16th November, 2011
Coach of former champions of Nigerian premier basketball league, First Bank of Lagos, coach Aderemi Adewunmi said the aim of his team is to win the 2011 African Clubs Champions Cup for Women, which will dunk off from 4-10 December in Yaoundé, Cameroun.
The championship will feature eight clubs which include First Bank, First Deepwater, Nigerian league champions, I.N.J.S from Cameroon, Arc-en-ciel from DR Congo, Marculosso and Interclube, both from Angola.
Ports Authority of Kenya and O.C.E from Algeria complete the list of teams that will compete for honours in Yaoundé.
First Bank have not won a domestic title in two seasons after the Deepwater came onto the domestic scene two years ago and won the Nigerian league title back to back.
In a chat with P.M Sports yesterday, Adewunmi said his players are focused and determined to ensure they bring an end to the reign of their arch rivals.
He said: “We are determined to win the African title this time in order to win back the hearts of our numerous fans and to prove to our critics that we are not finished yet.â€
Adewunmi said he believes the experience they have garnered in playing continental championship for a long period will give them an edge over their opponents when the championship dunks off.
“This is not the first time we are playing continental championshion and the oppositions are not new to us. We will make sure our players put in their best in order to do the country proud.â€
Assistant coach of the team, Chris Acha, in his submission said they are hoping to make the team that finished runners up in the just concluded premier league formidable by injecting new players into the team.
He said: “ We are still working out the modalities to secure the services of foreign based players for our continental engagements.â€
P.M.Sports can report that the two Nigerian representatives at this year’s African Clubs Champions, First Bank and First Deepwater, have started training ahead of the championship.
— Bamidele Olowosagba