All is set for the FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers billed for Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from October 20 to 28, and Nigeria’s champions, First Bank Basketball Club, has set sight on winning the title again.
Head coach of the team, Adewunmi Aderemi, told TheNiche that the team’s aim is to make it to the final round and put up a big show for the title it won in 2003 in Mozambique and 2009 in Benin Republic.
He said: “We are more determined this time around to see that we are not just participants but contenders, and we aim to qualify for the final round.
“We have played second fiddle for too long and we really appreciate what our management is doing for us, and our desire is to reciprocate their gesture of good management towards our goals.
“We will respect every team that has confirmed its participation in the FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers which comes up from October 20 through 29, and the final round billed for November in Tunisia.
“We know our onions and what we can do to give our club and Nigeria good representation. We are moving into closed camp away from distractions, so that we can achieve our goal of being among the top contenders for the title.
“The club continental competition is not new to us as a team, and we will present the best team ever with a mixture of young and experienced players who can compete for honours.”
In a bid to make it to the final round of the Africa Champions Cup for Women slated for Tunisia next month, the club has been in closed camp in Akure, Ondo State, strategising for the FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers.
The Elephant Girls, as the bankers are also known, started the 2014 campaign by reclaiming the Nigerian domestic title which has eluded it for four seasons.
First Bank and Dolphins basketball club will represent Nigeria at the Burkina Faso Zone 3 qualifiers alongside other teams from the other seven FIBA Africa Zone 3 nations.