NAN-S-8
Basketball
By Babatunde Ogunrinde
Lagos Sept. 5, 2017 (NAN) Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club of Port Harcourt on Tuesday decried Nigeria Basketball Federation’s (NBBF) halting of their participating in the ongoing Kwese Premier Basketball League Final 8 in Kano.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rivers Hoopers had qualified for the competition alongside Kwara Falcons of Ilorin, Hoops and Read of Lagos and Customs also of Lagos.
It will be recalled that prior to the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences Final 6 playoffs, the Kida-led NBBF board directed the clubs that qualified for the competition in Ilorin and Kaduna not to participate and await instructions.
This apparently arose due to the fictionalisations of the NBBF following the unresolved leadership crisis in the June 13 sports federations’ elections in Abuja.
Bob-Manuel Ngowari, Rivers Hoopers Team Captain, said in Lagos that they were aiming for a place at the continent and blamed the NBBF President, Musa Kida for killing their dreams of representing Nigeria at the African Club Championship.
He said that the NBBF boss was playing politics with the career and means of livelihood of players all over the federation.
“It is unfortunate that we are not participating in the Final 8 after coming second in Atlantic Conference 6 and preparing well for the Final 8.
“We know we stand a chance of qualifying to play at the continental level and have worked very hard but cannot understand why the Kida-led board should direct that we should boycott the Final 8.
“No meaningful plans were made for us to compensate us for the efforts put into preparations and it is indeed a sad development for us a club and our family that we support with basketball for their livelihood,’’ Ngwowari said.
Meanwhile, in the ongoing Final 8 playoffs that dunked off in Kano Sept. 4, the entire players stood for one minute in solidarity with the affected teams that were halted by the Kida-led group.
Mark Mentors and Civil Defence of Abuja were also halted prior to the Sahara Conference Final 6 that held in Kaduna in August. (NAN)
BAO/PDE
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(Editing by Peter Ejiofor)