2014 ACCW: First Bank aim high, target third African title

The 2014 Africa Champions Cup for Women has been fixed for November 28 through December 7 in Tunisia with two Nigerian clubs (First Bank and Dolphins basketball clubs) among the twelve that will slug it out for the coveted trophy.

Nigerian champion and FIBA Africa Zone-3 runner-up First Bank basketball club is aiming to repeat its 2003 and 2009 run-up to the title in Mozambique and Benin Republic.

In a chat with our correspondent shortly after the final game in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso between the Elephant Girls and Dolphins basketball club which the former won by 70-56 points but lost the opportunity to win the Zone-3 title because of an earlier 65-50 points lose to the latter in the two-leg zonal qualifier, Coach Adewumi Aderemi says the goal of the Nigerian champion is to gun for the African title.

“We picked one of the two tickets for the final round as against some situations in the past where FIBA Africagranted us wild-card because of our pedigree, but having secured a direct ticket this time our aim is to lift our game and make our make our management and country proud.

“We want to be good ambassador of Nigeria and FIBA Africa Zone-3 as we hope to be a good representative and our simple goal is to win our third title because we believe we are due for it having won the title twice in the past (2003 and 2009) and if you remember these two victories came on away soul.

“After a grueling qualifier in Burkina Faso especially against our fellow Nigerian side (Dolphins) which we are proud that they also qualify for the final round, the only thing that can be good for us as a team is to win the title and we need to remain focus and be in the right frame of mind both mentally and psychologically for the final battle in Tunisia and the first step taken to achieve is to allow the players some days break and reconvene where we will move into close camping.First Bank basketball club won the Nigerian league title for ten unbroken years before it was punctured by First Deepwater basketball club in 2010 before reclaiming it in 2014 after seeing off Dolphins basketball club in a thrilling final earlier this year in Lagos.

The club the biggest women club side in Nigeria was responsible in the past as having the largest number players in the nation’s women national team between 2003 and 2013 where Nigeria won its first All Africa Games gold (2003, Abuja) and two Afrobasket titles (2003, Mozambique and 2005 in Abuja).