Nigeria’s U-19 women’s basketball team, the Junior D’Tigress, have officially opened camp in Abuja as preparations intensify for their maiden appearance at the FIBA U-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, scheduled to tip off in Czechia on July 12.
With just under a month to go, head coach Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu is putting the girls through rigorous training sessions at the indoor sports hall of the MKO Abiola Stadium, Package B, in what she described as a “critical phase” in fine-tuning the team’s strategy and synergy.
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The training camp, which commenced earlier this week, is focused on developing game tactics, conditioning, and team bonding—key ingredients the coaching staff believe will help the team make a statement on the world stage.
“This is a huge opportunity for us as a nation,” Coach Negedu said. “We are not just preparing to participate; we are preparing to compete.”
The Junior D’Tigress earned their World Cup spot after a strong showing at the 2024 FIBA U-18 Women’s Afrobasket in South Africa, where they reached the final but fell to continental powerhouse Mali with a 76-56 defeat.
This year’s FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup will feature 16 of the world’s best youth teams, and Nigeria will be flying Africa’s flag alongside Mali.
With the countdown to Czechia underway, hopes are high that this promising generation of Nigerian female hoopers can break new ground for women’s basketball in the country.
The final squad is expected to be announced in early July, shortly before the team departs for Europe.
