Islanders Captain Akinwale Backs Nigerian Clubs For Continental Glory

Captain of Lagos Islanders Basketball club, Seun Akinwale has once again congratulated the duo of Kano Pillars Basketball and Mark Mentors Basketball Club of Abuja for emerging Winners and runner up respectively at the recently concluded DSTV/NBBF Men Premier Basketball League, while tiping them to surpass expectations declaring that “both are good as African Champion”.

Speaking ahead of the club’s Africa Men Club championship campaign in faraway Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso between October 20th and 29th, the influential captain said, “first, I want to congratulate them, because they are ours and they have proven to be the best 2 in the country.

Akinwale whose game time was hampered by a freak accident that kept him out of contention for about 3 months believes that with the new FIBA rule barring clubs from signing players from a rival local club is a welcome development as this will brighten the chances of Nigerian teams competing for honors.

Lagos Islanders captain Seun Akinwale

“FIBA Africa says you cannot get a player from another club in the same country to compete for the continental assignment”

“I think that getting a player from another club usually breaks the team chemistry because the player is going to come in a short time, maybe in 2 weeks or in a month, bring his own team’s philosophy and playing pattern which may break the team chemistry.

”Akinwale who has already started an individual pre-season training at the National stadium, Lagos, ahead of 2014 basketball league season, bemoaned the poor showing of Nigerian representatives at the continental stage despite an impressive domestic record and tracing the recent bad results recorded to poaching of players from rival clubs rather than prosecuting the competition with players that earned the continental qualification.

“But I think that now, if a team is been there for a whole season, they have been together, I think they will be stronger and understand each other better to interprete their plays.”He praised the two teams for sweeping all other oppositions aside to emerge as representatives of the “Giant of Africa” at the qualifier stage.

“Going by current record, Mark Mentors and Kano Pillars are the best 2 basketball teams in Nigeria and Nigeria has one of the best leagues in Africa and it’s also challenging playing in the Nigeria league.”

“I think they will do well this time around”

Lagos Youth Alive Basketball Holiday League Resumes At Rowe Park

The organisers of the annual Lagos Youth Alive Community Under 18, 16 and under 12 Basketball Leagues, on wednesday The 1st Of October 2014 Flagged-off a 4day preseason tournament called the “Youth Alive Holiday Competition” at Rowe park Lagos as they wait for schools to resume.

According to the Lagos State Basketball Association Technical Director who doubles as coordinator of the Youth Alive community League, Mr Gbade Latona said “ Since schools are yet to resume, we thought it wise to engage the available young ones in a mini tournament before they get back to school and we resume the league proper”.

“We agreed at the pre-tournament meeting with stakeholders, coaches and basketball Academies owners that each team must be made up of core players aged between 16-18 years, at least 3 players between ages 13-15 while two Under 21 players will be allowed to dress up for each teams”.

Lagos Youth Alive Basketball Holiday League resumes at Rowe Park

Today’s Fixtures will see Strong Tower Academy square up against DEL Academy while Police Rookies will take on Raptors Academy. Other fixtures for the day will see Zion Academy versus Police Rookies, DEL versus Deepbond in the six team tournament.

The youth Alive community league will be entering its 3rd season in November. And has already produced two teenagers for the DSTV Premier Basketball League, Andrew Austin and Victory Mbagwu who both represented Raptors Basketball Academy and Zion Basketball Academy respectively in the YACL, before going to make their debuts for Lagos Islanders Basketball Club last season under the tutelage of coach Lateef Erinfolami.