First Bank eye continental title
Head coach of Nigeria reigning basketball queens, First Bank, Adewunmi Aderemi has set an all high target for the Elephant Girls in the year running as reclaiming the number one position of the continent clubs biggest tournament, FIBA Africa Club Champions Cup.
Already in the heat of training aimed at picking the best hands for the herculean task, Aderemi who took the former African queens to a third finished in Nairobi, Kenya, an improvement from the previous embarrassing seventh placement in Maputo, Mozambique, said days have gone when club wins laurel in the continent on a platter of gold. Aderemi spoke to Vandykesport.com at the sports city, Lagos on Monday.
“Our target for the year 2009 is to win the club champions title once again, and that explains our decision to commence training very early in the year. We don’t want to start training either in November or December, Africa’s basketball has stepped up, those countries hitherto considered minnows are the one making waves today, that is why we are intensifying our game.
“We were once champions, however in the previous two editions, we finished seventh and third respectively, we want something better, in fact to return to the top spot and that is why we are working hard in order to achieve our goal.
“We have started training, we invited 12 players, some of them are from other clubs, while some are good players currently without clubs but great talents and at the end of the day six best will be added to the club’s mainstream.”
Describing the ongoing National Sports Commission (NSC) attempted concession of sports federations through the Public Private partnership (PPP) as good omen, Aderemi who was blunt in tagging 2008 as bad for the slam and dunk game, however advised any of their contenders for the Zenith league title this year to direct their ambition elsewhere.
“2008 was bad for basketball, I am hopeful that 2009 will be better both at national and club levels.
“Concession of sports federations through the public private partnership arrangement is a good development as long as it will make fund available to federations to execute their programmes with ease.
“We are determined to remain number one in Nigeria that is why we are already planning ahead even before the continental ticket is secured. Our level of preparations will pose a tough nut for other clubs to crack and not until other clubs work as hard, if not harder as we do, it will be difficult if not impossible for any of them to dethrone us. We are third best in Africa, local league will always continue to be a training session for us,” he enthused. |
