Joe Apu
D’ Tigress stars, Sarah Ogoke and former team captain, Aisha Mohammed still smarting from Nigeria’s win over Turkey at the ongoing FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Tenerife, Spain are confident that Nigerian would have more to celebrate.
The celebrations were still underway for Nigeria after their first-ever FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup win, when Sarah Ogoke promised it was only the beginning.
With the noise of her team-mates partying in the locker room behind her, the guard was in bullish mood after Nigeria’s landmark 74-68 victory over Turkey having dropped a team-high 22 points in the contest.
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“It’s not over yet and we’re just getting started,” she smiled. “I’m not satisfied at all because to me it’s a big win, but we can’t feel comfortable until we beat Argentina and move into the next round.
“I have been playing on the national team for a while now and felt that I had a point to prove and Nigeria also had a point to prove. We’re not your typical African basketball country.”
“We have a lot of talent on this team and we have a lot of experience and we finally got the chance to show it.”
Aisha Mohammed while sharing Ogoke’s views said: “We’ll keep up the fire in us burning by His grace we’ll give Argentina a run for their money.”
Meanwhile head coach Otis Hughley Jnr was a proud figure. Parachuted into the role only a few weeks before the tournament tipped off, he was quick to point out how well his team had done to fend off a late Turkey rescue mission.
“Turkey has been through a lot to build that program and for us to sneak a little shortcut like that. Wow, I was praying almost on my knees as we’re so inexperienced and young,” he said.