The D’Tigers, Nigeria’s national men basketball team, simply exemplified the Nigerian ‘never-say-die’ spirit by bouncing from zero to book their FIBA AfroBasket Championship ticket in Libya despite starting the final phase of the qualifiers at the bottom of the table. TUNDE LIADI here recount how the coach Abdulrahman Mohammed-led side performed the magic ..
Against all expectations, the D’Tigers will, after all, take part in the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Championship slated for Angola in August following their dominant performance in the final leg of the qualifiers in Libya.
The team overcame a slow start in the first round to bounce back impressively in the final window to secure victories against Libya, Uganda, and Cape Verde to seal their place in the prestigious tournament. They had lost to these teams in the second phase almost the same time as now last year.
Despite already confirming their qualification before the final game, D’Tigers ended their campaign on a high note with a commanding 77-62 win over Cape Verde at the Grand Hall in Tripoli, Libya.
The team’s resurgence was remarkable, considering their struggles in the second window, where they failed to secure a single victory against the same Libya, Uganda and Cape Verde who beat them then 89-82, 72-62 and 78-62 points in that order.
However, they responded emphatically in the third and final window, going unbeaten against their opponents.
Head coach Abdulrahman Mohammed took the opportunity to hand home-based players Ifeanyi Koko and Ibe Abuchi their first minutes of the tournament, rewarding their hard work with valuable court time.
Rough road to qualification
D’Tigers’ journey to qualification was anything but smooth. After a disappointing showing in the first round on home soil, where they came close to missing out, they turned their fortunes around in Libya.
After starting with a victory over hosts Libya, they avenged their earlier loss to Uganda with a decisive 87-67 victory.
D’Tigers capitalised on Libya’s stunning upset over Cape Verde to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Caleb Agada was once again the standout performer for Nigeria.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympian dominated the court, leading all players in key statistical categories. He finished with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals, cementing his role as the driving force behind Nigeria’s success. Talib Zanna contributed 13 points, while Ike Nwamu added 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists to show a strong team performance.
For Cape Verde, Ivan Almeida led with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Shane Da Rosa added 10 points. After an unbeaten run in the previous qualifying window, Cape Verde struggled in this round, losing all three of their matches.
The head coach Nigeria’s D’Tigers, Abdulrahman Mohammed showered praises on the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engineer Musa Kida; the General Manager of all Nigeria’s Basketball teams, Adamu Musa; his assistant coaches and players for ensuring that everything was put in perspective to ensure that the team bounced back in Libya.
He also said camping some home based players in Nigeria and having some practice sessions in Libya a few days before the start of the third phase of the FIBA Afrobasket Championship qualifiers with the foreign based players also getting involved really helped their resurgence.
Yet Mohammed reckoned that for D’Tigers to do well in Angola , the National Sports Commission(NSC), must get fully involved so that issues relating to funding would be a thing of the past.
“We had a few days to practice and so came up with a structure that allowed the players freedom to play thereby exhibiting their talent and were able to establish chemistry and stay connected at both ends of the court,” Mohammed told NationSport. “That aside, credit must also go to the NBBF President, Engr. Musa Kida who believed in the team despite being at the bottom of the group. The General Manager, Adamu Musa also worked tirelessly to ensure the team stayed focused on the goal at hand.
“Additionally, I had the help of two great assistant coaches who fed me with all the necessary information to succeed. I must also thank all Nigerians. We couldn’t have done anything much without their prayers.”
He added that with the FIBA Afrobasket Championship coming up in Angola in August, it is imperative for the team to have a very good preparation so that the players cab internalise the technical crew’s philosophies.
Mohammed stated that with the usual paucity of funds, it is important for the NSC to support the NBBF President, Musa Kida to make basketball great in the country .
“That(good preparation) should definitely start with timely funding to execute all the training programme schedules ahead of the competition and this should start early,” he continued. “All the programme schedules for the preparations are tied around finances which must be available ahead of time.
“But I am glad the NSC have so far been supportive and the reassuring words from the body that the D’Tigers would be supported is heart soothing. I am impressed with what the NBBF is doing too,” he added.
