MoraBanc Andorra BC sensation, Morris Udeze has expressed gratitude with the opportunity he had in playing for Nigeria’s men’s basketball national team (D’Tigers) at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Tunisia.
Sports247 reports that Udeze, who was born in the United States of America but opted to play for his father’s nation, was equally happy with his ability to hit a game high 30 points in Sunday’s 75-69 victory over Rwanda.
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The former Wichika State Warriors and New Mexico Lobos small forward, who played for two clubs in Japan before moving to Andorra this summer, also praised his teammates for standing firm against their rivals from Rwanda.
He confessed that the game turned out to be tougher than expected, as Rwanda won the first quarter 12-21 and took the tie into overtime with a 16-25 cruise at the fourth stage, after losing the second and third phases 13-6 and 20-9 respectively.
However, D’Tigers held their own to win overtime 14-8 and eventually carried the day at 75-69 overall, which Morris noted happened that way because his colleagues did not panic.
He recounted, “We kept our composure; despite being down heavily in the fourth quarter. I trusted in my teammates, and we urged ourselves to keep on playing hard.
“So, we were all resilient until the end … in all the quarters and in overtime. That made it a very great experience for me in playing for Nigeria for the first time.”
The soft-spoken star, who previously played for Fukushima and Kobe in Japan, went on to state his unalloyed loyalty to the Nigerian squad, as he admitted it is a dream come true for him to wear the nation’s jersey.
“I always love to represent my country any time I have the opportunity. So, I’m grateful to the coaching staff, the general manager and my teammates for the opportunity that I have in coming to play for this squad.
“I’ve enjoyed playing for this amazing group of guys, and I will love to always represent my country no matter what the circumstances that are going on,” Udeze assured.
