rwanda 2009

Champions Cup 2009
Day 1 Results
group A
MAZEMBE (COD) 51-A.P.R (RWA)91

GROUPB

COOP-BANK (KEN) WARRIORS (UGA)71 – 70


INTER-CLUB (CGO)-PRIMEIRO D’AGOSTO (ANG)74 – 115

Colangelo elected chairman of Hall of Fame Board

Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of USA Basketball's Board of Directors and architect of the 2008 USA "Redeem Team" Gold Medal-winning effort was recently elected as Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees. Colangelo previously served as Board Vice Chairman, and will begin his two year term as Chairman immediately. Jackson replaces Mannie Jackson, who served as Chairman from 2007-2009.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jerry into his new role as Chairman" said John L. Doleva, President & CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Jerry's remarkable dedication to the Hall and to the worldwide growth of basketball will help lead the Hall into our second 50 years of life with incredible confidence and excitement for our Museum's future and presence within the basketball community. Jerry is truly a dominating figure in the history of the game as evidenced by his election to the Hall as a Contributor in 2004 and we look forward to continuing the historic era of positive growth that marked the Chairmanship of Mannie Jackson."

"I am honored to be elected by our Board as its new Chairman, and I am committed to continuing the Hall's mission of preserving the history of the great game of basketball, promoting its core values, and growing the Hall of Fame's presence around the world," stated Mr. Colangelo. "I have been very fortunate to extend my passion for basketball into a wonderful 40 year career in the game and this is another way I am able to give back to the

game. I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Mannie for his dedication and

generosity on behalf of the Hall during his term as Chairman."

A native of Chicago Heights, Illinois, Colangelo has been involved in basketball since earning All-State honors at Bloom Township High School in

1957 and then becoming an All-Conference selection at the University of Illinois in 1961 and 1962. Colangelo's professional career began in 1966 when he was named head scout and sales / promotion manager for the expansion Chicago Bulls. Two years later he was named General Manager of the expansion Phoenix Suns and he served as the leader of the Suns rising to the rank of President and CEO while being named NBA Executive of the Year four times. Mr. Colangelo also served as Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors from 2001 -- 2005. He was named Managing Director and then Chairman of USAB Basketball and is focused on additional Gold Medals at the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Continuing his transformation of downtown Phoenix, Mr. Colangelo was also instrumental in bringing major league baseball to Phoenix in 1998 and served as Chairman and CEO of the 2001 World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

Colangelo was also critically involved in bringing the NHL to Phoenix.

First Bank crown champion beat ABC 64-55

Nigeria First Bank basketball club Sunday night defeated Abidjan Basket Club, ABC to the 2009 edition of the FIBA Africa Champions Club for Women crown by 64-55 points.

The Nigeria who earned a FIBA Africa wild-card did not drop a game enroute to being crown champion after six years of playing second fiddle to other teams on the continent.

First Bank won the three first three quarters to take the sail off the Ivories with 15-13, 15-09 and 19-17 going into the last quarter with a ten points advantage of 49-39 points.

Efforts by ABC spurred on by Fatoumata Camara who had a double double efforts of 23 points and 12 rebounds the highest by any player on the night could only yield the ABC side a slim 16-15 points win as they could not sustain the pressure mounted by the Nigerian.

First Bank basketball club Mecican-import, Brisa Silva led her team with 17 points and 3 rebounds, team captain, Funmilayo Ojelabi contributed 13 points and 3 rebounds while Mfon Udoka added 11 points and 5 rebounds with Adeola Olanrewaju grabbing 13 rebounds for her side.

First Bank Danielle Green lead role of honours, crown MVP

First Bank basketball club guard, Danielle Green has emerged as the 15th FIBA Africa Champions Club for Women most valuable player (MVP) with overwhelming votes by coaches and journalists.

Green was also named into the competition Top-5 players list, other award winners includes, Club Sportif d'Abidjan, CSA guard, Kani Kouyate who won the competition highest field-goal award and also a place in the Top-5 honours, Desportivo forward, Leia Dongue won the leading rebounder award while First Bank Brisa Silva won the best Three-Point award.

