(by Olusegun Ikuesan)
The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has shortlist eighteen players to begin preparation ahead the 26th FIBA Africa Championship Zone-III qualifiers slated for Lome, Togo from August 6 through 18 this year.
According the Secretary General of the NBBF, Francis Gbiri that most of the players was drawn from the All-Stars Game the federation organized earlier this month.
The eighteen players to be tinkered by the duo of Coaches Sani Ahmed of Kano Pillars basketball club and Adeka Daudu of Dodan Warriors basketball club are to begin their preparation from the July 18 in Kaduna.
Kano Pillars has the largest number of invited players, the Nigeria league champion has four players which includes, Abubakar Usman, Ibrahim, Kelvin Nambam and Mattew Omonye; Kada Stars basketball club has three of its players invited for the Zone-III elimination they are Yusuf Yakubu, Adeolu Olaiya and Richio Dickson; Ebun Comets, Union Bank and Royal Hoopers basketball clubs each contributed two players.
The players are Yomi Joshua, Obumnaeme Onyia, Azuoma Dike, Onyeka Ekpete, Musa Usman and Victor Anthony; All-Stars Game MVP, Mohammed Bukar was invited from Dodan Warriors, Malik Tella from the Police Baton basketball club of Lagos, Manasseh Achii from Bauchi Nets while the duo of Louis Edem and Stanley Gumut who ply their trade in the Middle East league complete the list of invited players.
The players are expected in camp with their international passport, four passport photograph and training kits.
Nigeria will battle for one of the two slots in the zonal qualifiers alongside Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana, Liberia, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic