Senegal Defeat Ends Nigeria’s AfroBasket Run as Team Returns Home

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, are expected back in the country on Monday(Today) after rounding off their campaign at the 31st FIBA AfroBasket Championship in Angola, which ran from August 12 to 24, Sport360NG reports.

Led by coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, the team’s journey ended in the quarter-finals last Wednesday, where they fell 91-75 to long-time rivals Senegal. Despite their exit, the squad remained in Luanda as their return tickets were booked for August 25.

It was gathered that several senior players had appealed to the Nigeria Basketball Federation to reschedule their flights, but the request was turned down. Some, including Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie, reportedly chose to pay for their own tickets and left Angola earlier.

D’Tigers had advanced from Group B in impressive fashion, finishing top with six points after recording wins over Madagascar, three-time champions Tunisia, and Cameroon. Standout displays came from Caleb Agada, Okogie, Stan Okoye and Ike Nwamu before the team’s run was halted by Senegal in the last eight.

Attention now shifts to November, when Nigeria begin their campaign in the FIBA Men’s World Cup qualifiers. The target is a place at the 2027 edition in Qatar, after missing the 2023 tournament. The team last featured on the world stage in 2019 under coach Alex Nwora in China.