By Joe Apu

Nigeria is to open Camp in Lagos on June 19 for this month’s FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers according to fillers from the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF.

Though, it is not yet clear the number of players that would be invited for camping doe the third window of the FIBA Qualifiers calendar, Daily Sunsport gathered that head coach Alex Nwora and his technical crew are leaving nothing to chance as they look ahead to the match up against Mali, Rwanda and Uganda.
However, team captain Ike Diogu is expected to lead a star studded squad as many players have already indicated interest in playing for Nigeria on home soil with some being their first time home to play at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere.

The choice of bidding to host Group B games by the President of the NBBF, Engr. Musa Kida was in line with the promise of attracting international basketball championships to Nigeria before his election last year.
“When the opportunity presented itself, we never hesitated because it’s part of our drive to develop basketball and make Nigeria a basketball hub in Africa.

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Kida explained that the desire to take basketball to the doorsteps of all strata of the basketball families influenced the choice of the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium for the first ever World Cup qualification series to be hosted by Nigeria.

Meanwhile, former Nigerian international and NBBF Vice President Babatunde Ogunade informed that repairs will start at the venue with other logistics already in place.
“We are in contacts with the hotels we will use and our sponsors are lined up. We have also enlisted the support of the Lagos State Government who over the years has been providing veritable support for basketball in Lagos and Nigeria.

“We are in a good place as we speak and we are ready to put up a good show,” Ogunade said.
Nigeria is currently leading Group B with 6 points after defeating Mali, Uganda and Rwanda during the first set of its group games played at Palais des Sports Salamatou Maiga in Bamako, Mali.