Sports
NBBF Championship: Zamfara Beats Benue 63-51
Zamfara Shooters bas
ketball team of Gusau defeated the Pearls of Benue 63-51 at the ongoing National Men’s Basketball Division Two Championship.
It is the third win for the Zamfara side after beating Hard Rockers of FCT 57-49 and thrashing Coal City Kings of Enugu State 75-51 in their previous matches.
The championship, which is holding at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Abuja National Stadium, is organised by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
In the game, the Benue side dominated the early moments and raced to a 25-19 lead, before losing grip for the Zamfara side to return into contention.
Coach Muhammad Umar of Zamfara was in jubilant mood after the match, praising his players and expressing optimism that they would keep up the momentum.
“I am happy that we won, though it was a challenging game. But we have once again proved to be unbeatable. Even though both teams played very well, but we are better.
“My players have been doing very well and I am proud of them because we have played three matches and have won all’’.
He was however optimistic that the team would win their remaining two matches based on their experience and exposure.
“We will approach every match as they come and I am sure that with our experience and exposure we will win our remaining two matches,’’ Umar said.
On his part, Spencer Chileh, the coach of Pearls Basketball Academy, said he was not disappointed his team lost.
“I am not disappointed because we rarely have competition for this level of players. So, there is no way for them to try out their skills.
“I am quite satisfied, because this is the first time we are playing in a championship like this and we hope to do better.
“We lost to the Zamfara side, which is a more experienced and matured side compared to our players who are of ages ranging from 17 to 22.
“But, even though we have lost two matches and won one, I am still sure that we will make it to the top,’’ Chileh said.
Our correspondent reports that Pearls of Benue had lost 48-50 to Gilali of Kaduna State and defeated Hard Rockers of FCT 61-55 in their previous matches.
In the other matches played on Wednesday, Hard Rockers defeated Solid Hits of Nasarawa State 72-63 while Coal City Kings of Enugu State lost 41-58 to Gilali.
The championship, according to agency report, is the latest addition to the federation’s programmes, designed to help in growing players through the Division One League to the DSTV Premier League.
The top team out of the six teams participating in the championship will be promoted to the Division One League.
The championship which began on October 27 is expected to end on October 31.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.