Kano Pillars ready for FIBA Africa Champions Cup big challenge – Coach

Sanni Ahmed, the Head Coach of Kano Pillars Basketball Club, on Friday said preparations are underway toward the forthcoming FIBA Africa Club Champions Cup, which dunks off in December.
Pillars came first in the nation’s elite DStv Basketball men’s League, defeating Customs of Lagos for the 2016 edition.
Pillars and Customs won the tickets to play in the final round of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup after finishing first and second in the FIBA-Africa Zone-3 qualifying round recently concluded in Togo.
Ahmed told the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Lagos that the team was working hard ahead of the competition.
He expressed optimism that the club would make Kano State and Nigeria proud.
Ahmed said: “We are going to the competition with the aim of being counted among the top contenders for the trophy.
“Our experience so far in the tournament is enough for us to understand the level of standard that is expected for us if we are to achieve at the end.
“Our goal is to perform better than before.
“The players are aware of this enormous task, so they have a responsibility to carry out the technical bench instruction in order to achieve success.”
Meanwhile, the Head Coach of Customs, Scot Nnaji, also said his team was preparing hard for the team’s first continental outing.
He told NAN that the team’s training was going well and that the team was equally confident of doing well in the competition.
Nnaji said: “We are working hard daily and we are aware of the task and getting ourselves ready for the big experience which is vital for the team’s mentality.”
NAN reports that no team in the country has won the elite continental basketball competition since it began in 1972.
Kano Pillars, Lagos Islanders and Dodan Warriors of Lagos were the teams with the best results so far, with the three teams finishing third at different times.
Dodan Warriors attained the feat in 1985 and 2006, Kano Pillars in 1987, and Islanders in 2000.
The competition, keenly contested by the best teams in the continent, has been dominated by teams from Angola with De Agosto winning the competition eight times.
Petro Atletico also of Angola is the current defending champions, and has won the championship twice.