After months of postponement due to the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), all is now set for the finals of the 16th Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship, which will now hold from December 1 to 6 at the indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The schools that will feature in the finals include Dutse Model International School and Government Girls Secondary School, Gwawaran, both from Jigawa State; St. Augustine Secondary School, Ezzamgbo (Ebonyi); Osadennis High School, Asaba (Delta); and West End Mixed Secondary School (Bayelsa).
Others are St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata (Bayelsa); Jesus College, Oturkpo; Government Girls Secondary School, Gboko (Benue); CAC Grammar School, Akure (Ondo); Henson Demonstration Group of Schools, Benin City (Edo); Ilupeju Grammar School (Lagos); and Yejide Girls Secondary School, Ibadan (Oyo) complete the list of finalists.
The winner of this year’s championship is expected to fly the nation’s flag at the World Schools Basketball Championship in Linigoes, France, from April 17 to 25, 2015.
Nearly 100,000 students from 7,500 schools participated in the championship from the state preliminaries to the regional conferences across the six-geo-political zones in the country.
According to the organisers, the Top 50 camp will take place immediately after the finals, from December 7 to 10.
The camp will be facilitated by a team of National Basketball Association (NBA) coaches and will be led by the NBA coach of Toronto Raptors, Patrick Engelbretch.
Multiple award-winning Nigeria artiste, Iyanya, will be performing at this year’s final of the championship.
Commenting on the event, the Category Business Manager, Doja Ekeruche, reaffirmed Nestle’s unwavering commitment to the development of basketball and raising the quality of the game.