D’Tigers captain defends squad
D’Tigers Captain to the London 2012 Olympics, Olumide
Oyedeji has defended the performance of the team at the just concluded London
2012 Olympics, insisting that the team should be commended for standing up
among the best in the world.
“We did our best under the circumstances. You do not expect
a team that was assembled under six weeks to outplay a team like Lithuania ,
the 5th ranked team in the world.”
The national male basketball team captain admitted their
qualification for the Olympics gave them confidence but they did not allow that
get into their heads.
“Our qualification for the Olympics gave us hope and the
confidence that we could do it. But people should not forget the fact that we
only prepared for six weeks. The Spanish team that contested the gold medal
with the USA
has been together since the World Junior championship in 1999. You can’t toy
with such a team,”Olumide said.
Against the US ,
Olumide said the team suffered from the absence of their point guard a
situation he likened to “a car without a
driver,” saying, “everybody knew we could not beat them but injuries and the
absence of our point guard worsened our quest for any meaningful performance.”
He called for continuity and urged the Nigeria Basketball
Federation to ensure the present squad is kept together because he foresaw a
bright future for the team.
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