Tag: D’Tigers

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have departed for Tunis, Tunisia, where they will begin their qualifying campaign for the Qatar 2027 FIBA World Cup.

Head Coach Abdulrahaman Mohammed has unveiled a strong 12-man roster, led by veteran guard and 2015 Afrobasket champion, Stanley Okoye, the team’s longest-serving player.

The roster blends overseas talents with home-based stars, reflecting Nigeria’s continued commitment to nurturing domestic talent.

Among the selected players are three home-based standouts, including two members of the newly crowned Nigerian champions Lagos Legends – Chinkpa Garba and Obekpa Chris, as well as Paul Dibal of Gboko City Chiefs, whose impressive form earned him a spot.

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The 2027 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers will take place across five windows from November 2025 to February 2027. Sixteen teams that qualified for FIBA AfroBasket 2025 have been drawn into four groups of four. Nigeria will compete in Group C, where they will face Rwanda, Guinea, and Tunisia.

D’Tigers Roster for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers:  Jordan Ogundiran ( Denmark);Ike Nwamu(Turkey);Mike Nuga ( Canada);Simon Ugochukwu  (Italy);Stanley Okoye ( Spain);Paul Dibal (Gboko City Chiefs, Nigeria);Augustine Okafor (United Kingdom);Talib Zanna ( USA);Chinkpa Garba (Lagos Legends, Nigeria);Obekpa Chris ( Lagos Legends, Nigeria);Udeze Morris Chidera (Spain) and Olisa Akinobi  ( USA).

D’Tigers ‘ Technical Crew:  Head Coach: Abdulrahaman Mohammed (Nigeria);Assistant Coach: Akindele Ayodeji (USA);Assistant Coach: Job Nelson (Bahrain) and Video Coach: Onyebuchi Onyeka (USA)

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have suffered a steep fall in the latest FIBA World Rankings, dropping 11 places to 53rd globally following their disappointing campaign at the 2025 AfroBasket.

The team’s quarterfinal exit after a 91–75 loss to Senegal dashed hopes of a second continental title and cost them significant ground in the standings. Once ranked 42nd in March and sixth in Africa, Nigeria now sit eighth on the continent behind South Sudan, Angola, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, and Tunisia.

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Despite the setback, D’Tigers will have a chance at redemption later this year when they take on Tunisia, Guinea, and Rwanda in the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers in November.

Globally, the United States retained the number one spot, while Germany’s EuroBasket 2025 triumph pushed them up to second, ahead of Serbia in third. France and Canada completed the top five.

Meanwhile, Mali were the biggest movers, leaping 18 places to 65th after a stunning run to the AfroBasket silver medal.

By Yusuf Kareem

D’Tigers head coach, Abdul Rahman Muhammad, has admitted that  D’Tigers  lost to a better  Senegalese  in their Wednesday’s quarter-final showdown  at the  2025 FIBA  Men’s Afrobasket Championships in Angola.

In his post-game analyses, Muhammad acknowledged that his side was outclassed in almost every department and fell short of their usual standards.

 “They (Senegal)  were better. The better team won,” he said. “I think they deserved to win. We didn’t just play well enough to win. We didn’t play our style. A lot of things went wrong, but I’m not going to take away credit from Senegal. They played better in the game of basketball.”

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Muhammad highlighted Senegal’s superior adjustments during the course of the game as the key difference. “The team that makes better adjustments during the game is the team that’s going to win. After that timeout, they simply adjusted better. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy we lost, but I’m still proud of how we played,” he added.

Despite the setback, the coach maintained optimism about Nigeria’s progress going forward: “Now we’ve been able to know our identity as a team. We fell short, but this is part of the process. We understand what we need to do going forward to build a culture that will help us play better.”

Muhammad also pointed out that this was Nigeria’s first defeat in six games at this level and the first time they had lost by a double-digit margin.

 “It rattled us a bit, but like I said, I’m proud of how we played. We’re going to get better, we know our identity now, and we’ll move on from here,” he concluded.

The  D’Tigers’  inspired  run at the 2025 Men’s AfroBasket Championship  ended  yesterday  following  a gripping 91-75 loss to their  West African rivals, ‘Lions’ of Senegal  in the quarter-finals at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda, Angola.

Nigeria became the second team to reach the quarterfinals undefeated — after Côte d’Ivoire — to see their AfroBasket title aspirations come to an abrupt end.

Brancou Badio put on a show leading Senegal in scoring with 32 points.

An exhilarating opening quarter saw Senegal and Nigeria tirelessly trading blows, but Nigeria led 24-23 after seven lead changes. Jean Jacques Boissy hit a three-pointer on Senegal’s first possession of the second quarter to give them a 26-24 lead. Another three-pointer from Amar Sylla extended Senegal’s lead to 29–24, and Nigeria never led again.

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Senegal maintained their momentum with a 13-5 run before Nigeria called a timeout to minimize the damage. However, there wasn’t much they could do, as Senegal appeared to be relentlessly dominant. Senegal led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter.

In the  fourth quarter however, the D’Tigers  fought back gamely  and won  by  20-15 points but it was  too little, too late  as the  Senegalese ran away with a commanding  91-75 points.

