After weeks of camping, D’Tigers Head Coach, Mike Brown has pruned the 49 man list to 15 ahead of the friendly series lined up for the team just before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The 15 man list is made up of eight NBA stars headlined by Detroit Piston Centre, Jahlil Okafor who is in line to make his international debut for Nigeria.
Miami Heat’s trio of Gabe Vincent, Chikezie ‘KZ’ Okpala and 2020 NBA draft pick, Precious Achiuwa have also been pencilled down for the last phase of preparation with Utah Jazz’s Miye Oni.
Minnesota Timberwolves’ Josh Okogie and Metu Chimezie of Sacramento Kings will be making a return to the team following their exploits at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China where the youngsters helped Nigeria secure an Olympics ticket alongside Ike Iroegbu.
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Jordan Nwora’s fairytale adventure continues with another chance to be at the Olympics. Nwora whose team, Milwaukee Bucks is heading to the NBA finals is the current and youngest highest point scorer for Nigeria in a competitive game as well as making history alongside his father (Coach) being on the same team.
After missing out of the 2019 World Cup, Spain based Obi Emegano returns with his inclusion, alongside Caleb Agada, Ekpe Udoh and Stanley Okoye who has been a constant feature in the team since 2015.
A member of the 2015 Afrobasket team, Mike Gbinije made the cut with Chima Moneke who has been impressive for the team since making his debut during the 2021 Afrobasket qualifiers.
Brown revealed that the final 12 man list will be named days before their trip to Tokyo.
Nigeria is grouped alongside Australia, Germany and Italy following the conclusion of the Olympics Qualifying Tournament.
18 Comments
I just wonder why the domestic player rule is not applied to our basket ball team or are the foreign based basket ball players more Nigerian than our football foreign based players. Mr Dare, go now and speak your queens English as Mr sports minister and question the coaches rationale behind this system. Even the one wey we been think get sense before are people of same stock- chronically corrupt Hypocrites.
Is there even a running basketball league? Why do we like to decieve ourselves…… The fact is that the best players we have is what this American coach chose. I’m sure if it was a Nigerian coach the team would have been flooded with players from obscure basketball leagues and probably scared to drop some names. Man dropped Iroegbu without fear or favor..
Even Diogu and Aminu. Let’s hope we see a different team than we r to seeing.
Hahahahaha…..the grammarian sports minister’s local content policy is only restricted to football. Foreign based/foreign born Nigerian basketball players are more Nigerian than our foreign based/foreign born football players. Longa throat sport ministry and FA officials must wack….LMAOoo.
Everywhere, the best a nation has to offer represents in the national team, except of course in Nigeria…..we must reserve 4 slots in the starting XI for the MANY TALENTS who do not even know how to position themselves on a football pitch at the highest level….LMAOOOooo.
Completesports.com massive shame on you guys… I had read this story somewherelse and it is very appalling to note that you lazy bunch copied the story word for word. This is lazy journalism and it is shameful no credit whatsoever or atleast editing…
We dont have tigers in africa or nigeria, we dont have it in any of our coat of arm, how come they are nickname tigers that lives far away in asia and the pacific, please i prefer gorillers or king kongs, after all they jump higher than tigers, or we can manage spiders or borrow jumpingeagles from supereagles, tigers cant be in the list bcos it doesnt belongs to us, leopard is also a better option.
What kinda sarcasm is this for God sake. Lol……
Nice observation though
You guys are so loud mouthed and misinformed, football aside the minister of sports if anything is behind the improvement of some of our sports. Most of you don’t know anything except from what you read on sports websites. The various training abroad and etcetera to improve our sports teams is mainly due to his influence. Football mishaps doesn’t concern him as we know football is another ball game of politics in Nigeria that the minister is trying to fix as well of which I know will not come easy. Drey you and your fellow talkatives will just continue fooling around until thy kingdom come when you know nothing, you guys need to for once keep quiet instead trying to make drama and mockery from everything. I get really pissed having to see Nigerians think so foolish like your kinds yet act like you know it. It is really sad and I feel sorry for your plights. Basketball too you people are coming to sharp mouth before you know the other idiot mechanic will join in your abusive celebration routine misleading many readers who lack proper insight like yourselves just to feel among the loads of clowns.
Who let this dog out…?!
@Chima you are very wrong.Basketball has been on the rise long before Sunday Dare came in as the sports minister.
Are you saying that reserving slots for below average players is okay? Whatever is being done now for the home-based eagles is just a repetition of Keshi’s era as coach.How many players were discovered during that time and how long did they stay at the spot light?
Abeg,make una dey call spade wetin e be o!
@chima… Ewu gambia.. Lol
This worthless Baboon is a confused animal.
Lol@aphilly, the creature is on the lose again….. How did he escape???? Lol…
@Chima you have said it all.People continue to bad mouth everything they see !!! We all must be sincere to ourselves and not be so mouthed in condemning and killing our sports
@samuel and co you guys are the ones misleading people and also full of insincerity. Didn’t the Minister say we should reserve slots for below average footballers? Is drey and co lying against the minister? Even me I thought the minister should go to the basketball team and request for village slot.
I expect a medal from either the Male or female basketball team. This is the best we ever had.
All Kudos should go to the present NBBF executive particularly their president Engineer Musa Kida for putting the Nigerian basketball teams where they are today.Was Dare a sports minister between 2015 and August 2019?
Don’t mind them they know they won’t be able to milk anything from players transfers abroad in the basketball team. Their only source of livelihood is the SuperEagles.