As you may recall, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare recently inaugurated an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to oversee the development of youth basketball and the domestic league following the country’s withdrawal from International Competitions.
The Committee was among others, charged to commence a youth basketball league and domestic league to help in nurturing home-based players so as to provide a reservoir of players that will represent the country in international events after the period of withdrawal.
In realisation of this objective, the Interim Management Committee has adjusted the date for the U18 Basketball Championships initially slated to commence June 15, 2022 to July 27 through 30th, while the finals will come up in August 8-14, 2023.
The shifting of the Championships became imperative to afford the Committee (IMC) ample opportunity to study, rethink and restructure the logistics and organizational arrangements for the successful hosting of the event and to ensure that States are adequately informed and prepared for full participation.
To this end, top athletes and outstanding coaches selected from the Championships will form the core of the National U18 teams that will be camped between 14th-21st August ahead of subsequent developmental programmes aimed at supporting the grassroots development policy for the game being finalized.
Meanwhile, the Committee will be organizing Coaches, Referees, Match Commissioners’ and Table officials’ clinics starting from July 3rd – 5th, 2022. The clinic will have special sessions for young coaches and referees expected to play crucial role in the grassroots development of the game, and to prepare officials generally for the premier league and the women leagues whose dates will soon be announced after due consultation with relevant stakeholders as well as the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development
The IMC invites all basketball stakeholders to join hands with the Committee at this crucial moment towards the re-engineering of the sport.
Signed: Mohammed Manga, Director: Press and Public Relations.