DStv PBL: MVP Usman glad to prove critics wrong

By Akeem Lawal                                      

THE Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the just concluded 2016 DStv Premier Basketball League Final 8 playoffs, Abubakar Usman of Kano Pillars is hoping his award will silence his critics once and for all.

Usman scored 24 points as Kano Pillars defeated Nigeria Customs won 71-53 in the final game at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos on Saturday to emerge champions again for the 5th time after the disappointment of losing the title to Mark Mentors in 2015.

In a chat with sportsbiz247.blogspot.com, an elated Usman said he needed to show that he still has all it takes at the highest level after being criticized for his team’s loss last year.

“I feel happy and good because when people said I'm old, I need to prove them wrong. I have to come out and show them I still have all it takes at the highest level.

“The magic is training. I train hard and I thank God for rewarding my effort. It's not easy to win MVP so many times. I've now won it like seven times in the history of Nigeria basketball league, nobody has done that. So I should be very happy. If today I retire, I have that record", said the Kano Pillars guard.

Apart from clinching the MVP, Usman was named among the top five players of the tournament alongside two of his teammates, Abdul Yahaya and Dele Ademola, as well as Quenum Romaric of Nigeria Customs and Kwara Falcons small guard Enan Wilfried.

Wilfried was also named best rebounder, while Ibrahim Yusuf clinched best assist and Kwara Falcons got the fair play award.

Rivers Hoopers finished in a respectable third position in their first season back in the elite division after a 59-57 victory over Atlantic Conference leaders Kwara Falcons.

Kano Pillars and Nigeria Customs will represent Nigeria at the FIBA Zone 3 Africa Club Championship qualifiers later this year and Usman believes the Northern club needs to fortify the team to make impact at the championship.

“Up till now we are still coming up when it comes to Africa Club basketball championship because we don't have the players. The problem we are having when we get to the Championship, most of the players we rely on chicken out. So we need to go out and get the players that can help us.

“All the same we are looking forward to perform better this time around. We have better players than last year, even though we still need to recruit more good players. So with the addition of new good players to the ones we have, we can do something,” Umar told sportsbiz247.blogspot.com.