...Otenigbagbe, Aboderin speak

Ganiyu Otenigbagbe, head coach of First Bank is optimistic as the African champions test their mettle again on the continent.

He said, “We are going to Senegal with the aim of clinching the sole ticket for Africa in the championship.

“We have lost some of our key players who were there in 2003 when we won the FIBA Africa title in Mozambique, but that should not deter us from winning again this time.

“We have prepared adequately for this competition in Zaria and Lagos and we feel that our girls are in top shape. “To make up for the players we lost, we have recruited three players to beef up the team from the United States.

“There is Bolaji Akiode, a shooting guard/small forward, La Shawn Scott, a point guard and Shurlena Athleen Charles, a centre/power forward. “These players will help us to get to terms with the level of competition we are expecting in Dakar.”

For Wale Aboderin, owner and chief coach of Dolphins, the tournament is a good starting point for his young team. Aboderin said, “We might not be the first team in the competition, but we are certainly not going to come in last. That is sure.

“The competition is a life time experience for the girls who have been with Dolphins when things were rough. Now that things are good, they are benefiting from it. “That is why we are taking them to the competition. “All the girls are our products and there is no player from outside.

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