Zenith Bank female Basketball League: Akashili Shines For First Bank…

Former 4-time most valuable player of the Zenith Bank female Basketball League Nkechi Akashili showed her MVP credentials as she helped defending champions First Bank basketball club start their title defence in style with scoring 27 points in the elephant girls emphatic defeat of Plateau Peaks 91-36

The former First Deepwater star shot an impressive 100% from the 3points range (5/5) adding 5 of 8 shots from the field in the win. While Atosu Upe and Chidinma Nwakama joined Akashili as the only First Bank players to score double figures addeing 13 points and 10 points respectively.

Last season’s runner up Dolphin Basketball Club also gave a top class performance in an interesting opening day, as sharp shooting guard Juliet Currency knocked down 35 points and adding 10 rebounds as Dolphins drubbed the Inspector General of Police (I.G.P) Queens 89-47 to run up as leaders in Group B.

Former champions First Deepwater shook off a slow start to defeat Kaduna based AHIP Queens 60-33, while debutants Zamfara Babes got their zenith bank female league campaign to a winning start as they came from behind to defeat Coalcity Queens 40-39.

In other results, Delta Force forced their way past GT200 79-25, while Oluyole Babes and FCT Angels defeated Immigration and Nasarawa Amazons 42-30 and 63-57 respectively.

Action continues today at the National Stadium in Abuja as Benue princess takes on oluyole Babes, while the Taraba Hurricanes looks to sweep the Plateau Rocks and Zamfara babes face GT200 in a bid to continue their fairytale run in the league.

In the battle for supremacy, FCT Queens and Coalcity Queens lock horns while AHIP Queens continue their quest for victory against Sunshine Angels of Akure. Delta Force look to scramble the Dolphins. As Immigration takes on defending champions First Bank and IGP Queens face Custom in the para-military derby.

DStv Premier Basketball League

DStv Premier Basketball League

ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
Kwara Falcons 58-61 Union Bank
Oluyole Warriors 69-53 Delta Force
Lagos Islanders 69-56 Police Baton
Customs 73-72 D.Warriors

SAVANNAH CONFERENCE
Kano Pillars 94-48 Bauchi Nets
Kada Stars 48-83 Mark Mentors
Plateau Peaks 90-62 FCT Rocks
Immigration 40-47 Gombe Bulls

Zenith Women’s Basketball League To Resume In April

The Nigeria Basketball Federation has announced April 23rd as the jumpball for the first phase of the Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League season .The new date is sequel to the conclusion of the general elections which necessitated the postponement of the Women’s League in the first place.

The championship traditional first phase which will take place at the indoor sports hall of the National Stadium Package ‘B’ Abuja will see the likes of Customs, FCT Queens, Benue Princess, Plateau Rocks, Delta Force, AHIP Queens, Coal City Queens, Oluyole Babes, GT-2000, Immigration, IGP Queens and Taraba Hurricanes wrestle power houses Sunshine Angels, First Deepwater, Dolphins and defending champions First Bank for the 2015 title.

2014 Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League All Star Game

The teams are expected to arrive Abuja on Thursday, 23rd, ahead of the technical meeting on the 24th of April as action is set to resume on Saturday, 25th April till May 4th.

DStv Premier Basketball League Week 2 Results

DStv PREMIER BASKETBALL LEAGUE

Wk 2 Results DStv Premier Basketball League

Atlantic Conference

Oluyole Warriors 78-70 Kwara Falcons

Union Bank 54-59 Lagos Islanders

Customs 60-55 Delta Force

Dodan Warriors 61-42 Police Batons

Savannah Conference

Bauchi Nets 45-77 M.Mentors

Kano Pillars 70-64 Gombe Bulls

Peaks 60-52 Immigration

Kada Stars vs FCT Rocks Postponed. (Force Majeure)

Dodan, Mark Mentors, 6 Others Seal Play-off Places…

2014 Nigeria DStv Premier Basketball League Week 13 Results

DSTV Week 13 Results:

Frank Okafor in jersey No 8 of Police Baton going for a lay-up against Dodan Warriors player during the 2014 Nigeria DStv Premier

Atlantic Conference

Islanders 67-61 Union Bank

Oluyole 95-73 Customs

Royal Hoopers 100-67 Kwara Falcons

Dodan Warriors 83-64 Police Baton

Savannah Conference

Plateau Peaks 73-49 Immigration

Mark Mentors 89-63 Bauchi Nets

Niger Potters 42-37 Gombe Bulls

Kada Stars 53-92 Kano Pillars

With only just one more round of games to go in the Regular Season the Playoff places are now complete, while it might rosy for the top four teams four teams in both the Savannah and Atlantic Conferences, what left now is the relegation battle between teams that are trying to beat the drop.

