Ahead of the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain, the camp of the D’Tigress received a major boost on Saturday following the arrival of team captain, Adaora Elonu.
Elonu who was recently named team captain by head coach, Otis Hughley, left the team’s camp in Atlanta to join her new club, Atlanta Dreams, for the WNBA playoffs.
According to a press statement issued by the Nigeria Basketball Federation on Sunday, Elonu, a member of the 2017 Afrobasket winning squad, said she is excited to be back with her teammates in Lagos. She added that leaving the camp in Atlanta to join her new club was a difficult decision to make.
“It was hard leaving the girls in camp in Atlanta, but now that I am back, I am happy and I can’t wait to see them. We are preparing pretty hard. The girls have been preparing since I was away. So it’s good that I am back to see what they have learnt and see what I can learn from what they have been doing since I have been away.”
She said that participating at the World cup will be a good experience for all the players which will definitely mark a new chapter in their careers as professionals.
“No pressure on me, everything is a team effort. We all trust each other so there is no pressure. It’s going to be a good experience for us.”
She was coy when asked how far the team can go at the World Cup.
“As far as we are willing, as far as we are able.”
With her arrival, the number of players in camp has now increased to 15 with the Technical Crew expected to announce the final 12-woman roster for the 2018 FIBA Women World Cup in the coming days.
