Can Nigeria Reclaim Top Spot At FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2017?

In the lead-up to the FIBA Women’s
AfroBasket 2017,
we take a closer look at all 12
participating teams competing in the
championship running
from August 18-27 in Bamako, Mali.


Team: Nigeria
Nike FIBA World Ranking: 42nd
Last participation at FIBA Women’s
AfroBasket:

2015 (6 wins, 2 losses; 3rd place)

Best results in the history of FIBA Women’s
AfroBasket: African champions in 2003
and 2005
Qualified for FIBA Women’s AfroBasket
2017:
Automatic qualification by virtue of
finishing in third place win at the
AfroBasket 2015 in Cameroon.




History/Qualification: D’ Tigress as the
Nigeria women’s national team is fondly
called has a
rich history.



Long before the men’s national team
dreamt of playing at the Olympics, the
women had done so.



They competed at the 2004 Summer
Olympics basketball tournament in Athens,
Greece.



This was courtesy of their
emergence as continental
champions in which they defeated host
Mozambique in the Final.



Nigeria played in Group A along with
Australia, Brazil, Greece, Japan, and Russia.
The team
went 0–5 in the preliminary round. In the
11/12th place game, they defeated Korea
for a
final finish of 11th out of 12 teams. With
the win, they became the first women’s
African basketball team to win a game at
the Olympics.



Mfon Udoka was the team’s leading scorer
and the tournament’s second highest
scorer.



Nigeria qualified for the 2006 FIBA World
Championship by winning the 2005 FIBA
Africa
Championship for Women held in their
country.



They were placed into Group C with China,
Russia, and the United States. Nigeria did
not
qualify for a pass into the second round
and were defeated in the 15/16th place
game by
fellow African representatives Senegal by a
score of 66–64.



Their tournament record
was 0–5.
In Brazil, they were placed into Group C
with China, Russia, and the United States.
Nigeria did
not qualify for a pass into the second
round and were defeated in the
15th-16th place game by
fellow African representatives Senegal by a
score of 66–64.



Their tournament record
was 0–5.
Key Player : Adaora Nnenna Elonu, is a
Nigerian-American women’s basketball
forward who was instrumental to
Nigeria’s third place finish at the FIBA
AfroBasket 2015 in Cameroon and was
selected one of the best top five players of
the championship.



Rising Star: Both Evelyn Akhator and Upe
Atosu look determined to make their
presences felt
within the team.



While the former has
been selected by the Dallas Wings as the
number three in last March WNBA Draft,
the latter has been key to Nigerian
champions First Bank Basketball.



Outlook: A combination of experience and
youth gives one the impression that they
can post a surprise performance in Mali.



With the return of coach Sam Vincent and
former Nigeria women national team
captain Mfom Udoka as team manager,
the players have a lot to look up in terms
of experience from the side lines. Though
the camping is short and with no really
big team friendly international games
before heading to
Mali, there is the tendency that the team
might be ill prepared.



Possible outcome : Nigeria are looking to
better their 2015 performance by
reaching the Final. It will be no surprise
given the determination of the
players during the training camps in
Orlando, Florida, USA and in Lagos, Nigeria.



However, the level of opposition they get
from Group A opponents Senegal, Egypt,
Guinea, Mozambique and DR Congo will
determine a lot.