Other players named into the 2009 edition of the continent biggest women club competition award includes, Ana Flavia Azinheira of A"Politecnica basketball club of Mozambique, Rashidat Sadiq of First Bank basketball club and Abidjan Basket Club, ABC center, Fatoumata Camara.

First Bank basketball club received a giant trophy and gold medals, ABC got the silver medal while Desportivo got the bronze medals with the fair-play trophy going to Energie basketball club of Benin Republic.

First Bank book final ticket beat Interclube 69-65

First Bank basketball club of Nigeria Saturday fought a hard battle to see off Interclube basketball club of Angola by 69-65 points after Over-time at the IRSP gymnase, Ouidah, Benin Republic.

The Nigerian side champion in 2003 entered the game as favourite due to her pedigree in the preliminary through the quarter-final stage winning the first quarter by 21-15 points, while the Angolan side came back strongly in the second quarter with a 20-17 points with half-time scores standing at 38-35 points in favour of First Bank.

Interclube continue her charged on the First Bank side at the resumption of play in third quarter winning the quarter by 1°-08 points cut down their deficit to just one points of 46-45 points going into the last quarter which they also won 15-14 points to even scores at 60-60 points to set-up a five-minute over-time.

First Bank falls back to three points play in the over-time which paid off as Rashidat Sadiq and Danielle Green took time to pound Interclube with repeated three points shot to win at 69-65 points.

First Bank Danielle Green led the floor with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists while Adeola Olanrewaju recorded 11 points and 5 rebounds to help their side book a grand finale ticket.

First Bank will now take on the winner of the second semi-final between defending champions, Desportivo basketball club of Mozambique and Abidjan Basket Club of Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday at the Palais des Sports in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

FIBA Africa Zone-III Qualifiers: First Deepwater truly the first beat CSA 51-50

Africa team of the moment, First Deepwater basketball club of Nigeria makes history at the FIBA Africa Zone-III Qualifiers holding in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire when it recorded a hard earned 51-50 points victory over CSA basketball club of Cote dIvoire.

The Nigerian side made up of an entirely home-based players picked the first three quarter of the tense game against the Ivorian league champion by 13-10, 14-12 and 15-13 points respectively to move into the last quarter with a 42-35 points advantage.

The CSA side spurred on by Cote dIvoire national team guard and reigning FIBA Africa Championship for Women leading scorer, Kani Kouyate came into the quarter with a determination to turn the table against their Nigerian opponent as time ticks away winning the quarter by 15-09 points but the effort was not good enough as the Coach Lateef Erinfolami tutored First Deepwater side held their ground to pick her third win by 51-50 points.

First Deepwater basketball club forward, Ijeoma Frank Uchendu was fantastic for her side recording a double double figure of 13 points and 11 rebound, her compatriot, Kelechi Obasi contributed 12 points and 4 rebounds while Rebecca Iritei added 10 points and 3 rebounds.

Kani Kouyates big effort of 16 points and 9 rebounds was not enough to save her side from going down.

First Deepwater basketball club will Friday play her last game against Togolese CBS at 17.00Hours while CSA have an herculean task of dislodging Abidjan Basket Club, ABC basketball club at 19.00Hours.

FIBA Africa Zone-III Qualifiers: ABC compound First Bank woes, win 81-72

Abidjan Basket Club (ABC) of Cote dIvoire late Thursday compounded the woes of Nigeria women league champion, First Bank basketball club in the FIBA Africa Zone-III Qualifiers with a 81-72 points victory to inch nearer picking a ticket to the final round of the 16th FIBA Africa Champions Club Cup for Women.

ABC who lost to Nigeria First Deepwater basketball club by 61-53 points on Tuesday gave their all to see off the challenges poised by the Elephant Girls.

ABC forward, Fatoumata Camara big effort of 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 block-shot was enough to give her side victory over the Nigeria champion who won the African title in 2003.

First Bank rallied to a 16-12 points win in the first quarter of the highly charged game but the Ivorian side charged back like a wounded Elephants in the second quarter and never looked back until the buzzer-shot winning the three remaining quarters by 20-17, 25-17 and 24-22 points respectively.

ABC play-maker, Achiata Diomande also gave a good account of her-self scoring 17 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds, Salimata Berte contributed 17 points just as Tshiniangu Kalanda added 12 points and 9 rebounds for a well deserved victory for the former Ivorian league champion.

