D’Tigers guard Josh Okogie believes Nigeria can reach the FIBA Basketball World Cup even if his NBA duties rule him out of the decisive qualifying window.
The Houston Rockets player may be unavailable for the February round because the games coincide with the NBA season.
Quick facts
- Okogie could miss Nigeria’s final qualification window in February.
- He trusts the D’Tigers squad and coaching staff to complete the task without him.
- Nigeria will enter the closing phase with little margin for mistakes.
Despite that possibility, Okogie is confident Nigeria possess the talent and coaching expertise required to finish the campaign successfully, regardless of whether he is involved.
He said his faith in the players and staff was strong enough for him to expect their best efforts and qualification with or without his presence. Okogie added that the team’s quality, combined with positive momentum, should help it negotiate the remaining games.
Nigeria know they cannot afford many errors in the final stage. Okogie, though, views qualification as a responsibility shared by the entire group rather than an outcome tied to any one player.
His inclusion would improve the squad, but the guard remains certain that D’Tigers have enough depth to produce the required results when the qualifiers resume.
