In a surprising upset, Nigeria earned the final spot in the men's basketball field in the Olympics with an 88-73 victory over the Dominican Republic on Sunday night.
It was a do-or-die game for both teams, the third-place game in a tournament that sends the top-three teams to London.
Very few people had Nigeria penciled in to even make it this far, as Nigeria is making its first-ever Olympic berth in basketball. 2012 is the first year that two African teams have made the Olympics.
The Nigerians were able to overcome the heavily favored Dominicans, who were coached by John Calipari and featured Atlanta Hawks All-Star Al Horford, primarily on the strength of their front line.
They surprised their rivals with fast breaks and solid defense. Diogu, a forward who plays for Puerto Rico's Capitanes de Arecibo team, received the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
"I'm very happy. We did what had to be done," Diogu said. "We knew we were going to face teams that are heavyweights, and we did what we needed to do - win."
Ike Diogu, a five-year NBA veteran who appeared in only two games last season, was dominant, with a 25/10 double-double, including a few back-breaking threes late in the fourth quarter. He was aided by Al-Farouq Aminu, a raw but extremely athletic young forward for the New Orleans Hornets who battled Horford to a draw for most of the game.
The Dominicans struggled to stop Nigeria's powerful offense, but forward Yack Martinez help prevent a lopsided victory, scoring 16 points and grabbing several rebounds.
Russia and Lithuania also qualified with semifinals victories Saturday.
In London, Lithuania and Nigeria will join the United States, Tunisia, France and Argentina in Group A. Russia, China, Britain, Brazil, Australia and Spain are in Group B.
Nigeria will probably be just as a big an underdog in London as they were in Caracas, but the size of Aminu and Diogu give them a chance to make some noise.
Common sense is indeed not common.
Posted: at 9-07-2012 09:09 AM (12 years ago) | Hero
caramel-baby at 11-07-2012 03:59 PM (12 years ago) (f)
Congrats boys! With all the bad news going on in naija, at least something good and positive is happening! I wish them all the luck and I hope they can bring some medals!
Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission.
Posted: at 11-07-2012 03:59 PM (12 years ago) | Newbie
Congrats boys! With all the bad news going on in naija, at least something good and positive is happening! I wish them all the luck and I hope they can bring some medals!
yes o
Common sense is indeed not common.
Posted: at 12-07-2012 04:25 PM (12 years ago) | Hero
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