Kudos to the basketball family
For NBBF Head of Media, Akeem Busari, D’Tigers achieved their goal in Libya because of the collective efforts of the Nigerian basketball family and he commended the timely support of the NSC too.
Busari hinted that the Engineer Kida-led NBBF ensured the team camped early in Abuja, adding that the board also ensured that the players and officials of D’Tigers were motivated and supported to realise the objective of picking FIBA Afrobasket Championship ticket in Libya.
He said: “It was a collective effort. From the President of the NBBF, Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida, the board members, team officials and the players, and of course, the timely support of the NSC.
“The board did all it could within its powers, particularly, the early camping of the scouted and selected home based players in Abuja. The board led by Kida, made sure the players and officials were well motivated and inspired ahead of the qualifiers.”
Busari, however, disagreed that the NBBF got anything wrong during the second phase last year in Tunisia where D’Tigers lost all their three games to the same opposition they defeated last week in the final phase.
He said D’Tigers tried all what they could do then but that results that failed to come and that the team learned a great deal from the unfortunate experience hence their resolve they stage a comeback which they accomplished.
“We didn’t do anything wrong in the first window. It wasn’t just a good outing,” Busari noted.
Busari beckoned on the NSC to make the D’Tigers preparations for the FIBA Afrobasket Championship seamlessly through early release of funds to ensure that the team’s preparation is unhindered by any external factor(s).
He continued: “You know, funding has always been a problem of sports federations and not just the NBBF. However, I believe the team will be better prepared ahead of the AfroBasket championship.
“The leadership of the NSC, understands and knows what should be done to prepare the team. I also believe that with the synergy and working relationship between the NSC and the NBBF, funding and logistical support won’t be a problem.”
Pressed on the non-inclusion of some notable D’Tigers players who are doing well for their clubs in Europe, Asia and North America for the qualifiers in Tripoli, Busari was evasive insisting that there is no such problem in the basketball family.
“I don’t think there is any problem between the NBBF and any foreign based player,” he said. “Remember, change is constant and like other sports, new and younger talents would always come up. Nigeria basketball is blessed with a vast pool of young, energetic, experienced and dynamic players.
“The NBBF and the technical committee would always ensure that only the very best players, wherever they maybe, are selected at all times to represent the country.
“Going forward, the NBBF shall ensure that D’Tigers are properly motivated to make Nigeria proud once again.”
Meanwhile, Basketball promoter and founder of the Mark D’ Ball Basketball Championship, Igoche Mark, commended the team’s performance under the guidance of coach Abdulrahman Mohammed.
He praised the players for their resilience and determination, particularly highlighting their remarkable fourth-quarter performance against Uganda, where they outscored their opponents 32-8.
“All I saw during the games we played against Libya and Uganda was a resilient team driving with a passion to subdue all obstacles, especially against Uganda in the fourth quarter. This typifies the Nigerian spirit,” Mark stated.
Expressing optimism for the future of basketball in Nigeria, Mark said that the recent establishment of the National Sports Commission led by Mallam Shehu Dikko is an opportunity to erase some of the challenges faced by the sport in the past.
“This feat (AfroBasket Qualification) shouldn’t obliterate the rot and decay that basketball has suffered in Nigeria, but the good news is that with the coming on board of the National Sports Commission under well-seasoned sports administrators, the sport will soon witness that Reset,” he added.
With their place now secured, Nigeria will shift focus to the main tournament, set to take place in Angola from 12-24 August. Nigeria has not missed an edition in 30 years and will be looking to add to their 2015 championship win, which remains their only AfroBasket title. They have also finished as runners-up four times and earned three bronze medals.
Libya topped Group B with 10 points, while Nigeria and Cape Verde finished second and third, respectively, with nine points each. Uganda, finishing with eight points, also advanced as one of the best fourth-placed teams.
The 2025 AfroBasket, the tournament’s 31st edition, will see Tunisia enter as defending champions, with Angola hosting for the fourth time.
