NAN
Adaora Elonu, the captain, senior national women’s team, D’Tigress, the team will go all the way to surprise the world at the forthcoming FIBA World Basketball Championship in Tenerife, Spain later this month.
Elonu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that she was confident about the team’s chances in spite of the quality of teams coming for the World Cup.
Elonu, who was a part of the 2017 Afrobasket Championship winning team, said that she was upbeat about the team’s quality as D’Tigress beat Raptors Academy 75-71 in a warm up match.
“We have a formidable squad and I am so happy to be back in the team to contribute to the success of our preparation and ultimately victory at the World Cup.
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“The team is strong and very determined to do well as we countdown to the World Cup which we are getting ready to prove to the world what we can achieve.
“I have missed the girls though I have been in good contact with them. I am very happy with the level of preparations so far,’’ she said.
Elonu described the friendly match against Raptors Academy as a good test for the team going about the challenge the male team gave D’Tigress.
“It is a good challenge for us, we need to gather the right momentum to be competitive and match-ready.
“I believe the coach, Otis Hughley led crew must have seen some other areas we need to work on.
“Basically, we are unfazed with the challenge our opponents brought as we are physically ready to challenge any team,” she said.
Nigeria is in Group B and will square up with Argentina, Australia and Turkey for a chance in the knockout stage.
The World Cup which is the biggest in basketball competitions has yet to register any African team crossing over to the knockout stage.
NAN reports that the World Cup will commence on Sept. 22 and end on Sept. 30, with no fewer than 16 teams competing for the championship trophy.
The U.S. will seek to defend its champions title won in 2014.