Sports
D’Tigers captain Diogu rues team’s ouster from C’wealth Games
Captain of Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, Ike Diogu, has lamented the poor performance of the team at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Australia, but says they have learnt from the competition.
D’Tigers picked up four defeats from four games and could not qualify for the semifinals of the event.
In the group stages, they lost to New Zealand, Canada and Australia; before blowing their chance of reaching the last four by falling five points short of Scotland.
“It was a tough tournament for everyone on the team, losing all the games was not expected but we have seen a lot and also learnt from that,” the D’Tigers captain told the media in Australia.
Read Also: #GC2018: D’Tigers lose to Scotland, miss out on semifinal spot
“The guys were not happy because we knew the expectation back home and I can only say we learnt from that and will do better in future.”
The team is however currently seeking qualification for the World Cup. They topped their group in the first phase of the qualifiers in Mali, and will be up for more shows in next month’s second phase.
About this, Diogu added: “We had a great tournament in Mali, I mean the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, and we are hoping to continue from where we stopped by ensuring we qualify for the tournament.”
D’Tigers are ranked first in Africa and 32nd in the the world, according to the latest FIBA World rankings.
RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears
Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...