2020 Olympic Qualifiers: D’Tigress to Camp at Belgrade

In preparation for the 2020 Olympic Qualifiers scheduled to hold across four Nations, from February 6 to 9, the Nigerian Basket Ball Federation (NBBF) has revealed that, the Camp for the senior women’s national Basketball Team, D’Tigress would be opened on Saturday, February 1, 2020, at Belgrade in Serbia.

According to NBBA Secretary General, Afolabi Oluwayemi, the team under the tutelage of Otis Hughley will camp for 5 days before the start of their campaign against the host country; Serbia, World Champion, USA and Mozambique, all in same group, with only two tickets on offer.

Elizabeth Balogun with Louisville University may be handed her first national debut alongside 2019 Zenith Bank Women Basketball League’s Most Valuable Player, Musa Murjanantu.

Fellow point guard, Sarah Ogoke has since been recalled to the team to replace injured Upe Atosu.

Other players expected in camp include Italy based Ifunanya Ibekwe, Promise Amukamara who plays in France, Sarah Imovbioh who plays in Belgium, and Spain based Elo Edeferioka.

Others include 2019 FIBA Women Afrobasket MVP, Ezinne Kalu, Evelyn Akhator who practice her talents in Turkey, and Aisha Balarabe who just moved to Spain.

Pallas Akpannah will also join team captain, Adaora Elonu who plays in Spain, as they prepare for the OQT campaign having missed out of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

The head coach of Air Warriors of Abuja, Samson Sotuminu and that of MFM of Lagos, Aderemi Adewunmi will also be on the train to Belgrade as members of the Technical crew.

Their latest appointment came on the backdrop of their heroics last season in the Zenith Bank Women Basketball League.

Sotuminu guided league debutant- Air Warriors to the 2019 title while Adewunmi’s tactical acumen saw MFM snatching a continental ticket after narrowly losing in the final.