Two players from USA’s omen National Basketball Association (WNBA), Atlanta Dreams’ centre, Elizabeth Williams and 26th overall draft pick, Erica Ogwumike of Minnesota Lynx led an array of five new invitees into Nigeria’s female national team, D’Tigress’ camp last weekend.
Megasportsarena.com reports that this much was revealed by D’Tigress’ head coach, Otis Hughley, while unveiling his roster of 16 players invited to the 10-day training camp in Atlanta, USA as part of preparations for this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
With what should have been Tokyo 2020 now scheduled to hold in the middle of this year, the Nigerian camp opened last Sunday at Fairfield Inn & Suites in Atlanta and will run till Monday, with a number of top players missing, while several other veterans of the squad have turned up.
Among the absent lot are Ify Ibekwe and Victoria Macaulay, who was not released by her club side, but one of the returnees, Nicole Enabosi will have another chance to be a part of the team after missing the 2018 FIBA World Cup in Spain due to injury.
Also back in contention for spots in the build-up to the Tokyo Games are Amy Okonkwo of Club Deportivo Zamarat in Spain and Oderah Chidom of Tsmoki-Minsk BC in Bulgaria, along with the Nigerian team captain, Adaora Elonu, who plays for Uni Girona, Elo Edeferioka of Celta de Vigo Baloncesto and Atonye Nyingifa of Ensino Lugo Club de Baloncesto, all in Spain.
Other returning players handed invitations by Hughley include Sarah Ogoke, Sarah Imovbioh of Club Namur-Capital in Belgium, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah of Pallacanestro Vigarano in Italy, 20-year-old guard, Elizabeth Balogun from Louisville Cardinals of USA as well as four time FIBA Afrobasket winner, Aisha Balarabe, who now plays for KB Bashkimi of Kosovo.
They are joined by 2019 FIBA Afrobasket most valuable player, Ezinne Kalu from Landerneau BB, Promise Amukamara of Charnay BB and Evelyn Akhator of Flammes Carolo, all in France, with training hitting top gear heading into the last stretch of their fist build-up camp for the year.
