By Joe Apu
The University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka and the Bayero University Kano, BUK have emerged national champions in the men and women category of the inaugural Nigeria Universities Games Association, NUGA 3X3 Basketball Tour which ended at the weekend in Abuja.
In what was a repeat of the final of the Southern League, the University of Lagos confirmed their superiority over hard fighting University of Ibadan, Oyo State 14-11 to lift the gold trophy with a cash prize of N100, 000 plus gold medals while the Ilorin boys went home with silver medals and a sum of N75, 000 and the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria finished third place winning N50, 000 with bronze medals for their effort.
The women’s category, the top prize of N100, 000, a giant trophy and gold medals went to the dynamic trio from the Bayero University Kano that withstood eight other universities to emerge winners. The BUK girls without a substitute player on their side defeated the University of Ilorin10-06 while the University of Ibadan finished third place with a cash prize of N75, 000 and N50, 000 respectively in addition to silver and bronze medals.
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung who got a commemorative medal and trophy courtesy of the organisers while commending NUGA and the AMK Foundation for the revival of basketball in the tertiary institution charged other individuals to emulate the passion for the growth of the sport of Musa Kida and others like him.