PRESIDENT of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Tijani
Umar believes the exhibition match between national men basketball team,
D'Tigers and Team USA will serve as a litmus test for the African champions
ahead of the basketball event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The exhibition match scheduled to hold at the Toyota
Center in Houston on August 1, is one of the five exhibition games planned by
USA Basketball before departing for Olympics.
The match against USA will be a repetition of the London
Olympics, where the D’Tigers lost 156-73 at the group stage.
Umar said he is not in any way surprise that this
happened as the international friendly pitched the World Champion, USA and the
African champions, Nigeria and that the world could only expect an improved
Nigerian team compared to the side that got beaten scandalously beaten by USA
at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
“Nigerians must learn to be positive, nothing happen by
accident. The success of Nigeria at the Afrobasket last summer was the key to
everything. It's a great effort and it's a welcome development for Nigerian
basketball, it's good for the national team programs.
“For us to be
lined up to play a friendly game in preparations for the Rio Olympic Games
against Team USA, the number one basketball nation, is a huge boost for our
program. Let me also say at this point
we are the best in Africa. So if the best team in Africa is lined up against
Team USA did not surprise me at all.”
D’Tigers are in the same group as hosts Brazil, Spain,
Lithuania, Argentina and one team that will qualify via Olympic Qualifying
Tournaments. They will be starting their campaign at the Olympics against
Argentina on Sunday August 7, 2016.
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