While that will come to fore on the last day of the league, here is the List of teams that have made it to the Play-offs

UNION BANK, ISLANDERS, DODAN WARRIORS OLUYOLE WARRIORS, have all made it from the Atlantic Conference while for the Savannah Conference we’ve got KANO PILLARS, MARK MENTORS, GOMBE BULLS AND PLATEAU PEAKS.

William Malu in jersey No 9 of Police Baton going for a dunk against Dodan Warriors player during the 2014 Nigeria DStv Premier Basketball League

Photo Credit: Akinkunmi Farinto

DStv Basketball League, Week 11 results

Kano Pillars unbeaten run snapped by Mark Mentors in Abuja as Union Bank seal playoff berth in the Atlantic conference and Oluyole Warriors blow out Islanders in IBM. Results below

Atlantic Conference

Oluyole Warriors 75-54 Islanders

Do dan Warriors 71-72 Union Bank

Royal Hoopers 66-73 Customs

Police Baton 65-69 Kwara Falcons

Savanna Conference

Plateau Peaks 66-59 Kada Stars

Mark Mentors 76-74 Kano Pillars

Nicer Potters 60-54 Immigration

Femi Adefeso

DStv Basketball League News and Wk 9 Preview

Current DStv Premier League Standings

Atlantic Conference
Pos. Team. Win-Loss Pts
1. Islanders 6-2 14
2. Oluyole Warriors 6-2 14
3. Dodan Warriors 5-3 13
4. Union Bank 5-3 13
5. Kwara Falcons 3-5 11
6. Customs 3-5 11
7. Police Baton 2-6 10
8. Royal Hoopers 2-6 10

Savannah Conference
Pos. Team. Win-Loss Pts
1. Kano Pillars 8-0 16
2. Mark Mentors 6-2 14
3. Gombe 6-2 14
4. Plateau Peaks 4-4 12
5. Immigration 3-5 11
6. Kada Stars 2-6 10
7. Bauchi Nets 2-6 10
8. Niger Potters 1-7 9

Atlantic Conference Week 10 Preview.
8/4/2014
Dodan Warriors Vs Oluyole Warriors – 2pm: Lagos

Some call it the “Warriors Derby” others call it the “Battle of Warlords”
Dodan Warriors will be hoping to revenged their week 3 five points loss to Oluyole in Ibadan when they come visiting this week. Both teams are neck on neck, its 2nd against 3rd. And 1 point seperate them. With Pride & bragging rights and at stake, who wins?

Royal Hoopers Vs Lagos Islanders – 4pm : Port Harcourt
The high flying Islanders were brought down to earth in the last round of matches before the All-Star break by city rivals Union Bank. This week they face a tough road trip to ailing Royal Hoopers who are itching to get out of relegation waters. Playing at home, will they have the island to set anchor or will they continue to sink?

Police Batons Vs Union Bank -4pm : Lagos
Troubled both on &off the court, Police Baton will be welcoming in-form Union Bank who seem to have gotten their mojo back. Can the Batons halt the Stallions or will Union Bank get her 3rd successive for the first time this season?

Customs Vs Kwara Falcons -6pm: Lagos
Falcons looked like they were flying into playoff contention on their 1st time of asking before been shut down by Dodan Warriors in the last round of matches before the All-Star break. They took the scalp of the Customs earlier this season. And perhaps a chance to do a double on the paramilitary boy who are on a 3 game losing skid.

Savannah Conference Week 9 Preview.
8/4/2014

Mark Mentors Vs Plateau Peaks -4pm :Abuja
Mark Mentors surprising fell to their 2nd defeat of the season to new campaigners Gombe Bulls in the last round of matches before the All-Star break and surely will want to get back to winning ways in front of the home fans when the Peaks from Plateau come visiting after securing for the 1st time since their successive wins in Week 1 and 2.

Niger Potters Vs Kada Stars -4pm : Minna
Niger potter will need a win against Kada Stars if they want to port out of the bottom of the conference log. The dim shinning Kada Stars got their 2nd win of the season before the All Star break, one of which was a win against Potters. A win will keep them in 6th position and far away from their fellow relegation strugglers.

Bauchi Nets Vs Kano Pillars – 4pm : Bauchi
The Nets abysmal season continued last week when they lost to Kada Stars, this week is going to be tougher as they host undefeated league champions Kano Pillars. The question on everyone’s lips now is who can stop Kano Pillars? …Definately not looking like the Nets can.

Immigration Vs Gombe Bulls -4pm : Kaduna
Gombe Bulls pulled off an upset in the last round of matches before the All-Star break by defeating 2nd placed Mark Mentors. Next up for the new boys is a visit to Immigration in Kaduna. Will they get the needed victory or will immigration rise to the raging Bulls of Gombe?

