Pillars, Gombe Bulls qualify for FIBA Africa Club Championship

• NBBF sues for peace ahead November 30 deadline
Nigerian clubs, Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls have qualified for the 2017 FIBA Africa Club Championship after emerging tops at the FIBA Zone 3 qualifiers, which ended in Lagos at the weekend.

The two teams will fly Nigeria’s flags at the continental club championship scheduled for Tunisia later this year.

Kano Pillars Basketball Club was unbeaten throughout the tourney by winning all their five games against Gombe Bulls, Aspac of Benin Republic, Civil Defence of Abuja, Mark Mentors of Abuja and Customs of Ghana, who it beat by 46-66 in their last game at the weekend to emerge champions of the tournament.

Gombe Bulls only lost a game to its archrival, Kano Pillars and defeated other teams to claim the second spot and pick a ticket to the finals for the first time in the club’s history.

Kator Gar powered his team to another historic win with 17 points, three assists and five rebounds to give the Gombe side its first continental ticket.

Speaking with The Guardian after the qualifiers, Pillars’ legend, Abubakar Usman, who had a good outing during the competition, stated that the motivation given to the team by the club’s management was the secret behind its success.

He revealed that his team’s target is to win the African club championship.

Meanwhile, NBBF president, Musa Kida has revealed that negotiations were still on going with the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the former president of NBBF, Tijani Umar to resolve the federation’s crises before the November 30 deadline given it by FIBA Africa.

“The NBBF is working hard to cooperate with relevant stakeholders as directed by FIBA to find a lasting solution for the current problems associated with the transition of leadership every four years. We believe that the way the case is being handled and resolved by the NOC the future of basketball would be bright in the coming years.

“We are doing this for the sake of players and coaches, whose lives depend on the dunking game. We plead with the press to avoid reporting issues that would affect the progress of the peace process,” he said.