The head coach of Nigeria’s wheelchair basketball teams, Taye Sofolahan has showered praise on the country’s female squad for their triumphant outing at the qualifiers in Angola, while the men placed second.
Sports247 reports that, though both teams lost their last group games at the competition, which happens to be the 2026 Commonwealth Games Wheelchair Basketball 3×3 qualifiers, they eventually played in the finals on Thursday.
In reaction to these exploits, Sofolahan hailed their gallant efforts, adding that it is commendable that they reached the finals in both men and women categories, though they had earlier been written off by other countries, and the females eventually qualified.
The soft-spoken coach also applauded the players for proving doubters wrong, as the men came from behind to edge Kenya 7-6 in their opening match and then hit Gambia 14-2 in their second game, but lost 10-5 to South Africa in the last tie.
On the other hand, the women’s team lost their opening match 4-2 to South Africa but bounced back with an emphatic 8-0 victory over Kenya to secure a semi-final spot, much to the delight of the Nigerian delegation and the coach.
Sofolahan, who also praised the president of Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball Federation, Oluwaseyi Johnson for ensuring the team’s participation at the qualifiers, declared: “I want to commend the players for giving their best.
“We had already been downplayed by our opponents for reasons best known to them, but the men’s team did not disappoint during the group stage, especially against Kenya.”
Sports247 gathered that the Nigerian female team went on to upset South Africa in the final, as they avenged their group stage defeat and picked a slot for the Commonwealth Games.
Unfortunately, the men fell short, as they finished second behind the tactically strong South Africans.
