09 points for a final score-line of 74-29 points.

NPA Pythons basketball club avenged its Liberia domestic league title lose to UHURU Kings basketball club in a local derby.

After losing the first quarter by 11-18 points the Pythons dominated the game from the second quarter all through the buzzer winning the second, third and last quarters by 10-08, 21-10 and 10-09 points to win the game by 52-45 points.

All the results.

Day-1:
UHURU Kings 55-66 Royal Hoopers
NPA Pythons 53-85 Kano Pillars
ABC 60-41 Swallows

Day-2:
NPA Pythons 61-73 Royal Hoopers
Kano Pillars 64-50 Swallows
UHURU Kings 49-59 ABC

Day-3:
Royal Hoopers 60-44 ABC
Swallows 60-58 NPA Pythons
Kano Pillars 67-42 UHURU Kings

Day-4:
Royal Hoopers 70-87 Kano Pillars
NPA Pythons 45-53 ABC
Swallows 44-56 UHURU Kings

Day-5:
ABC 42-65 Kano Pillars
Swallows 29-74 Royal Hoopers
UHURU Kings 45-52 NPA Pythons

NBBF CONGRATULATE MASAI UJIRI

The Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF has sent a congratulatory message to former Nigeria International, Masai Ujiri over his recent appointmen as General Manager of Denver Nuggets Basketball club National Basketball Association (NBA) side.

NBBF President, Tijjani Umar who convey the goodwill message to the former Assistant General Manger of Toronto Raptors recently sign with the Nuggets as its new G.M.

The Nigeria basketball boss says Ujiri elevation is a clear testimony of his good work and a boost for Nigeria basketball.

The federation urge Ujiri to remain steadfast with his good deed in helping to reshape the game in Nigeria in particular and the world in general.

On behalf of the Nigeria Basketball federation and the Nigeria basketball community both at home and in the disaspora, I want to salute and congratulate Masai Ujiri on his new appointment as the General Manager of NBA side, The Denver Nuggets.

Masai has demonstarted that hard work pays and little wonder he is reaping the fruit of his labour, Masai has played significant role in helping to reshape Nigeria basketball, he has played such role as player, coach and adviser.

We are greatly delighted that a Nigerian is holding such key position with an NBA side and we beleive his elevation will open the door for others like him and for Nigeria basketball as we match towards making Nigeria basketball the best in Africa and one of the best in the world.

The NBBF president is leading a delegation to Turkey to attend the FIBA World Congress, the delegation whcih includes the First Vice-President of the federation, Muktar Adamu Khaleh and the federation Secretary General, Francis will have a meeting with the new Denver General Manager, Ujiri who will also be in turkey to watch the FIBA World Championship.

Among Ujiri contribution to the development of basketball in Nigeria is the annual camps he co-organised alongside Godwin Onwinje includes the Giants of Africa Camp and the Top-50 camp.

Ujiri was a member of the Nigeria senior national team, DTigers that qualifies Nigeria for her first FIBA World Championship in Greece in 1998, he also serve as Assistant Coach of the U18 and U19 Junior national team in 2006 FIBA Africa Championship for U18 Men in South Africa and the FIBA World Championship for U19 Men in Serbia and Assistant to Coach John Lucas to the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship for Men in Libya.

DStv PL: Police brighten playoffs chances, beat Islanders 59-42

The Nigeria Police basketball team, The Police Baton basketball club at the weekend brighten its chances of making it to the final-8 playoffs slated for the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State with a 59-42 points victory over former champion of the Nigeria league, Lagos Islanders basketball club at the sports hall of the national stadium, Lagos.

The Coach Mark Balogun tutored Baton humbled Islanders in all departments of the game winning in all four-quarter by 13-08, 15-12, 18-10 and 13-12 with Baton combo-guard Kelvin Dandison leading the floor with 18 points and 3 rebounds.

Dandison teammates, Dapo Peters and Malik Tella added 10 points, 5 rebounds and 10 rebounds respectively to put paid to the ambition of the Islanders.

The victory shot Baton to the third position of the Atlantic conference standing with a game against second placed Union Bank basketball club on Friday in Lagos.

Other regular season games in both conferences of the DStv Premier League, in the Atlantic conference Ebun Comets basketball club and Dodan Warriors basketball club will lock horns on Wednesday in Lagos while run-away conference leader, Royal Hoopers bnasketball club will be at home to Delta Force basketball club at the Civic Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State while Dodan Warriors basketball club and Lagos Islanders basketball will round-off the conference regular season game on Saturday in Lagos.

in the Savannah conference two teams (Plateau Peaks and Niger Potters) whose final-8 playoffs qualifications depended on the last regular season pairings of the conference, Plateau Peaks will be at home in Kaduna to defending champion, Kano Pillars in a tough duel as the defending champion who are already through to the playoffs will be playing for pride while Niger Potters basketball club of Minna will welcome relegated AHIP Giants basketball club of Kano.

Though the odd to pick the Savannah conference fourth slot favours Potters who will be playing against relegated AHIP in Minna but must have to win convincingly if they want to be part of the Garden City playoffs party.



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FIBA Africa Zone-III Elimination: Nigeria succumb to Togo 58-59

second game of Day-2 of the qualifiers Nigeria were unlucky against a determined Togolaise side going down by 58-59 points with the Togolaise who are determine to book a place in the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship for Men dictating the pace for the better part of the highly explosive game which kept the fans on the edge of their seats througout the duration of the game.

Togo won the first quarter by 15-11 points with Nigeria rallying back in the second quarter with a 14-13 points win to go into the break with a three points deficits of 28-25 points in favour of Togo.

Not wanting to give up easily Nigeria took another shot at beating the Togolaise to their game with a 16-13 points win in the third quarter to even scores at 41 points apiece going into the last quarter with rising to the ocassion to pick the last quarter by 18-17 points to run away with a hard earned victory of 59-58 points which set the fans in wide jubilation as the win over Nigeria thus restore their hope of a place at the 2011 Afrobasket slated for Abidjan, Cote dIvoire.

Togo Abdouf-Fatarh Damatare led his teammates with 16 points, Jimmy Williams grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 9 points, Komi Kouigan contributed 10 points and 5 rebounds while Mauetar Diaby grabbed 13 rebounds to seal victory for their side with Nigeria Abubakar Usman scoring 17 points and 6 rebounds.

Day-2 Results:
Cote dIvoire 81-57 Benin
Nigeria 58-59 Togo

Day-3 Games:
Cote dIvoire Vs Nigeria 17H00

FIBA Africa Zone-III Qualifiers: Cote dIvoire bow to Nigeria 52-72

Nigeria Thursday dethrone Cote dIvoire as the leader of the FIBA Africa Zone-III elimination in Day-3 of the series with a 72-52 points win.
Nigeria who lost narrowly to Togo on Wednesday came out against Cote dIvoire who had enjoyed an unbeaten run in the qualifying series more determined and this paid off as the Nigerian side picked the first two quarters with 19-13 and 16-13 points for a half-time score-line of 36-26 points.

Cote dIvoire came out smoking in the third quarter but the effort could only yield a 20-19 points win going into the final quarter with a 9 points deficit with the Nigerian pilling up pressure on the Cote dIvoire side winning the last quarter by 17-06 points for a final score of 72-52 points which shot them to the top of the four-nation elimination series.
Nigeria Abubakar Usman led the floor with 19 points, Azuoma Dike added 14 points, Mattew Omonye contributed 10 points and 5 rebounds while Onyeka Ekpete grabbed 7 rebounds to secure victory for Nigeria who now share the same record with Cote dIvoire of 2-1.