Gaskiya College player Rasheed Taofeek has revealed how a change in mindset and improved defensive discipline helped his team overcome King’s College to secure a place in the final of the Hoops for Tomorrow tournament.
Gaskiya booked their place in the final with an 18–15 victory over King’s College in the opening semi-final, played at the UNILAG Sports Centre, University of Lagos, recovering from a difficult start to claim a hard-fought win.
Speaking with Sports247 after the game, Rasheed admitted that he initially doubted his team’s chances of progressing, revealing that they had feared losing the encounter.
“I thought we were going to lose; even our coach told us to play good defence, but today, I realised that defence really matters in a game. If you play good defence, you win your game”
He also pointed to the team’s foul trouble as one of the major concerns during the game, explaining that their coach had asked him to encourage his teammates to be more disciplined and avoid unnecessary fouls.
According to him, the team responded by reducing its fouls and putting more effort into defending, a change that played an important role in their victory.
Despite reaching the final, Rasheed acknowledged the quality of the remaining opposition, identifying Government College as one of the strongest teams in the competition.
When asked if he believed his team could win the game, Rasheed responded that he wasn’t sure of that yet, as he believed that Government College’s team is stronger than his team.
“…because Government College is stronger than us”
With the final scheduled for today at the UNILAG Sports Centre, Rasheed and his teammates will now turn their attention to securing the tournament title.