Defeat means the end of the road for  D’Tigers who were  desirous of annexing their second continental title after their 2017 feat. The coach Mohammed Abdulrahman-led side  started their campaign strongly  with a hundred percent in the group phase where  they beat Madagascar, Tunisia and Cameroon.

For the Senegalese, the  defeat of  D’Tigers  has surely compensated their  women’s loss to  the D’Tigress in the semi-finals of the recently concluded  Women’s AfroBasket in Cote d’Ivoire where Nigeria  claimed a fifth successive championship.

Senegal will take on Mali in the Last Four. They had previously beaten Mali 80-70 in Group D.

Following a hundred percent  winning record in the  group phase, the senior national basketball team, D’Tigers  will file out later today against ‘The Lions’  of Senegal in the quarterfinal of the ongoing 2025 FIBA Men’s  AfroBasket  Championship in Luanda, Angola

Senegal booked their spot after defeating South Sudan 78–65 in the playoff round, setting up a mouthwatering tie with Group B leader, Nigeria, in what has been dubbed a heavyweight clash.

The Lions in their 30^th  AfroBasket appearance, have with five championship winner’s medals (1968, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1997) plus  six silver medals and five bronze medals.

Nigeria, meanwhile, are making their 20^th  appearance at the tournament with gold in 2015 as well as four  additional silver medals in 1997, 1999, 2003 and 2017 and three  bronze in 1995, 2005 and 2011.

So far, D’Tigers  have been in excellent  form , topping Group B after victories against Madagascar (77–59), Tunisia (87–66) and Cameroon (99–90).

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Senegal also impressed in the group stage with wins over Uganda (88–53) and Mali (84–70), but they fell to Egypt (91–77) before recovering to beat South Sudan in the playoffs.

The last time these two sides met in a knockout stage was the 2015 AfroBasket semifinal where D’Tigers edged Senegal 88–79 in  overtime en route  to their first-ever championship  title  after defeating Angola in the final.

With a place in the semifinals at stake, both sides will also be eyeing a bigger prize, which is an automatic qualification to the FIBA Basketball World Championship.

There is extra spice to the encounter as well, with memories still fresh of Nigeria’s D’Tigress edging Senegal in the semifinals of the Women’s AfroBasket earlier this year before going on to lift the trophy.

The clash carries sentimental value, as Stan Okoye remains the only member of the 2015 title-winning squad still on the roster, a testament to his longevity and leadership a decade later.

Nigeria will hope to count on Okoye’s experience, as well as the quality depth of the team to dominate their West African rivals.

Nigeria’s D’Tigers have  sealed a place in the quarterfinals at the ongoing FIBA Men’s  AfroBasket with a thrilling 99-90 victory over Cameroon in their final Group D match up  at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Kilamba in Luanda, Angola.

The win saw Nigeria top the group with a perfect 3-0 record after  dispatching  Madagascar and reigning champions,  Tunisia in  previous matches.

Yesterday, both Nigeria and Cameroon entered the high-stakes clash aware that victory would guarantee an automatic berth in the quarterfinals while the loser would have to navigate the more uncertain qualification route.

The first quarter was a neck-and-neck affair, with D’Tigers narrowly edging it 28-25. Nigeria then found their rhythm in the second quarter, storming to a 30-16 run that gave them a comfortable cushion at halftime.

In their inspired performance, Nigeria had six players score in the double digits. Josh Okogie led the D’Tigers with 16 points. Caleb Agada scored 15, Stan Okoye finished with 14, Christian Mekowulu and Ike Nwamu each contributed 12, and Martins Igbannu scored 10.

Yet Nigeria’s stand-out performers were  Okogie and  Okoye  with a combined 30 points. Okoye, who came off the bench, put in a great shift for the Tigers, especially from three-point range, where he was 4-for-4, and he also grabbed seven boards.

Cameroon struggled to find an answer to Nigeria’s three-point prowess, and they ultimately paid the price with their nine-point loss.

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Nigeria’s 15 three-pointers were the most by any team in the tournament so far.

Trailing by as many as 34 points required a Herculean effort from Cameroon, which they displayed in the fourth quarter. However, their fight-back spirit came a little too late.

This was the fourth matchup between the two teams at the AfroBasket tournament. The D’Tigers had knocked out the Indomitable Lions in the quarterfinals of the 2017 tournament, and the stakes were just as high in this final group matchup.

Head Coach Abdulrahman Muhammed praised  the performance of the team, adding the technical crew would work on the players’ late collapse in the fourth quarter.

 “This was a statement performance from the team,” he said. “We knew Cameroon would come hard at us, but our boys stuck to the game plan. That second and third quarter showed exactly what we’re capable of when we’re locked in. It’s a big boost heading into the quarterfinals.”

D’Tigers’ hero Okoye equally echoed the sentiments of Coach Muhammed  over their poor returns towards the end of the gripping encounter.

 “We were a little disappointed because we were a little flat in the end. We have learn to close out games and let teams come back like that. It was really great to knock down shots, but we could have done better on defence and taken better care with the turnovers,” Okoye stated.

