Nigerian-British born Basketballer, Divine -Blessing Obamakinwa says Liverpool Basketball ll Club next away match against Bolton University Basketball Club in the ongoing National Basketball League(NBL) Conference League will not be taken for granted.

Obamakinwa whose stunning performance against Stockport Falcons Basketball Club as a second highest scorer over the weekend promised to leverage on his performance against Bolton University on the 17th of November 2024 at the Bolton One Sports Centre.

Obamakinwa, who scored 20 points against Stockport Basketball Club of Manchester, said that after the encounter that ended 157-58 in favour of Liverpool Basketball ll Club, that their other matches would be taken step by step.

“The match was a good game though in the first quarter, we made some mistakes and in the second quarter, we bounced back as a team with confidence.

“Scoring 20 points should not be the limit of what I am targeting, but as the game progresses, I will continue to score in confidence where I find myself in a good position to score.

“Our next game against Bolton University, we will come out forcefully to continue our winning streaks, though we have never lost any game since we gain promotion to NBL Division 4, that will not make us to look down on our opponents”.

The lanky 6ft 7 inches tall center, emphasized that Liverpool Basketball ll major aim is to scale through the hurdle step by step until they get to NBL Super League which is the zenith of United Kingdom’s Basketball league.

“The team aim is to cross each line whenever they get their, every game should be taken step by step until we get to the NBL Super League which is the biggest league in UK. The higher you go, the tougher the challenges are” Hinted Obamakinwa.

Obamakinwa whose parents hailed from Ondo and Ekiti States of South-West in Nigeria, still looking forward to paying his allegiance to Nigeria, if the door is open, adding that former D’Tigers Captain, Olumide Oyedeji’s encouragement through a telephone conversation, gingered his spirit to want to wear green and white colours.

In his words, “Olumide Oyedeji advised helped me hundred percent to increase my passion for the click and dunk game. He admonished me to keep working hard and be focused in order to attain the greater height”.

The Liverpool Basketball ll Club cynosure said his movement to NBA in the future is in tact and can never be swept under the carpet.

Obamakinwa who described the Phoenix Suns power forward, Kelvin Durant as his idol due to is style of play said his efficacy in the court of play attract him to increase his work rate in the game.

“My ambition to move to to the United State of America to foster my basketball career in NBA is still in tact which can never be swept under the carpet.

“I watch Kelvin Durant a lot, he is very skillful and calculative in the court of play, he is a game changer a reason I took him as my role model,” he said.

By Akeem Busari

It was another victorious outing for Nigeria on the continental stage as the national U16 female basketball 3v3 team, claimed gold medal in Dakar, Senegal at the DAKAR EN JAUX 2024 Festival.

The Nigerian girls who had earlier claimed a silver medal in Accra, Ghana during the All Africa Games, defeated host country, Senegal 11-8 in the final to become champions.Speaking after the final game, Nigeria’s head of delegation and team coordinator, Victor Okoro, praised the girls for putting up spectacular displays throughout the games.

“I’m very proud of this team. I am also happy that once again, they have made Nigeria proud on the international stage,” he remarked.Okoro, a board member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, noted that the recent feats of the team is a further testament to the untiring efforts of the NBBF, led by Engr. Musa Kida to continually develop the game in at levels, for the benefits of Nigeria.

The Director General of Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, has said the state as a sports hub will not relent in its efforts in contributing to the knowledge of Games Masters/Mistresses and Physical Education teachers in order to promote a sustainable and effective sports development at the grassroots level.

The three-day clinic named “Train the Trainer” was designed by the Lagos State Sports Commission to train Physical Education teachers on the fundamentals of cricket, other basic techniques they need to be acquainted with as the first point of contact to the students.

Speaking eloquently while watching the practice game of the Games Masters/Mistresses, Lekan Fatodu described the initiative as a developmental processes in contributing to the sustainable growth of sports at the school level.

He stated, “what we are trying to do is the need and necessity to improve to hone the skills of our experts, particularly in schools. Right now, we are very focus about developing sports not just from the grassroots: we are going back to school”.

“We are pooling Games Masters/Mistresses together in a refresher course in different sporting areas.We are doing the clinic in around cricket, so that we can be able to improve their skills and have better understanding of youths development and trends in sports”, said Fatodu DG LSSC.

Speaking further, Fatodu explained that the state will continue to subscribe to many initiatives on the back of the game while encouraging the participants to take the lessons learnt seriously in order to teach their students on the values associated with cricket

The clinic began on the 31st of October, and ended yesterday, 2nd November, 2024, at the University of Lagos Cricket Oval, Akoka, Lagos, where over 30 Games Masters/Mistresses from different schools were took on the rudiments of cricket: to inculcate the right values into the students through the instrumentality of sports and continues on the momentum of school sports development.