By Daily Sports Nigeria on August 22, 2025

Nigeria’s D’Tigers were left to rue missed chances at the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket after bowing out of the tournament, with head coach Mohammed Abdulrahman and team captain Ike Nwamu expressing disappointment over their quarter-final exit, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Both lamented the team’s inability to capitalise on key moments, admitting that the result fell short of expectations despite the players’ effort on the court.

The 2015 champions succumbed 91-75 to the might of regional rivals and African powerhouse Senegal, to bid farewell to the quadrennial competition currently taking place in Angola. The team had topped Group B with six points, which earned them a place in the last-eight after securing victories over Madagascar, Tunisia and Cameroon respectively.

However, when it came to crunch time, Senegal dominated Nigeria in most parts of the clash especially in the second half, with Brancou Badio and Jean Jacques Boissy both putting on a show to lead the Teranga Lions to proceed to a fifth consecutive AfroBasket semi-final since the 2013 edition of the tournament in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Nonetheless, coach Abdulrahman was full of admiration for the team. The former Gombe Bulls handler revealed, “On a night we were supposed to bring our A-game, we felt short. I am not taking any credit away from Senegal, they deserve the win. I am proud of how we played. We have an identity now and we are just moving from it.”

Co-captain, Nwamu, also shared his coach’s sentiments, “It hurts. We had high hopes, we had a really good group, fun group, we all love each other, but it’s part of the game, one team has to win, another team has to lose. It was not our day. They came out with more energy; We were kind of flat to start with. They are a really good team, they got lots of high level players.”

Meanwhile, the National Sports Commission equally heaped plaudits on D’Tigers in an official statement, “The NSC commends Nigeria’s men’s basketball team for their spirited run at AfroBasket 2025. The team indeed showed the resilience, talent, and passion that define Nigerian basketball.

“Though the journey ends here, the lessons and experiences gained are stepping stones to greater achievements ahead. The NSC stands firmly with the entire D’Tigers team. Nigeria is proud of you, D’Tigers. The best is yet to come.”

Source Punch Ng

Posted August 22, 2025

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