Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, are expected back in the country on Monday following their participation in the 31st edition of the FIBA AfroBasket tournament held in Angola from August 12 to 24.
The coach Mohammed Abdulrahman-led side exited the competition at the quarter-final stage after a 91-75 defeat to continental powerhouse Senegal last Wednesday. Despite their elimination, the team remained in Angola as their return tickets had been booked for Monday, August 25.
According to reports, several senior figures within the squad requested the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) to reschedule their return tickets, but the federation declined. Consequently, some players, including Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie, opted to personally purchase their own tickets and departed Angola for their respective bases.
D’Tigers had an impressive run in the group stages, topping Group B with six points after victories over Madagascar, three-time champions Tunisia, and Cameroon during the round-robin phase. However, their campaign came to a halt in the last eight against Senegal, despite strong performances from Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye, and Ike Nwamu.
Attention will now shift to the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Series, scheduled to begin in November, as Nigeria looks to secure a place at the 2027 edition in Qatar. D’Tigers missed out on the 2023 World Cup, with their last appearance coming in 2019 in China under then-head coach Alex Nwora.
