Hope rises for kids in Benue State whose ambition is to take basketball as a profession, as the Benue State Basketball Association has concluded plans for the 2022 U18 Girls tournament.
The three-day event starts today at the basketball court inside the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi.
This initiative tagged “Catch them Young” is one of the many programmes on the 2022 calendar of the state basketball association.
Benue State Basketball chairman, Col Sam Ahmedu (Rtd) said the platform would provide an avenue for talented kids across the state to play coordinated basketball.
“Benue State is known for producing outstanding players for Nigeria at the national and domestic level and we need to sustain this tradition.”
“Outstanding players like Veronica Charles, Nguveren Iyorhe, Vera Angwe, Tina Emmanuel, Joyce Gye, Lucy Adamgbe, Josette Anslem and Charity Ameh all from the state have all gone to represent Nigeria at different levels. We need to discover more talents through these grassroots programmes.”
“As we prepare for the 2022 basketball season, we will also be giving special attention to the girl child through basketball”.
The U-18 tournament will feature teams drawn from the major basketball catchment areas of the state such as Makurdi, Otukpo and Gboko.
This unique avenue will also afford state coaches the opportunity to identify talents they can incorporate into their team.