LAGOS – First Deepwater Basketball Club of Lagos, defending champions in the 2013/2014 Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League, on Wednesday said players’ commitment was responsible for the team’s continued reign.
First Deepwater maintained a fourth straight title victory in the Zenith Bank sponsored women basketball league at the 2012/2013 edition of the lcompetition.
The club also maintained a 100 per cent success record in the first stage of the 2013/2014 season by defeating other seven teams in the recently concluded Group A matches in Abuja.
The club’s Head Coach, lateef Erinfolami, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the club maintained its players though with regular minor replacements.
Erinfolami said that this had enabled the club blessed with discipline and dedicated players to maintain its leadership record for the past six years.
He added that the commitment of the club’s owner, Babatunde Babalola, also gave the club the necessary boost to remain competitive and ever ready to deliver.
“We are happy about our achievements; it did not come easy, but through hard work and the commitment of old and new players.
“We are on course to keeping the club’s flag flying because we believe in our standard and the quest to achieve more trophies at the end of every season,’’ Erinfolami said.
A veteran player with the team, Mary Ndidi-Amakachkwu, expressed satisfaction with the club’s achievement and impact on her career.
Ndidi-Amakachkwu, a shooting guard, said the club’s secret for its numerous successes was the long lasting standard set by the club’s management and the continuity in the club.
“We have been together for a while now and we are always recruiting new and competent players to boost the squad.
“We train hard to achieve, we do not always think that we are better than everybody, we have a wonderful coach whose exploits also is noticeable with the women national team, D’Tigress.
“We have a management team that does so well to equip us yearly with all that we need to succeed.
“The next phase of the competition begins on May 1 in Kwara and already we have commenced preparations towards this,’’ she said.
The competition’s former champions, First Bank of Lagos remains the only competitive force to challenge First Deepwater’s quest for a fifth successive title.
First Bank had also won their seven matches in the Group B of the first phase of the 2013/2014 league that ended last month in Abuja.
The first four teams in each group will meet at the Final Eight playoff in Lagos later in the year to decide the competition’s champions. (NAN)
