Sports
‘Love for country’ – why Jordan Nwora chose D’Tigers over USA
Jordan Nwora says it was due to his love for Nigeria that he opted to represent Nigeria’s national basketball team, D’Tigers, over their USA counterparts.
The University of Louisville undergraduate, who played during the 2019 FIBA World Cup African qualifiers last week in Lagos, said he was excited to have played under his father Alex Nwora – D’Tigers’ coach.
The 19-year old also said the physicality of the African game has made him tough.
“It was a case of playing for Nigeria because I love the country. I have always played in African and Pan- African teams my whole life back in the State,s” Nwora told the Nigerian Basketball Federation media department.
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“It was a great first experience playing in front of the home crowd, so I was just happy that my first qualifying games was a homecoming. They took me in with open arms and cheered me on. They supported me in what I was doing.
“First game was a little rough. It felt great, we had a successful tournament, I am just happy we were able to have the outcome that we expected.”
Nwora, who scored 36 points in the team’s last game against Mali, hailed teammates, Ike Diogu, Ben Uzoh and Jeleel Akindele whose experiences proved vital.
“They are all professionals, high level guys with high level characters. It’s been a great experience having had to take in a lot from them. They have a lot of experience when it comes to basketball, so playing with them, there is a lot of knowledge to be gained.”
The race for a spot in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China continues in September, when Nigeria will take on the Central African Republic on the 14th.
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