By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@ YawMintYM on Twitter
Reigning African Basketball Champions Nigeria is in line to feature in international friendly games against high profile teams as it prepares for this year’s AfroBasket Championship later this year.
D’Tigers are set to play Lithuania, China, Australia, France and Serbia ahead of the African Championship which takes place between August 19-30 in Brazzaville, Congo.
Nigeria’s Basketball Federation Chairman Tijani Umar announced the series of friendlies before stating, “Everything is being paid for by the host – ticket, accommodation, local transport, all we have to do is present a team. This is a huge move forward.”
Featuring in top ranked competitions played a hand in the invitation.
“Our team played in Rio and they did – people would say not very well – but in my mind, they did well. Because after the tournament, we moved up 9 spots on the FIBA Ranking” Umar said.
The announcement comes at a crucial time for the defending Champions who by way of winning the 2015 title, has automatically qualified to this year’s tournament alongside host country, Republic of Congo.
Nigeria is ranked 16 in the world; Lithuania, China, Australia, France and Serbia are all ranked ahead of the side.
