Nigeria long route to Japan 2006 world championshi

With the introduction of quarter-finals in the new order by the continental ruling body, FIBA-Africa it means that Nigeria has a long route to go through before it may counted among the twenty-four countries that will storm Japan come 2006 for the world cup. In the new arrangement four will now qualifies for the quarter finals as against the old order where the first two teams in each group goes through to the semi-finals where makes it look pretty easy to grab one of the three slots reserved for Africa for the mundial.

The implication of the new format adopted by the continental ruling body, FIBA-Africa is that all a team need to make it to the quarter stage is to win just two matches which means countries like defending champion, Angola, Senegal, Egypt, Central Africa Republic which have rich basketball tradition in the continent will now play safe en-route the quarter-final as against former arrangement where the four strong teams with challenge from south Africa and Madagascar would have play hard to pick one of the two semi-finals ticket and that would have brightened our chances of at least a world cup ticket even if we failed in the semis as we would have had another shot at Japan 2006 since it would be near impossible for us to lose two games back-to-back.

 As it is all D’Tigers technical crew led by American-born Sam Vincent needed do to at least qualify the country for the biggest basketball fiesta come 2006 is adopt a more proactive approach to each match as they come since all the country need is pick two wins and we are in quarter finals with less energy by taking into consideration that the best should be saved for the quarter-final stage which as it is right now is the most important stage of the competition because any slip at that stage means we have bids the world cup goodbye and now have fight to avoid further slip down the ladder which may require Nigeria going through the qualifiers for the 2007 Fiba Africa Championship proper as only the first five team finisher is guaranteed automatic slot.

By now coach Vincent and the egg-heads in the technical ommittee depart of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF must put on their thinking cap and come up with a design that will see in Japan next year else history will not forgive them as we all know that this is the first time Nigeria will attempt a semblance of preparation for major championship maybe because Sam Vincent is not a Nigerian. D'Tigers is drwan in group-A along side host Algeria, Gabon, Mali, Tunisia and Mozambique