By Amaechi Agbo

Nigeria’s senior national male basketball team, the D’Tigers will seek for redemption today from their Tokyo Olympics misadventures when they take on Mali in the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket Championship in Kigali, Rwanda

Coach of the side, Mike Brown however says the D’Tigers will be banking on their offensive prowess as they get their Afrobasket campaign underway on Wednesday

Speaking with journalists in Kigali on Tuesday ahead of the clash, Mr Brown believes that the offensive prowess of the team will play a major role in how far the team can go starting with their first game against the Maliams.

“We have to be able to shoot the ball and defend. We have to transition, run and shoot the ball from the three point line at a high level. If we do, we will give ourselves a chance.”

With a complete set of new players at his disposal for the Afrobasket campaign, he said D’Tigers will take it one game at a time as they continue to bond and improve as a team.

“One game at a time, we have a new team. None of these guys with the exception of one, played in the Afrobasket before (Jordan Ogundiran) and he did not really play. Ibe Abu was here too (during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers) and he did not play much.”

When asked how confident he is going into the tournament as a title challenger, he said that his philosophy is to take it one game at a time.

“We are young and we will just see whether we get better anytime we get on the floor and let’s see what happens.”

It is the first match the team are playing after crashing out of the 2020 Olympics Basketball event at the preliminary rounds

Nigeria is is paired in Group C along with Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and Mali

From Tuesday, August 24 until Sunday, September 5, all eyes will be on the magnificent Kigali Arena.