D’Tigers-Basketball-Team

D’Tigers have now shifted their attention to qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Musa Kida, President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), said on Tuesday.

Kida said Nigeria’s senior national male basketball team, after two successive losses against Russia and Argentina at the ongoing FIBA World Cup in China, have now refocused.

“Finishing at the World Cup as the highest-placed African team is now a major catch for the team and they are motivated to book an automatic 2020 Olympic Games ticket,’’ he said in a statement by Afolabi Oni, NBBF board member and media representative.

Kida said he and the players have, in order to achieve this, set their eyes on victory against South Korea on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team has already bowed out of the contention for a medal finish in China.

“Clearly, for us, the qualification (for the Olympic Games) through the World Cup is still there and if we beat South Korea, I am sure we will come out as the best performing African country in the World Cup.

“This will give us an automatic ticket to the 2020 Olympics,’’ the NBBF president, who lamented Saturday’s loss against Russia in a match he described as “winnable’’, said.

Kida, however, noted that the failure to emerge as the best African team for an automatic Olympics ticket would mean for the NBBF a return to the drawing board.

“We are still alive and on course for the Olympics. Even if that doesn’t happen, we will still go for the Olympic qualifiers, and we will have to immediately start preparations.”

Meanwhile, current FIBA Afrobasket Women champions D’Tigress will return to Dakar where they won their fourth title to start their Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in November.