Otukpo (Benue)- A national senior men basketball player, Ejike Ugboaja, on Wednesday urged the National Sports Commission (NSC) to assist the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) in the development of basketball.
Ugboaja told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the ongoing Mark D’ Ball Basketball competition in Otukpo, Benue, that provision of adequate facilities was necessary for improved performance.
The player noted that provision of adequate facilities would also improve the fortunes of the game in the country and assist to improve Nigeria’s World ranking which is currently 40.
NAN reports that Nigeria was ranked 11th in the world after the London 2012 Olympics but later dropped to 17th in the 2013 world ranking.
Ugboaja was, however, optimistic that the country would bounce back to reckoning if necessary facilities were put in place.
“We need the government to help to improve on our facilities because the NBBF might be doing its best but the facilities we have are very poor.
“All we need is for the federal government to come in and help us with adequate facilities.
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“Imagine, we have only two government-owned basketball gyms in Nigeria, located in Lagos and Abuja.
“These gyms are the worst I have ever seen; even the gyms in kindergarten school in America are better than what we have here.
“The gym behind my house in Atlanta, Georgia is also better than what we have here, not to talk of the National Stadium Atlanta.
“The gym we played on in Tunisia is a standard basketball gym and I believe we should be able to have something like that in Nigeria and our players will do better,’’ Ugboaja said.
He expressed regret that poor facilities contributed to the country’s poor showings at the London 2012 Olympics and the 2012 Afrobasket Male Championship in Cote d’Ivoire, where the D’Tigers finished overall sixth.
The Olympian also said that poor facilities and poor preparation affected the country’s performance at the women’s championship in Maputo, Mozambique, where the D’ Tigress was overall fourth.
Ugboaja, noted that the country stood a better chance of winning the Afrobasket and the Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) competitions if facilities were improved on.
He added that the quality of players in the domestic league was capable of winning any major competition.
Ugboaja, however, called for the inclusion of home-based players in the national team to limit the attention given to foreign-based players who have failed many a time to give their best for country. (NAN)
