Nigerian universities have been served a reminder by Federation of African University Sports that they have a deadline of May 15th to register for this year’s 8th Afro-Varsity 3×3 Basketball Challenge, Sports247 reports.
The competition, which is scheduled to take place from May 28th to June 1st at University of Ibadan, will serve as qualification to the FISU 3×3 World Cup, with the top two teams in both men’s and women’s categories representing Africa.
A newsletter from Nigeria University Games (NUGA) disclosed that participation is open to registered university students aged 17 to 25, but all players and teams must have verified accounts on the FIBA 3×3 platform to obtain ranking points.
An accreditation portal opened on March 15th and interested institutions must confirm participation by May 15th for the competition, which strengthens relations among African universities and provides valuable exposure for student-athletes.
Organisers also tout the competition as a credible steppingstone to entry of top performers into the basketball league of USA’s National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
The NCAA is seen as the biggest and most glamorous avenue of students sports all across the world, with many future stars produced annually through its high-standard competitions in athletics, American football, soccer, hockey, volleyball, basketball and others.
Sports247 reports further that a large number of Nigeria’s players in the female basketball national team, D’Tigress, who are currently on a build-up tour of the USA, are still active student-players in the NCAA.