First Bank play her last qualifiers game against Unity Basketball Club, UBC of Togo as the team jets back home aboard Ethiopia Airline Friday

First Bank through to semi-final beat First Deepwater

First Bank basketball club of Nigeria Friday defeated her Nigeria rival, First Deepwater basketball by 88-48 points in the first quarter-finals of the 15th FIBA Africa Champions Club for Women at the ISPR gymnase, Ouidah , Benin Republic.

The Elephant Girls who paraded eight Nigeria senior women national team players overwhelmed the First Deepwater players from the blast of the referee whistle to the end of the game winning in all four quarters.

With the win, First Bank now became the first team to book a place in the semi-finals where they will slug it out against the winner of the quarter-final duel between A'Politecnica basketball club of Mozambique and Interclube basketball club of Angola on Saturday. First Bank won in all four quarters 26-12, 14-11, 26-07 and 22-18 for a final score-line of 88-48.

But First Deepwater youthful forward, Ijeoma Uchendu gave a good account of herself with good post moves amid experience forward lined-up by First Bank in the game which turned one-sided as she scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

First Bank America import, Danielle Green, led the floor with a double double effort of 19 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists; Mexican-born guard Brisa Silva added 18 points, Chioma Udeaja contributed 16 points and 8 rebounds just as the duo of Funmilayo Ojelabi and US-base Rashidat Sadiq contributed 13 and 10 points respectively.

First Bank basketball club head coach, Adewumi Aderemi praised the gallant First Deepwater basketball players but thumb-up his ward for being so fantastic.

Coach Aderemi declared emphatically that nothing will stop his team from clinching the diadem they last won in 2003.

'We are set for all oppositions in this competition and I want to say with due respect to other teams that nothing will stop us from being crowned champion this time after almost seven years since we last won it in 2003 as we are tired of placing third every time.

‘Though we won our quarter-final game against our Nigeria opponent, First Deepwater by a wide margin that does not take away the fact that they are a good side remember they came top at the zone-III qualifiers in Abidjan , the coach concluded

Warriors, Islanders Await NBBF. For League Final Eight Date.

Eight teams from the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences who have qualified for the final eight of this year’s DSTV Multi Choice/NBBF Premier Basketball League said they were yet to receive an official date for the showdown which is billed for the Indoor Sport Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos.

In a chat with Dordan Warriors handler, Peter Ahmedu, he said despite the fact that NBBF is yet to announce the date for the final eight, his side is currently in camp intensifying preparation ahead of the showdown that will take place hopefully later this month. He also believes that other teams in the Final Eight are currently doing the same.

The teams that have qualified through the regular season for the final eight from Atlantic Conference are Lagos Islanders, Union Bank, Dordan Warriors and Royal Hoppers of Port-Harcourt while Kano Pillars Kada Stars, Plateau Peaks and Yelwa Hawks qualified from the Sarannah Conference.

Warriors, Islanders Await NBBF. For League Final Eight Date.

Eight teams from the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences who have qualified for the final eight of this year’s DSTV Multi Choice/NBBF Premier Basketball League said they were yet to receive an official date for the showdown which is billed for the Indoor Sport Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos.

In a chat with Dordan Warriors handler, Peter Ahmedu, he said despite the fact that NBBF is yet to announce the date for the final eight, his side is currently in camp intensifying preparation ahead of the showdown that will take place hopefully later this month. He also believes that other teams in the Final Eight are currently doing the same.

The teams that have qualified through the regular season for the final eight from Atlantic Conference are Lagos Islanders, Union Bank, Dordan Warriors and Royal Hoppers of Port-Harcourt while Kano Pillars Kada Stars, Plateau Peaks and Yelwa Hawks qualified from the Sarannah Conference.

Ahmedu Advises NBBF

One time board member of Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF Colonel Sam Ahmedu (Rtd) has advised the new board led by Tijani Umar to embark on youth programmes that will enable the country to have young and fresh players that can represent Nigeria at international competitions.

Speaking recently, the Dordan Warriors boss said he was worried that there is no specific programme designed to catch the players when they are still young.

