D’Tigers PG Victor Ezeh revealed that the team knew before ahead of their game against Angola that their World Cup hopes had been dashed.
Ezeh told BRL that the players went out to play for pride against Angola after news of Cape Verde snatching the last WC ticket filtered into the camp.
The PG who also plays for Kwara Falcons said the experience at the FIBA WCQ was a “massive” learning curve for the team and the right kind of “exposure” needed to make the Players better ahead of the Basketball African League and AfroBasket Championships.
“We knew before the game against Angola started that we didn’t have a chance to qualify for the World Cup given that Cape Verde won their game against Ivory Coast.
“The game was just a game of pride, I know we did well, but we could have done better, we could have come out with the win, however, we are still happy with our performance regardless of the loss.
“It has boasted my confidence going into the BAL, it helped me get a taste of what it takes to play at this level and what to expect.
“This experience has helped me a lot and I am hoping that it has also helped in boosting my teammates’ confidence.
“This performance just shows that in Nigeria we have enough talent that can stand against the best on the continent, and I feel like we can go in to the Basketball African League and compete.
“I know for sure that we have a shot at going all the way.”
