Newly appointed Head Coach of the Senior Women’s Basketball team, Otis Hughley has charged the D’Tigress not to give in to distractions as they prepare for their first FIBA World Cup since 2006.
While addressing the team currently camped in Atlanta, Otis said that with the little time left to prepare the team for the biggest stage, it is imperative that the players come together as one indivisible unit to make Nigerians happy.
“Don’t give in to those distractions because you are not going to be your best you if you do. If you are not your best you, it is a disservice to the gift God has given you. If you are not thinking about doing what it is you have been put on earth to do by representing who you are, your family and future, then you have been distracted.”
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The former Golden State Warriors assistant coach expressed excitement over the opportunity to work with the team which he described as “a bunch of talented professionals.”
“I am excited, I have coached a lot of players but that doesn’t matter. I can’t be more excited than I am now. I get chills while talking about this. I drove 6 hours here.”
Otis said to achieve World Cup success, it takes the effort of everybody involved as the world needs to know the full potential of the D’Tigress.
“They know you are here, they know you can play and that you are good,but they don’t know how smart you really are and they don’t know your potentials.”
He reminded the players that representing Nigeria at the World Cup is a life time experience which may not present itself again.
He charged them to stay focused and write their names in gold as they represent the country and provide the needed inspiration for the kids thinking of taking up basketball as a profession.
“You girls are trying to make a living for your family, trying to represent your country. There is another little kid somewhere in the world watching you wanting to know what they will be when they grow up. You are going to give them that information. You are going to give the world that information, they are going to know the truth about you.”
“I am really excited to see what you girls can do and I will be more excited to see the look on the world’s face when it gets done”, Otis concluded.
In what seemed to be a sign of good things to come, the team recorded their first warm up win in as many games against Yellow Jackets PRO by 96 points to 92 on Monday.
