D’Tigers coach new coach Mike Brown has released a 20 man provisional list for the 2021 Afrobasket qualifiers slated for Kigali, Rwanda between 27th and 29th, November.
Brown who will officially start his voyage with Nigeria submitted a list featuring 7 players who featured at the 2019 FIBA World Cup where Nigeria qualified for the Olympics in Tokyo.
Captain, Ike Diogu will lead the legion which includes 29-year-old Stan Okoye (Gran Canaria), Ben Uzoh, Ike Iroegbu, Talib Zanna, Ekpe Udoh and Michael Eric.
2015 NBA winner with Golden State Warriors, Festus Ezeli will be on the flight to Rwanda for a chance to represent Nigeria for the first time ever alongside a member of the 2015 Afrobasket winning team, Mike Gbinije.
After missing the final 12 man team to the world cup, France based Ike Nwamu will make another return to the team alongside Tonye Jekiri, Christopher Obekpa, Braxton Ogbueze, Mike Efevberha, Obinna Emegano who at some point featured during the team’s 2019 qualifiers series.
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Chima Moneke who has averaged 12.3pts and 5.8rebs in 4 games for Orléan in the French league has also been called up for the first time alongside Zaid Christopher Hearst-Okpalannaka who plies his trade in the second tier of the French league.
Other new faces who will hope to earn their first cap include Real Betis power forward, Obi Enechionyia alongside Ogbunu John and Rasheed Sulaimon who play for Casademont Zaragoza
FULL LIST
1. Stan Okoye Small Forward Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria (Spain)
2. Ikechukwu Nwamu Shooting Guard Cholet (France)
3. Ike Iroegbu Point Guard Capital City Go-Go (NBA G League, USA)
4. Talib Zanna Centre Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C (Israel)
5. Chima Moneke Power Forward Orléans Loiret Basket (France)
6. Obinna Enechionyia Power Forward Real Betis (Spain)
7. Micheal Gbinije Shooting Guard BC Nevėžis (Lithuania)
8. Obi Emegano. Shooting Guard Baloncesto Fuenlabrada (Spain)
9. Mike Efevberha Shooting Guard JA Vichy-Clermont Métropole (France)
10. Michael Eric Centre Turk Telekom Basketball (Turkey)
11. Tonye Jekiri Centre Club Deportivo Saski-Baskonia (Spain)
12. Rasheed Sulaimon Shooting Guard Casademont Zaragoza (Spain)
13. Zaid Hearst-Okpalannaka Shooting Guard Antibas (France)
14. Ekpe Udoh Centre
15. Ben Uzoh Point Guard
16. Christopher Obekpa Centre
17. Ike Diogu Centre
18. Braxton Ogbuezue Guard
19. Festus Ezeli Centre
20. John Ogbunu
7 Comments
No home-based…??! Lolz. Does the NBBF want to tell us they cant find home-based talents in Agege and Ajegunle that can make the national basketball team…?
No Jordan Nwora. The Starlet of the team. And Our Crazy 3 pointer with the Salute gesture whenever he shoot to score Ogbuchi?? This new coach better knows what he’s doing oo cuz we are also following Basketball
If you follow basketball you will know Oguchi have since retired and is currently a coach. Also Nworah is getting drafted to the NBA the coming season. The list however has no NBA players like Josh Okogie, Metu, Alfarouk Aminu, Jahlil Okafor, Nwaba, Spencer Dinwiddie etc..
You don’t need NBA players to take out Rwanda.
Hmm..Jordan Nwora suffered from the change in power as the previous coach was the father and we also have new call ups may be they are better. We’ll see
One thing about talented Nigerians that really upset me is when they are really talented in either England or America, England for Football and America for Basketball they will always either choose England or America respectively except when they are rejected then will fall back to Nigeria.
After their career they will then come back and seek influential positions in Nigeria for their respective sports when the same England And America dump their assess because they are not White!!. Nonsense. So upon all the Nigerian American Stars in the NBA it is only NBA G League players in the list disgusting. Nigeria should take note and disallow any of these unpatriotic fools influential positions in their respective sports when their wretched careers has end.
Then they will sit their and scream black lives matter but pledge their Allegiance to white Lands Criminal.
Do you guys Know the NBA MVP for 2 straight seasons is Nigerian!!! That is just to show you how Nigerians are littered all over the NBA.
Giannis (the Greek freak) but plays for Greece. There are loads of 9ja players in the NCAA too. Giannis would have added huge value to our team. Just him and some college boys would quickly make 9ja a feared team in FIBA