Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, on Tuesday released a squad list of 12 players for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup African qualifiers later this month in Alexandria, Egypt and Luanda, Angola.
The Nigeria Basketball Federation, made this known through their official Twitter handle on Tuesday.
The players listed for the final and decisive Window 6 of the qualifiers are Johnson Anaiye (Royal Hoopers), Okiki Michael (Gombe Bulls), Michael Daramola (Nigeria Customs), Odunfuwa Kanyinsola (Gombe Bulls) and Olatunji Graham (Free agent).
Others are Wisdom Anyoha (Gombe Bulls), Abdulwahab Yakubu (Gombe Bulls), Ibe Agu (Nigeria Customs), Victor Ezeh (Kwara Falcons), Chinedu Chimbou (Kano Pillars), Victor Koko (Rivers Hoopers) and Israel Otobo (Nigeria Customs).
The team will be led by coach Ogoh Odaudu, while Baba Jubril and Abdul Mohammed will assist him.
The 18 games, which will determine the four teams to join Ivory Coast as representatives of Africa at the World Cup in Indonesia, Japan and Philippines, will be played from February 24 to 26 in Alexandria and Luanda.
For D’Tigers, they face a near-impossible task of qualifying for the World Cup following a poor outing in Window 5 of the qualifiers.
D’Tigers recorded one win in three games, losing 78-66 to hosts Ivory Coast at the 3,500-capacity Palais des Sports Treichville in Abidjan, putting their qualification hopes for next year’s World Cup in a tight corner.
Of the 16 countries that started the African qualifiers in November 2021, 12 remain in the competition, although some have bigger chances than others to secure the rights to represent Africa at the 2023 World Cup.
Each team will play their last three games in as many days, making this qualifying window a do-or-die situation for teams like Nigeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal and South Sudan.
The teams that finish first and second in Groups E and F, plus the best third-place team secure the five spots on offer for African countries for the World Cup.
