NBBF/DStv basketball playoff dunks-off

The final race for the 2013/2014 title of the Nigeria Basketball Federation organized DStv Premier Basketball Playoff dunks-off at the Sports City in Lagos with eight teams in contention on Sunday.
The first game, which will tip-off at 12 noon, will see Atlantic Conference third placed finisher, Dodan Warriors Basketball Club of Lagos, going for the jugular of Savannah Conference fourth placed side, Plateau Peaks Basketball Club of Jos.
The Warriors versus Peaks game, which serves as the curtain raiser on Sunday, will see the only female coach in the male dominated league, Jacqueline Ntagwan, calling the shot from the touch-line of the Jos-based Peaks, with versatile point guards, Femi Emmanuel, and Priwitt Gagara providing the needed motivation the Peaks need to excel.
Emmanuel, a former Niger Potters and Kano Pillars guard, has been named captain of his side with support from Gagara, whose professional career was cut short due to the political turmoil in Libya, while Dodan Warriors will bank on the versatility of its captain, Azuoman Dike, with back-up from Mamadou Savadogo and Romaric Quenum to give them their first playoff victory.
Star-studded Mark Mentors Basketball Club of Abuja will file out against Oluyole Warriors Basketball Club of Ibadan at 2pm, with the odd slightly in favour of the Abuja-millionaires.
Mentors, who finished second behind Kano Pillars in the Savannah Conference, boast of intimidating records of being the only team in the Savannah to defeat runaway conference leader and league defending champion, Kano Pillars during the regular and hope to capitalize on the management crisis rocking the Ibadan warlord to earn its maximum points from it first Group-B playoff game.
Though Mark Mentors boast of tested hands with an intimidating roster, which includes Nigerian internationals Stanley Gumut, Abdulwahab Yahaya and Musa Usman, with deep support base in versatile point guard, Akpara Akita, and an enviable forward in Victor Anthony, might encounter some resistance from the Oluyole side who look up-to the likes of Akeem Sulaiman, Victor Ugo James, Kayode Balogun to give the Peter Ahmedu tutored Mentors good fight for their deep purse.
The third game of the opening day of the playoff will see three-time champion of the league, Kano Pillars Basketball Club, and last season’s finalist, Union Bank Basketball Club of Lagos, will give the fans a worth for their time and money when they file out at 4pm in a Group-A game.
Pillars, who are eyeing a fourth title, depend largely on its mercurial shooting guard and Africa Champions Cup reigning highest scorer, Abubakar Usman, for inspiration as the fierce combo guard will look forward for back-up from the quartet of Mathew Onmonya, Ibrahim Yusuf, Anyebe Ujoh and Adeolu Olaiya Ojo to rattle the ‘Stallion Boys’ who will parade a mix of experience and youthful players with great optimism.
Both sides have a rich bench in Sani Ahmed for Pillars and Ayinla Johnson for Union Bank with 40 minutes of explosive basketball action separating who is the better of the two coaches.
The fourth and final game of the first day season playoff ties have one thing in common as Atlantic Conference leader, Islanders Basketball Club of Lagos takes on third placed side from the Savannah Conference and league returnee, Gombe Bulls Basketball Club, in battle royale.
The common feature of the game is that both Coaches Lateef Erinfolami (Islanders) and Abdulrahman Mohammed (Gombe Bulls) know each other very well, while few players in both teams have had their career shaped at one point or the other under the two tacticians.
On the roster of Gombe Bulls are experience centre, Michael Udo, who once played in the colour of Comets, with Coach Erinfolami as assistant coach, and Samson John, who once played for both Comets and Islanders.
These players will bank on the fact that they are familiar with the style of play of the Islanders to pose some threat to Coach Erinfolami’s Islanders whose side will bank on the reputed point guard, Chiwendu Nwaigbo, and the rest of the team to do the undo.