TOP 50 CAMP BEGINS, NBA COACHES PROUD OF MILO BASKETBALL PROGRAMME

Nestle the proud sponsor of the Milo Basketball Championship for Secondary Schools remains committed to the development of the game of basketball in Nigeria. The Milo Top 50 Camp in Lagos facilitates the chances of the talents discovered from various conferences across the country to further develop their skills through world class coaching.

As usual the facilitator, United States Of America based Masai Ujiri alongside five other NBA coaches are working with 18 Nigerian coaches at the Top 50 Camp in Lagos to ensure the players get quality training.

MASAI UJIRI’S GIANTS OF AFRICA TO HOST KIDS BASKETBALL CAMPS THIS SUMMER IN NIGERIA, GHANA, KENYA AND RWANDA. photo credit http://giantsofafrica.org

The Top 50 Camp which is a Nestle Milo project for the Nigerian Youth is targeted at exposing the enormous potential of our youth and the abundant basketball talents in the country. Masai Ujiri sees the Nestle Milo Top 50 Camp Program as the only organized one in the country which is result oriented for the growth of the game of basketball. “Apart from teaching them the basics and fundamentals in basketball, they are taught other life values. Our Milo Top 50 Camp is planned, here we talk of timing, how to interact with others. It is not all the players that make it to the NBA but they can play in other leagues across the globe’’ Ujiri said.

One of the coaches Jama Mahlaela of Toronto Raptors who is working with Masai Ujiri described some of the kids as bundle of talents noting that what they need at this stage is proper guidance, grooming and close monitoring. “At this level you can mould them into the exact role you want them to play. I am satisfied with their performance, they are future stars”.

Top 50 Camp Begins, Nba Coaches Proud Of MILO Basketball Programme, photo credit giantsofAfrica.org

The Brand Manager Nestle Milo, Bola Audu says the brand will continue to instill the values of hard work, fair play, discipline and team. “Nestle’s reward as regards the basketball project is the smiles on faces of these players. We regard the Top 50 Camp as the icing on the cake where the players are exposed to quality training under the supervision of world class coaches”. The Milo Top 50 Camp gives the children the opportunity to interact one on one with the coaches handling specific areas. These includes individual defense, footwork, dribbling, shooting and passing.

NESTLE MILO BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE CRADLE FOR NIGERIA’S SECOND MOST POPULAR SPORT

A cradle is a noun which could mean a small bed for an infant, a support for objects (such as the support for the handset of a telephone) or the place where anything is nurtured during its early existence.

The cradle is, thus, a fitting description for the Nestle Milo Championship which has been nurturing the game of Basketball in Nigeria for the past 17years.

Unlike the game of Football which is dominated by the boys at the secondary schools level, Nestle Milo carefully chose the game of Basketball to ensure both boys and girls in schools get the same experience in the game and that more, importantly, they get the right foundation for development.

Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship.

The President FIBA Africa zone 3 Col. Sam Ahmedu confirms that Nigeria is already reaping the dividends of the Nestle Milo Basketball Championships in schools. “Take a close look at the line up in our National teams both men and women, you will observe that the products are from the Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship”.

Col. Ahmedu, recalled that what started 17years ago as Nestle Milo Basketball Clinic later metamorphosed into a full fledged championship which has now spread like wild fire engulfing Secondary Schools across the country.
The 2014 edition featured about 8,000 secondary schools from the 36states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The thrilling final matches in the boys and girls categories saw what experts tagged a change of guards. The dominance of some states like Bayelsa, Ogun and Edo got dismantled by Benue state which reigned supreme in the boys and girls categories.

Government Secondary School, Gboko got the top spot in the girls’ category while Jesus College, Otukpo led the boys.

Nestle Milo the sole sponsor tries to communicate, to the students, the great values of sport as a teacher through Determination, Discipline, Honesty, and Confidence.

GIRLS MVP Receiving her prize at the 16th Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship.

According to the Category Manager Beverages, Mr. Femi Akintola, “sports is a great teacher and children’s participation in sports helps set the foundation for a solid future. They learn determination to succeed, discipline to persevere and many more life values by participating in sport. We will continue to provide them this platform”

Nestle Milo has continued the synergy with other experts to ensure hitch-free championships. Its partners include the Nigeria Schools Sport Federation (NSSF) which ensures the participation of schools and students. The other important partner in progress is the National Collegiate Sports Foundation which is the body responsible for the Championship proper. They draw and enforce the rules and regulations and appoint referees among other responsibilities.

For the 2015 edition of the Nestle Milo Championship, records show that over 10,000 Secondary Schools across the country registered for the competition. The state preliminaries started on the 2nd of March, 2015 and ended on the 8th of March, 2015 while the state finals were concluded on the 14th of March, 2015.
The stage is now set for the conference playoffs which run- back to back- from Wednesday 22nd April to Wednesday 20th May, 2015.

BOYS MVP Receiving his prize at the 16th Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship.

1. Confluence Conference (Lokoja) 22nd – 29th April, 2015

2. Atlantic Conference (Benin) 30th April – 6th May, 2015

3. Central Conference (Akure) 7th – 13th May, 2015

4. Western Conference (Ibadan) 14th – 20th May, 2015

The National Finals will take place in Lagos between 1st and 6th June, 2015 while the best 50 players identified during the Finals will be invited to the Top 50 camp which will hold in Lagos from 4th to 6th August, 2015 and where they will be trained by NBA coaches led by Masai Ujiri, the General Manager of the Toronto Raptors.

This year’s edition the organizers, Nestle Milo, say will be more thrilling than the 2014 edition where, apart from breath taking skills displayed by the players, top class musicians like Nyaya performed live at intervals.

The 2015 edition also promises exciting innovations like the online activation for celebrity mums and more engagement with the kids on the social media platforms.

Nestlé Postpones 16th MILO Basketball Championship

Due to operational challenges and in the interest of public health and safety, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, has announced the postponement of the 16th MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship scheduled to hold at the national stadium from 12th to 16th August, 2014.

A new date for the basketball championship will be communicated after a national reassessment of the level of the Ebola threat is conducted by the federal government.

Nestlé regrets any inconvenience caused by the postponement.

Dr. Samuel Adenekan
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager

Nestle to Unveil Plans for Milo U-13 African Championship

Nestle Plc will on Wednesday, April 16 unveil plans for the Milo U-13 African Championship, which is a football competition for U-13 boys in Africa.

Mrs Doja Ekeruche, Category Business Manager, Beverages, Nestle Nigeria PLC, said the Media Briefing scheduled to hold at the Protea Hotel, Maryland will kick-start a month long build-up to the tournament which is holding in Nigeria for the first time.

“On the occasion, we will be presenting the Team Nigeria to the Media and flag-off the official communication to engage a cross-section of our consumers and football stakeholders on this championship which is being hosted in Nigeria for the first time”, Ekeruche explained.

Milo is a foremost sports development brand which has consistently provided platforms in basketball and football to discover and nurture the innate talents in young Nigerians of school age and also inculcate healthy values to help them succeed in life.

The Milo U-13 African Championship was first held in South Africa in 2010, which Nigeria won and in 2012, Ghana hosted and won the competition.

Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya are some of the countries that have qualified for this year’s event which has been tagged Nigeria 2014.