Runner up of DSTV Premier Basketball League Atlantic Conference Final Four, Dodan Warriors, touched down in Abidjan, the venue of the 2013 Afrobasket Championships, on Wednesday on a training tour of the host city.
The Lagos Warlords arrived in the capital city of Ivory Coast with a 13-man contingent and with their camp set in Treichville, the venue of the basketball tournament; they were around to spur on the Nigeria senior men basketball team D’Tigers on their way to winning the Eagles of Mali 74-59 in their first game of the championship.
“Due to the break in the league because of the Afrobasket competition we decided to engage our boys, rather than let them go home and relax before the Final Four,” one of the assistant coaches of the team, Coach Chris said.
D’Tigers play Republic of Congo in their second group match on Friday as players of the Lagos based side have said they will cease the opportunity to support the national team promising to remain in Abidjan until after the preliminary on Sunday when Nigeria will battle the Lions of Cameroon.
“We thought we should take advantage of the period to expose our boys to continental Basketball, watch the big boys play and take home a few things.
“Not also forgetting the fact that we also want to keep our boys in shape and support our darling National Team D’Tigers at the tournament as well,” the coach added.
Some sections of Nigerians living in Abidjan were reportedly on hand to cheer their beloved country to victory in the nation’s first group game of the tournament against West African giants, Mali, waving the green-white-green, singing from the jump ball to the buzzer.
Nigeria has never won Africa’s most coveted prize in basketball before and the coach Ayo Bakare-led team have promised to do the country proud in the 27th edition of Afrobasket.