Nigeria’s Group Stage Results:

Madagascar 59–77 Nigeria

Nigeria 87–66 Tunisia

Nigeria 99–90 Cameroon

Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) President, Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida, has issued a clarion  call to D’Tigers to remain focused as they prepare for their second game at the ongoing 2025 FIBA Men’s AfroBasket Championship in Angola.

Following a commanding 77–59 victory over Madagascar in their opening Group B fixture, Kida reminded the team that each game presents a fresh challenge and a renewed opportunity to uphold the values of Nigerian basketball.

“As you prepare to face Tunisia on Friday (today), I urge you to remain focused, stay humble, and play with the same intensity and teamwork that brought us this first win,” Kida said. “Every game is a new challenge, and every challenge is an opportunity to show the world what Nigeria stands for—resilience, excellence, and pride.”

D’Tigers began their campaign with a strong second-half performance against Madagascar, overturning a narrow 38–37 halftime lead with defensive discipline and fluid ball movement en route to  their impressive victory.

Their next opponent, Tunisia, presents a formidable test. The North Africans are two-time AfroBasket champions and last defeated Nigeria in the 2017 final, winning 77–65. However, Nigeria has had the upper hand in recent meetings, including a group-stage win in the 2021 edition.

According to FIBA’s head-to-head records, Nigeria and Tunisia have met six times in AfroBasket history, with Nigeria winning four of those encounters.

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Tunisia’s hopes of a third consecutive title have been dented by the retirement of Makram Romdhane and the absence of veteran Radhouane Slimane. They also suffered a setback in their opening game, falling to Cameroon, which adds pressure ahead of Friday’s clash.

Statistically, Nigeria holds the edge heading into the matchup. D’Tigers average 77 points per game compared to Tunisia’s 65, with superior numbers in rebounds (43 to 41), assists (16 to 12), and two-point shooting percentage (61.9% to 41.3%).

Both teams are tied at 50% from the free-throw line, while Nigeria holds a slight edge in three-point shooting at 25% versus Tunisia’s 24.1%.

Today’s encounter at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda is pivotal for both sides as they aim to secure top spots in Group B. The winner will take a significant step toward direct qualification to the quarterfinals, while the loser risks entering the qualification round.

With Kida’s message resonating through the camp and the team buoyed by their opening win, D’Tigers will look to build momentum and deliver another performance that reflects the pride and promise of Nigerian basketball.

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have  tipped off their 2025 AfroBasket campaign in style with a convincing 77–59 victory over Madagascar in Luanda, Angola.

Yesterday’s  win marked  a positive start for the 2015 champions as they seek to reclaim the continental title. The game opened with a strong start from both sides but the Nigerian team took the first quarter 18–14.

Madagascar fought back in the second quarter, surging  forward  by  23 to 20 points  but D’Tigers  rallied  and held on to a narrow halftime lead with  38 points to 37.

In the second half, the Nigerian team shifted gears, displaying defensive discipline, swift ball movement, and efficient shooting. They dominated the third quarter 17–9, building a comfortable cushion before sealing the contest with a 22–13 surge in the final quarter.

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Caleb Agada led from the front with an all-round display, finishing with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Stan Okoye chipped in with 13 points, while Ike Nwamu added 12 points, with the trio’s leadership and experience proving pivotal in rallying the team through the decisive stages.

The Director General of the National Sports Commission(NSC) , Hon. Bukola Olopade, praised the team’s resilience and composure, particularly in the third and fourth quarters, where Nigeria’s brave adjustments shut down Madagascar’s scoring rhythm.

With the win, D’Tigers set their sights on their next challenge, which will be a heavyweight clash against defending champions Tunisia tomorrow, August 15^th while they  will conclude their group stage fixtures against Cameroon on Sunday.

D’Tigers forward Jordan Nwora and former Boston Celtics player Semi Ojeleye are close to sealing deals with Serbian basketball giants Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade).

Nwora, who had his first experience in European basketball with Turkish side Anadolu Efes during the 2024/25 season, helped the club reach the semifinals of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi. However, he will not be extending his stay with the team.

According to Italian journalist and basketball insider Andrea Calzoni, Nwora has agreed to a one-year deal with Crvena Zvezda, with an option for a second year. The contract is reportedly worth €1 million per season.

The move to Crvena Zvezda offers the former Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and Indiana Pacers forward another shot at the EuroLeague. Nwora will be aiming to help the Serbian club reach the EuroLeague playoffs in the 2025/26 season.

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Meanwhile, Semi Ojeleye has also reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with Crvena Zvezda, according to Calzoni.

The former Celtics forward currently plays for Valencia in the Spanish Liga ACB, where he played a pivotal role in their sweep of Tenerife (3-0) to reach the playoff finals. Valencia will face either Real Madrid or Unicaja, with Madrid leading that series 2-0. A win in Game 3 will see them advance.

Ojeleye is expected to earn €1.5 million annually with a €400,000 buyout clause included in his contract. The 30-year-old had been on the radar of Real Madrid prior to finalizing his move.

This season, Ojeleye averaged 11.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the EuroCup and posted 11.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in Liga Endesa.