18th February, 2013
With few weeks to the dunk off date of the 2012/2013 DSTV-sponsored basketball league, majority of the clubs in the Savannah and Atlantic Conferences are in last minute screening exercise and signing of players.
A check on some of the teams’ training camps indicates that virtually all teams are in desperate move to beef up their teams ahead of the new season following loss of some key players to other clubs in the league.
Most of the training venues visited by our reporter have become a beehive of activities as most of the clubs were seen taking their turn to look at possible players to add to their roster.
Newly promoted club to the Atlantic Conference, Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan so far remain the most active out of all the sixteen teams, as owners of the team continue to dangle mouth watering offer to players who could help them make an instant impact in the league after absence in the league in the last 14 years.
Also, last season’s third and fourth place finishers, Dodan Warriors of Lagos and Islanders were seen drilling their players at the Ilupeju Sports and Leisure Centre and the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, respectively.
In a bid to regain the league title they won in the 2009/2010 season, former champions, Kano Pillars are also regrouping their players at their camp in Kano.
It was gathered that the team have signed Kada Stars of Kaduna’s centre, Sadiq Adedeji for an undisclosed fee, while former national junior player, Orseer Ikyaator was reported to have put pen on paper for newly formed Mark Mentors of Otukpo, the club which took over former Tapgun Rockets of Jos.
Meanwhile, defending champions of the Nigeria’s basketball league, Royal Hoopers Port Harcourt have seen their chances of participating in this new season come alive.
It could be recaled that coach Odaudu, whose team won the domestic league title for the second year running, recently spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that the non-payment of their remunerations since last year by the team’s management could prevent them from defending their title this year.
However, information reaching P.M.NEWS at the weekend revealed that the return of the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi from his foreign trip has brought a new lease of hope into the players and officials of the team.
“No one is giving up on our chances of being part of the new season when it gets underway soon. With the return of our Governor from his foreign trip we hope all the outstanding salaries of both players and officials would be settled and other issues bothering the team would be resolved in no time,” a source within the team’s camp in Port Harcourt, who did not want his identity revealed, told our reporter.
The teams which will campaign in the Savannah conference in the new season are Kano Pillars, Kada Stars of Kaduna, Bauchi Nets, Yelwa Hawks of Bauchi, Immigration of Kano, Niger Potters of Minna Mark mentors club of Otukpo and Plateau Peaks of Jos.
Atlantic conference has the defending champions, Royal Hoopers, Dodan Warriors, Islanders, Comets, Police Baton, Customs and Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan.