Nigeria’s preparations for the upcoming 2023 Afrobasket Women’s Championship in Rwanda have encountered a significant setback, as several players expected to participate in the tryouts have refused to join the exercise.
The situation has created concerns about the availability of top-quality players for the tournament.According to a source within the U.S. camp, Rena Wakama, the new coach of the Nigerian women’s basketball team (D’Tigress), had to cancel the second day of tryouts in Chicago, U.S., as she couldn’t gather enough players for the session.
Consequently, the tryouts will now be relocated to Abuja, where local players and some overseas-based counterparts are expected to participate in the screening process.
This change leaves only a brief window of less than 10 days before the start of the Afrobasket Championship. There is apprehension that the coach may not have a wide pool of high-quality players to choose from, as some established stars have decided to boycott the tryouts, considering them disrespectful to the players.
Oderah Chidom, a member of the 2019 Afrobasket championship team, recently announced her departure from the national team, citing a “lack of professionalism” from the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
She expressed disappointment with the open tryouts, stating that it was not professional to require players to pay their way to try out for the team when their resumes should speak for themselves.
NBBF sources have assured that the federation will support Coach Wakama in forming a competitive squad for the championship.
They mentioned that efforts are underway to resolve the challenges faced. The NBBF President, Musa Kida, is reportedly in contact with top players and will arrange for them to join the camp for a few days of preparation before the tournament.
Players are expected to arrive in Lagos and Abuja for the Nigerian leg of the tryouts this week. Initially scheduled for July 8-9 in Lagos and July 10-11 in Abuja, the revised plan aims to assemble a strong team to represent Nigeria at the Afrobasket Women’s Championship.
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