Basketball in Africa

Coach Peter Ahmedu of Mark Mentors Basketball Club of Abuja said yesterday that the team was in a high spirit for the Men's African Club Basketball Championship in Tunisia.
Ahmedu told NAN in Abuja that they were just putting finishing touches to the preparations and that the players were intensifying their preparations to challenge for honours at the championship.
"We are putting finishing touches to the preparations; we have been together in a closed camp for over two weeks now. "We are adjusting from the elimination series we went for.
"We had some injuries and I am happy we have been able to take care of them now. "The spirit of the boys in training is high. So, hopefully, by the time we get to the finals of the Club Championship in Tunisia the team will do well.
NAN reports that Mark Mentors qualified for the Championship as the only Nigerian representative at the qualifiers in Burkina Faso. They beat fellow Nigerian side Kano Pillars 78-73 in the semi-final of the Zone 3 qualifiers for the African Club Championship to qualify for the final.
The first two teams at the qualifiers Mark Mentors and AS Sonabhy basketball club of Burkina Faso qualified to represent Zone 3 in the Men's African Club Championship.
The Mark Mentors coach added that the management has motivated the club to do Nigeria proud in Tunis. "The arrangement and preparation for us to get there successfully has been done and the boys have been put into a closed camp for us to have a close watch over them.
"Also, their allowances have been paid. "But I am hoping that the club Chairman will come out with an amount of money that we will be rewarded with so as to increase the intensity of the motivation," Ahmedu said.
He, however, ruled out the effect of the club's inability to embark on a training tour before the beginning of the championship in Tunis. "This is the first time the club is going for the championship and the level of preparation we have at home is as good as anywhere we would have gone within the African countries.
"The only thing we are lacking is that if we have travelled out of the country to anywhere to go and camp we would have had more competitive games to play as friendly games.
"That is what we are actually going to lack. "But with the training programme we had we are sure that we will get to Tunisia to do the country proud." He, however, appealed to Nigerians to support and pray for the club.
"We are asking Nigerians to believe in us and pray for us that we are not only going there to take part in the championship but to do the nation proud," Ahmedu said. According to him, the club will depart Nigeria for the championship on Dec. 9.
The 2014 Men's African Club Championship has been scheduled to hold in Tunis, Tunisia, from Dec. 12 to Dec. 21.