“Basketball is a game that is very physical and it needs a lot of energy. If we don’t try to have youth programmes, then it will be difficult to face real competition in basketball,” the former NBBF board member said.

“We saw what happened to our team in Libya compare to teams like Angola, Cameroun and others who have good developmental programmes to promote their basketball.”

Algeria won Gold and qualify for the IWBF World Championship!

Algeria Men Wheelchair Basketball Team won Gold in the IWBF Africa World Cup Qualifiers last night in Johannesburg beating South Africa 77:72 to qualify for Africas only spot in the IWBF 2010 World Championship in Birmingham, England.

The Mandeville Indoor Centre was filled to the brim with spectators and fans. The atmosphere was charged with deafening sounds of the Vuvulzelas. The SASOL boys played their heart out in a closely contested game. The Algerians broke-away in the 2nd quarter leading 52:39 at halftime.

But the Amawheeler boys came back in the last quarter and level things up but failed to covet 4 straight 3pointers giving the Algerians the opportunity to take the lead once again. Even Richard Nortjies 26 points and 10 rebounds could not make the desired difference as Algeria eventually won the match 77:72.
Algeria ended the championship unbeaten having defeated South Africa 71:68 in the opening game.

David Curle and Thandile Zonke scored 19 and 11 points respectively.

Richard Nortjie of South Africa was voted the MVP

At the end of the tournament, the teams classification was as follows:

1. Algeria
2. South Africa
3. Morocco
4. Angola
5. Kenya
6. Zimbabwe

Afrobasket U16 Men 2009

The young Pharaoh of Egypt has emerged as the champion of the FIBA Africa Championship for U16 Men at the weekend in Maputo, Mozambique with an 84-82 points hard earned victory over Mali.

Egypt who defeated Nigeria by 74-71 points in the semi-final last Friday engaged the Malian strength for strength from the beginning of the pulsating game till the buzzer to pick the continents sole ticket to the 2010 FIBA World Championship for U17 Men slated for Germany.

Nigeria whose good run in the championship was truncated by Egypt in the semi-final settled for the bronze medal after seeing off Algeria in the third place game by 65-56 points.

The Nigerian young lad will return to the country Monday night aboard South Africa airways.

President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Tijjani Umar applauded the boys effort at the Africa Cadet Championship, promising that the federation will do everything to continue to encourage the development of the game at the grassroots.

The NBBF boss says the boys have shown that Nigeria is blessed with abundant of talents that can represent the country well at any competition.

He praised the team handlers led by Adamu Kuta of Niger Potters basketball club of Minna for doing the country proud as five players of the team who were pick for random MRI test age fortification passed the test.

The five players include, Michael Ikima, Christopher Ogekpa, Naama Namsap, Mofe Edukugho and Daniel Garga were tested alongside other players from other countries by a team of anti-MRI officials of the continental ruling body, FIBA Africa in Mozambique.

DSTV Basketball League: Pillars win away from home

Savannah conference leader and reigning champion of the Nigeria league, Kano Pillars basketball club at the weekend defeated Kadda Stars basketball club of Kaduna by 90-62 points.

The game which took place at the sports hall of the Kaduna State Sports Council at the Murtala Square in Kaduna was dubbed the star game of the Savannah conference of the DSTV Basketball League going by both sides Pre-game rating.

The Coach Sani Ahmed Pillars who are determined to lead the Savannah conference to the final eight play-offs took their host to the cleaner in a game many had expected the Stars who recently returned to the Nigeria big league after many years in limbo.

And in the Atlantic conference, Delta Force basketball club of Asaba compounded the woes of Dodan Warriors basketball club of Lagos with a 62-56 points win.

With these lose the hope of the rampaging Warriors of landing a play-offs berth now hang in the balance as it has one regular season game left against Union Bank basketball club on Wednesday, while conference leader, Lagos Islanders basketball club almost paid for being complacence against the Police Bombers at the sports hall of the national stadium, Lagos as it manage to win the encounter by 86-80 points in over-time.

The Coach Ogoh Odaudu tutored Islanders side had underrated their opponent who took the advantage of the lackadaisical Islanders side stretching the game into over-time after both sides ended scores at 73 points apiece after 40 minutes before the Islanders could break away in the five minutes over-time to win at 86-80 points.