Nigerian Girls Continue To shine At Fibaafrica U-16

Coach Adeka Daudu U-16 Girls have made it three games ,three wins at the ongoing FIBA-AFRICA cadet championship in Antananarivo,Madagascar

Nigeria beat Morocco 42-26 points Tuesday at the Afrobasket to qualify tops in her group.Nigeria won the straight three quarters 9-2,3-2,15-3 before loosing the last quarter to Morocco 15-17  in the game played at  the Palais des Sports Mahamasina.

The quarter final games will start Friday,as Wednesday and Thursday were declared rest days by organizers.
 
Meanwhile,Secretary General of FIBA,Alphonso Bile on Monday said  Nigeria  fell foul of the rules which led to the suspension of three Nigerian girls in Championship in Antananarivo, Madagascar. According to a circular signed by him,it stated that the technical application of the FIBA Internal Regulation governing eligibility of players found the Nigerian players culpable. Three of them were found to be overaged after they were tested. The players were thus suspended. Those suspended are Okoli Maureen Chidimma, Daniel Menan Denis and Okoye Ifunanya Rosemary. The circular further stated that the Technical Committee is transmitting the file to FIBA Africa executive Committee to open a disciplinary case against the listed players and their national federation, in this case the Nigeria Basketball Federation. 
 The suspension thus reduces the playing rotation of the Nigerian team coached by Adeka Daudu to just nine. The Nigerian U-16 basketball women’s team defeated three times runners up Egypt 54-52 in their opening campaign ,and went on to beat hosts Madagascar 60-53 in their second game.

Media head of the Nigeria Basketball Federation,Patrick Omorodion said about the development :
  "We have been playing with nine players. Age falsification as in alteration or failing MRI test? The Federation did its best to pick 12 out of the 25 invited to camp working on the birth certificates supplied by the players. The NBBF pulled out of this competition on its own to fight age problem noticed in the past, we just returned and in subsequent competitions, it will be totally eradicated as the NBBF is working with the players, parents and coaches on this while putting a close eye on scouts.
Omorodion disagreed that the ages of the players were falsified,here him, "The Federation is handling it. It is not something that we should lose our heads over, enemies are just feasting on it, the team is going about ttheir business without the 3 players. Their ages were not falsified, they just failed an MRI test which in its self is not foolproof "