NAN-S-13
Basketball
By Babatunde Ogunrinde
Lagos, Jan. 23, 2018 (NAN) Adewunmui Aderemi, the coach of Nigeria’s Senior National Men’s Basketball Team, D’Tigers on Tuesday extolled the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports for supporting the team.
Aderemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that as the team intensified preparations ahead of the Commonwealth Games in February in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, that its welfare package was awesome.
“We are enjoying wonderful support from the honorable minister ahead of the competition and we are doing our best to get the team adequately prepared for the Games.
“Quite alright, it is a competition of international standard; but we are not relenting in our efforts to be ready for the competition.
“The environment is conducive for training, the accommodation and transportation arrangements is satisfactory and gives us the confidence to do what is required of us to do.
“The chances of Nigeria doing well at the competition are well boosted.
“We have the necessary support we asked for and we are happy and in the right mind to do our own bit,’’ Aderemi said.
Nigeria will be playing in Group A, dubbed the group of death because of the level of players in the opposing teams, but Aderemi said there was no cause for alarm.
“We are aware of our opponents’ capabilities, it is going to be tough but we shall conquer.
“We will also need some of our overseas based players to join the training camp so as to bring international quality to make the team stronger.
“Ultimately our target is to come back with the gold medal in basketball and make the country proud,’’ he said.
NAN reports that Nigeria will slug it out in Group A with New Zealand, Canada and Australia. (NAN)
BAO/ENN/PDE
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(Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Peter Ejiofor)