Governor Ahmed pledges support for Kwara Falcons.

Kwara State Governor,Abdulfatah has pledged support for the state’s representative in the DStv Premier Basketball League,Kwara Falcons.

He disclosed the state government’s resolve to explore the Public-Private Partnership model to refurbish the Indoor Sports Hall of the Ilorin Stadium and the athletes hostels to give the team a befitting home and camp as well as attract national and international tournaments back to the state.

The Governor stated this while receiving the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation on a courtesy visit in his office.He expressed delight at the team’s recent promotion to the basketball premiership and promised to provide a 32-seated bus and also place the team on a sustainable funding path to enable it honor it’s obligations.

Earlier,the Nigeria Basketball President,Tijjani Umar,who was accompanied by the state Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development,Prince Saheed,Director of Sports,Tunde Kazeem and Basketball Board Member, Agboola Pinheiro,appealed to the Governor to invest in grassroots basketball development in the state to ensure the future of the sport in the state and thanked the government for it’s lofty Plans for the resuscitation of sports and sports tourism in Kwara.

Femi Adefeso

Photo Credit: Akinkunmi Farinto

NBBF embarks on community service, visits Old Peoples’ Home, fines Potters

As part of giving back to its immediate community, the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, will on Friday embark on its Community Outreach Programme with a visit to future players of the game and the less privileged in the society.

According to the president of the NBBF, Tijjani Umar, the day’s programme will begin at 10.30 am with a visit to the current champions of the National Secondary Schools Basketball Championships, the International School, Lagos at Akoka where the students will be given career talks and other motivational addresses.

Speaking through Olumide Oyedeji, Board member and member of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the All Stars Game, Umar said the NBBF team which will include some members of the All Stars team will take the students on some basketball skills as well as allow a question and answer session with them.

“The president and I will take the students on career talks and motivational interface. I will particularly talk to them about myself, how basketball took me from nowhere to where I am today while allowing them time for questions and answers,”he said.

Olumide who is the co-captain of the senior men’s national team said the Community Outreach programme will also take the NBBF team to the Old People’s Home in Yaba where “we will be having lunch with them and then present some gift items to them thereafter.”

The programme will be rounded off at the National Stadium in Surulere later in the day.

Niger Potters fined, warned over abandoned match

For failing to honour its Week 7 game against Gombe Bulls in Gombe on April 18, 2014, Niger Potters Basketball Club of Minna have been fined N60,000 while the match is awarded to Gombe Bulls with a warning that such should not repeat itself in their own interest.

The Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF stated in a letter to the club that the fine is to cover the money expended on the match officials who were on ground for the aborted match.

In acknowledging the response of Niger Potters to the federation’s query on the aborted game, the NBBF noted that while it appreciates the club’s dire financial condition as explained, “it will no longer be acceptable as a reason for not honouring matches in the future (as) we will apply the maximum penalty of relegation if this happens again.”

It would be recalled that Royal Hoopers of Port Harcourt suffered the same fate after they failed to show up for the season’s opener against Dodan Warriors in Lagos on March 7, 2014 and were subsequently walked over by the Lagos side.

Femi Adefeso

DSTV Premier Basketball League Week 8 Results

Atlantic Conference

Islanders 65-51 Police Baton

Union Bank 72-60 Customs

Oluyole Warriors 75-70 Royal Hoopers

Falcons 64-76 Dodan Warriors

Savannah Conference

Kano Pillars 90-56 Immigration

Kada Stars 76-55 Bauchi Nets

Plateau Peaks 63-40 Niger Potters

Gombe Bulls 61-57 Mark Mentors

DSTV Premier Basketball League Week 7 Results

Week 7 Results DStv Premier Basketball League

Atlantic Conference
Union Bank 80-73 Islanders
Police Batons 66-71 Dodan Warriors
Customs 62-66 Oluyole Warriors
Kwara Falcons 71-49 Royal Hoopers

Savannah Conference
Kano Pillars 84-36 Kada Stars
Bauchi Nets 51-62 Mark Mentors
Gombe Bulls W/O Niger Potters
(W/O) Walk Over

Note!
Immigration Vs Plateau Peaks rescheduled for Sunday (20/04/14)

Photo Credit: Akinkunmi Farinto

Preview of DStv Premier Basketball league Week 7 By Oluwafemi Adefeso

As we look forward to yet another exciting weekend of basketball action. We take a look at the match Ups billed for the centre stage. The trilogy in Lagos and the epic battle in Kano, amongst othere

Atlantic Conference :

Union Bank takes on table toppers Lagos Islanders at 2pm at the National stadium Surulere in the first of this week 7’s Lagos Basketball “Trilogy”. Union Bank who lost their 3 game winning streak against Oluyole Warriors in Ibadan will try to make a bold statement about their title credentials against rave of the moment Lagos Islanders who have won 4 of the last 6 meetings between both sides. The Islanders right now are setting the pace in the Atlantic conference and are unbeaten 3 cosecutive games. This Lagos derby is the match of week 7 and a must watch for all who loves basketball.

