Ahead of the Mark D’ Ball Basketball Championship billed to commence on January 15, 2022, in Abuja, Organisers have announced 16 teams for the basketball tournament, with the increment of four teams from the previous 12 announced during the unveiling.
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 in the last four years.
“Upon consideration of requests from clubs to participate in Mark D Ball Championship, We, (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 requests.”Abdullahi stated.
He listed Air Warrior, Firstbank, 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.
The statement added that all participating teams must adhere strictly to all Covid 19 protocols.
Meanwhile, Mark D’ Ball Basketball Championship will dunk off at the indoor hall of the MKO Abiola Stadium on Saturday, January 15, 2022.
