Udoka condemns dependence on foreign-based players

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

August 12, 2009 11:03PM

Former captain of Nigeria’s women basketball team, Mfon Udoka, has spoken against Nigeria’s continued dependence on the services of foreign-based players in the national team, stating that the Nigeria Basketball Federation should look inwards if it hopes to match the likes of Angola.

Angola is Africa’s basketball powerhouse and have won nine out of the last 10 African Men’s Basketball Championships.

The Palancas Negras remains on course for its 10th continental title, following their 93-85 victory over Nigeria’s D’Tigers on Tuesday at the ongoing tournament in Libya. And Udoka believes that the advantage the Angolans enjoy over Nigeria comes down to their superior organisational skill and nothing else; not even in terms of player quality.

“Nigeria needs to get its act together regarding basketball,” stated the fair-skinned Udoka in a chat from her United States of America base. They (the federation) want a chance at winning so they have to go outside Nigeria and get players to do that.

“But they don’t care about making things better in Nigeria. It’s unfortunate.”

Nigeria owes most of its success of the past decade to players - Nigerian-born and otherwise - trained by the American collegiate system, no thanks to the little attention given to the game’s development by successive boards of the federation.

Angola on the other hand have a well-grounded developmental system with every member of their current team to the championship in Libya handpicked from their highly rated basketball league.

“We have so much more talent than all of these other countries,” she continued. “As we all know, Angola isn’t better than us. We are, but their system and organisation of developing players and treating them well is way beyond ours.”