By Obaseki Anthony on September 20, 2019

D’Tigers have moved  up 10 places to rank as the 23rd best team in the world in the latest FIBA ranking released after the 2019 FIBA men’s World Cup in China.

The Nigerian senior men’s team, which became the first country in the world to qualify for the World Cup, won three games and lost two during the competition to finish 17th out of the 32 participating teams.

The Alex Nwora-tutored side, which have qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, are still ranked number one in Africa ahead of Angola, Tunisia, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire – which are ranked 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively.

Reacting after the ranking was published, Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) President, Engr Musa Kida, said the latest feat was the right reward for hard work put in place by the federation and the team during the qualifiers and World Cup preparations which culminated in a good outing in China.

“We are really excited with this announcement. It shows that the world has continued to pay attention to Nigerian basketball after many years of playing second fiddle.

“Although, I believe that we deserve more than being 23rd best team in the world based on our current form, but it is a process. The federation is excited that we are on the right track and we will continue to push harder in our resolve to record more successes,” Kida said.

USA still hold on to the number one spot while current World Champion Spain are ranked second ahead of Australia, which climbed eight places to the third spot.

•PHOTO: Nigeria’s D’Tigers in action

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 20, 2019

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