Having played at Tokyo 2020 in just their second ever appearance at the Olympic Games, FIBA is concerned whether Nigeria will have enough talent and depth in Antwerp to book their third visit to the big show.
There will likely be a strong FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2023 flavor to the Nigeria lineup, led by MVP Amy Okonkwo. Throughout Nigeria’s unbeaten run in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, she emerged as the heartbeat of D’Tigress, after dropping 17.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Veteran Sarah Ogoke and Promise Amukamara could be the ballers that get it done in the backcourt, while other influential players could include Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, Elizabeth Balogun and Ifunanya Okoro.
Can they continue their dominance in recent years against African rivals Senegal? Whatever roster they have fielded at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, they always find a way to win and can they continue this long-term trend? A victory against Senegal is likely to be enough to send them to successive Olympic Games.
The hope is that while Nigeria might realistically be overrun by USA and Belgium, they can win that one game against Senegal which is likely to be enough to take their Olympic Games appearance tally from two to three.
The fear is very much around whether they can get the job done without some of the big hitters that were the driving force behind their run to Tokyo 2020. Ballers such as Ezinne Kalu, Victoria Macaulay and Oderah Chidom.