The tie between Police Baton and Dodan Warriors is a tie between two wounded Lions. Dodan Warriors last week surprising lost to Customs despite leading by 11 points with 2 minutes left in the game, will hope to get their playoff quest back on track when they take on Police Baton who will be missing the inspiration of their head coach Dominic Dike and influential forward Malu Williams who have been slammed with a 5 game suspension by the league management. The Baton seem to be getting it right on the court winning their last two games but the absence of these two figures will perhaps turn the fortune of the team.

The Scott Nnaji tutored Customs who came back from the dead to defeat Dodan Warriors 62-53 last week will take solace from their spirited display against the warriors , when the take on yet another warriors in week 7 who will be traveling in all the way from Ibadan . The Oluyole warriors are currently enjoying a rich vain of form this season winning 4 of their 6 games this season and currently occupying 2nd Place on the log behind Lagos Islanders . The customs will have it at the back of their mind that victory this week against a conquering Oluyole Warriors will only come from a spirited performance like that of last week against Dodan Warriors.

The Royal Hoopers Season went from bad to worse last week when they suffered their 4th straight loss and second loss at home in Port Harcourt. This week the derailing former champions will be facing the never say die Kwara Falcons whose inexperience came to the fore in their loss to Lagos Islanders last week. This match is a battle of two teams looking for redemption . Who will be redeemed ? The battle for redemption starts 4pm on friday at the Ilorin Township stadium. Be a witness!

The Savannah conference :

Defending champions Kano pillars will have a showdown against stuttering northern rivals Kada stars in Kano. The 6-0 Kano giants will look to make a easy walk off Kada stars who have managed just 1 win in the league season (against Niger potters in week 3) You can easily call this an outright win for pillars with their home advantage and form , but with pride at stake. Kada could still spring a surprise. Witness the rivalry at the Sanni Abacha Stadium in Kano.

The tie between Bauchi Nets and Mark Mentors is also a game to watch this weekend . Though Mark Mentors are 2nd on the by behind Kano pillars with 5 wins ad 1 loss (to Kano pillars ) and Nets are 6th with just 2 wins both teams monstered incredible wins last week against Immigration in Abuja and away to Niger Potters in Minna respectively . Both teams have a one thing in common, the stat “1-1”. In their last two trips away trips for mark mentors they’ve won one and lost one, and in the Nets last two home games, Bauchi Nets have won one and lost one. So on friday One of the two teams will Improve its record to 2-1 . Who will it be Bauchi Nets or Mark Mentors?

Plateau Peaks will be traveling to Kaduna for the 2nd time in 2weeks as they booked a date with Immigration this weekend. The gallant Peaks gave a good account of themselves in their loss to Pillars last week. And will surely be hoping to climb on the inspiring display against an Immigration side that are on a two game losing streak and have also lost her 2 previous home games this season. Unlike the host Peaks have picked maximum points away from home this season one of which was a victory in Kaduna where they defeated Kada Stars in week 5. Will Immigration get her 1st home win of the season this weekend or will Plateau Peaks do a double over Kaduna based teams in their back yard? Witness the excitement

The last game of the conference will see the charging Bulls from Gombe lock horns with the Niger Potters at home in Gombe. The News Boys are riding on a 4 game winning streak at the moment and are have a perfect home record this season. If you are a Potter fan, this is certainly not the best time to play Gombe Bulls , if you ask me. Especially with last week’s home loss to Bauchi Nets. Niger Potters know that survival this season will definitely start from a victory on friday as they languish bottom of the log. Will the Bulls charge to their 5th straight win on the bounce or will the Potters begin to mould their way to survival ? In 40 minutes of basketball action , the verdict will be known.

NBBF/DStv Premier Basketball League Week 6 Results

Atlantic Conference

Islanders 73-55 Kwara Falcons

Dodan Warriors 53-62 Customs

Oluyole Warriors 93-82 Union Bank

Royal Hoopers 71-57 Police Baton

Savannah Conference

Kada Stars 50-60 GombeBulls

Plateau Peaks 75-82 Kano Pillars

Mark Mentors 78-40 Immigration

Niger Potters 58-64 Bauchi Nets

Femi Adefeso