America’s Hurdle For D’Tigers In B/Ball Preliminaries

There is no doubt that Nigeria’s D’Tigers will have their hands full in the basketball event of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Coming from the underdogs’ status, the Nigerian team shocked basketball powerhouses, Lithuania, Greece and Dominican Republic to secure a ticket for the Games at the recently held Olympic qualifying tournament in Caracas, Venezuela.

D’Tigers, however, face the herculean task at the Games proper, as they found themselves in Group A, which has the giants in world basketball. Top in the group are USA team, who have been winning gold medal in the previous Olympic Games. Other nations in the group are Lithuania, African champions; Tunisia, Argentina and France.

The biggest hurdle for D’Tigers will be the American team, who will parade players from the prestigious NBA. According to www.suathletics.com, Team USA in the basketball event will present stars such as Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers); James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); LeBron James (Miami Heat); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers); Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder); and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets).

The coaching crew will be led by Duke University Hall of Fame mentor Mike Krzyzewski, who has led the USA Basketball Men’s National Team to gold medal finish at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2008 Beijing Olympics. Assisting Krzyzewski is Syracuse University and Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, and former NBA head coaches Mike D’Antoni and Nate McMillan.

Since fielding a USA Basketball team of legendary NBA stars in 1992, USA teams comprised of NBA players who have claimed gold medals in 11 of 14 major international basketball competitions, while compiling an impressive 109-7 overall record (.940 winning percentage) in those competitions and a record of 37-1 (.974 winning percentage) in exhibition games.

USA, gold medalists in 13 of the 16 Olympics, in which they have played, have a remarkable 122-5 win-loss record for a 96.1 winning percentage. U.S. Olympic teams featuring NBA players are 37-3 in Olympic play and the U.S. have won four of the last five Olympic titles when NBA players have participated (1992, 1996, 2000 and 2008).

Despite the pedigree of Team USA and other tough opponents; France and Argentina, whom Nigeria will encounter in the preliminary round in the Olympics, skipper of D’Tigers, Olumide Oyedeji is unperturbed.

“We’ll be in the Olympics to play our games and I believe we won’t disappoint Nigeria,” he said.

According to the schedule of the preliminary round, which will dunk off on Sunday 29 July, D’Tigers will face Tunisia; battle Lithuania whom they beat in the qualifier on Tuesday 31 July, while it will be the turn of USA on Thursday 2 August.

On Saturday, 4 August. D’Tigers will settle scores with Argentina and play their final match against France on Monday, 6 August.

The top four teams from each preliminary round will advance to the 8 August quarterfinals, with the winners playing in the semifinals on 10 August and the medal games hold on 12 August.

—Taiwo Adelu