For the past 17 years the Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship has remained the nation’s flagship grassroots competition which gives the Nigerian youth the opportunity to showcase their basketball skills.
The girls’ category was not different, as Idiah College, Benin City, fought gallantly in the final but eventually bowed to the superior powers of the St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amaranta, Bayelsa State. The Bayelsa School laughed last with 18-15 points.
The boys from Ilupeju Grammar School, Lagos State, defeated St. Augustine’s Seminary, Ebonyi, 55-30 to clinch the bronze.
In the girls’ third place match, a spirited performance from the Adamawa State girls stopped those from Niger State with 31-29.
The winners from each side received N150,000 cash, branded basketballs, basketball footwear and gold medal (for each player), championship trophy and certificate of participation for each player from Nestle Milo.
Aside N120,000 cash, the runners-up got branded basketballs, basketball footwears, silver medals and certificate of participation.
The third place winners received a sum of N100,000, medals and certificate of participation.
The award for the most entertaining team went to Ilupeju Grammar School, while Yejide Girls Grammar School, Ibadan, received the fair play award for girls.
St. Augustine received the fair play award for boys.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to David Musa of the Kaduna team, while Faith Jeremiah from Bayelsa received the MVP in the girls’ category.
Apart from the main events, the organisers put in place other side attractions also targeted at the Nigerian youth. One of them was ‘Slam Dunk’ competition involving some basketball clubs where individual players were given the opportunity to display their skills.
They were graded, and Osai Shina of Delta Force Basketball Club came tops scoring the highest points.
No dull moments all through; at every interval, there was something to showcase. A group known as Body Language, comprising Joseph Ololo and Ahmed Isu from Port Harcourt, used their acrobatics to thrill spectators, especially thousands of school children.
Of course some of the children broke loose when top musician, Olamide aka ‘Badoo’, came to display some of his popular tunes. Many of the children clad in their schools’ colours proved they could challenge Olamide, the musician, one on one.
Head of Human Resources, Nestle, Shola Akinyosoye, said they were encouraged watching the successes recorded so far.
The impressive outing by the finalists with improved standard of play has produced new champions, and the discipline all make us look for ways to improve on the Nestle Milo Championship annually, he added.