Civil Defenders of Nigeria shooting guard, Joel Ijigba is looking forward to a high-level performance when the FIBA Africa Basketball League Round of 16 Group games tips off, reports Completesports.com.
Civil Defenders of Nigeria who are making their debut at the tournament finished second place in Cotonou last December at the Zone 3 qualifiers. And Ijigba is now optimistic that they can make a strong statement in Group B and beyond.
“We weren’t expecting any particular teams but we’re glad that ELAN Sportif from Benin Republic is in the battle with us,” Ijigba told FIBA.Basketball.
Ijigba was voted among the top five players in the qualifiers in Cotonou.
“The Beninoise team is known to us and we understand how they play,” he added.
“We are prepared for this League. Every team in this Round of 16 stages is a potential champion and we can’t afford not to take our chances. I understand there are teams that have been on the continent long before now and for us as debutants, we will give it our best shot.”
Reminded that experience comes into play in the game, Ijigba noted that he and his teammates’ would not be deterred.
He said: “As a team, Defenders are hitting the continent as rookies but that does not mean that all the players are neophytes. We can count on the experiences of Alhassan Joseph, Victor Okpe among others to help us get the desired results we need. Some of our players have played at the international level and can hold their own.”
The First Round of the of the formulated competition will take place from February 8 to March 10 across different African cities.
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