All is now set for the national finals of this year’s Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball championship, as all the qualifiers from the four Conferences have assembled in Lagos for the hostilities.
Every team participating in the national finals will receive N200,000. However, winners will go home with additional N150,000 for first place. Second place gets N120,000 and the third will receive N100,000. They will also receive trophies and lots of Milo goodies.
From the Central Conference are Government Secondary School, Barnawa, Kaduna State, who will be competing in the boys category, while Government Secondary School, Bida, Niger State, will be competing in the girls category.
Augustine Seminary, Ezzamgbo, Ebonyi State, will represent the Atlantic Conference in the Boys category while Idia College, Benin, Edo State, will compete in the girls category.
Confluence Conference will have St. Peters College, Idah, Kogi State, in the boys category, while Government Girls Secondary School, Yola, Adamawa State, will compete in the girls category.
Ilupeju Grammar School, Lagos State, and Yejide Girls Grammar School, Ibadan, Oyo State, will both represent the Western Conference.
All the qualifiers will be joined by the four best losers to be decided by the organisers, the Nigeria Schools Sports Federation (NSSF).
As is the tradition, after the championship, a special training camp will be held for players who distinguished themselves in the championship.
The sponsors, in conjunction with Giants of Africa and some National Basketball Association (NBA) players from the United States will organise this unique basketball training programme called the ‘Nestle Milo Top 50 Camp’ in August.
Category Manager (Beverages) of Nestle Nigeria Plc., Olufemi Akintola, reiterated that the championship continues to play a vital role in producing many national and international basketball stars.
He said: “A good number of players in the Premier Basketball League participated in the championship. Some of our champions are currently playing in international leagues in Spain, Germany, Portugal, U.S., Turkey even China.
“This is the fear that we hope to continue to better every year”.