Falcons, Comets, 2 others advance at Ibadan Zonal Playoffs of basketball premier league

Posted : 30 October 2023

Kwara Falcons of Ilorin and Ebun Comets of Lagos in Ibadan both finished with 11 points each at the 2023 Nigeria Basketball Premier League's Atlantic Conference Ibadan Zonal Playoffs.

Both teams qualified for the league's next stage along with two other clubs at the Indoor Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium.

In the final matches of the Ibadan Center, Kwara Falcons defeated Impressions of Delta 75-39, while Invaders of Ekiti lost 36-65 to Ebun Comets.

In the Match Day 7 fixture, Hoops and Read of Lagos defeated Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan 71-56, with both teams finishing with 10 points each.

This means that all four teams have qualified for the next phase of the league following a seven-day contest with seven teams competing for the top four spots.

The other club in the Center is Invaders of Ekiti, who lost all six of their matches.

Bunmi Awosika, the Vice-Chairman of the Oyo State Basketball Association, stated that he did not observe any significant improvement in player skills compared to previous seasons. He attributed this to the players' lack of practice.

"The most encouraging aspect of this tournament is the emergence of many young players. However, it will take some time to develop their skills to the level expected in the Premier League," said Awosika.

He noted that the organization of the competition should have been better, as the teams had insufficient time to prepare.

"The notice given to the teams was barely more than a week. Therefore, if I were to grade the just-concluded tournament, I would give it a 60 percent. There is a need for improvements all around," stated the Vice-Chairman of the State Basketball Association.

Awosika also pointed out that the standard of play by the basketball players who participated in the competition was low, mainly because many of them were inexperienced.

"If we take a count of all the players in this zonal conference, we will find that not less than 70 percent of them have never played in the league before. Starting in the league fresh will require some time to reach the speed and standard expected of them," Awosika explained.

However, he praised the performance of the Oluyole Warriors, a team under his Association's guidance, stating that they had exceeded expectations.

"We came here with the hope of qualifying, which we have achieved, and the level of performance has been very encouraging. Except for the Invaders of Ekiti, we are probably the youngest and smallest in size. So, the performance of the Oluyole Warriors is quite an achievement, and I highly commend the players and coaches. I look forward to their continued improvement in the next phase," said the Association official.

He also urged the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) to ensure that all necessary preparations are made before the start of competitions.

"For instance, there are still uncertainties about the location of the next phase, and we understand that this competition is set to begin on November 4. This means that, once again, there is insufficient time for preparations. All these timing issues should have been addressed earlier in the season so that everyone can adequately prepare," he concluded.

Falcons, Comets, 2 others advance at Ibadan Zonal Playoffs of basketball premier league

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