By Ebube Dike

Sixteen teams will battle for honour in the 2022 Mark D Ball Basketball Championship holding in Abuja.

The completion organisers announced 16 teams for the basketball tournament,an increment from the 12 teams announced during the unveiling.in December.

Secretary of the Local Organising Committee LOC, Umaru Abdullahi in a statement issued on Monday, explained that 16 teams were chosen because of the clamour from clubs to participate after being starved of championships/tournaments.

“Upon consideration of requests from clubs to participate in Mark D Ball Championship, the LOC decided to increase the number of participating teams from 12 to 16.

“It is glaring that the appeal from clubs is due to a drought of basketball games for a long time, and we decided to increase the number to accommodate these request.” Abdullahi stated.

He listed Air Warrior, First Bank, Delta Force, Sunshine Angels, Customs, Novena Queens, Kada Angels, Benue Princess and Plateau Rocks as teams selected for the championship.

Others are; Mountain of Fire, FCT Rocks, IGP Queens, Taraba Hurricanes, Nasarawa Amazons, Hot Coal Sizzlers and Bayelsa.

Abdullahi’s statement added that all participating teams must adhere strictly to all Covid-19 protocols.

Mark D Ball Basketball Championship will dunk off at the indoor hall of the MKO Abiola Stadium on January 15, 2022.