The Nigeria Basketball Federation has announced the appointment of Mike Brown as head coach of the senior men’s national team ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Currently with the National Basketball Association franchise, Golden State Warriors, as an associate head coach, Brown will lead the D’Tigers to Tokyo alongside, Alex Nwora and JP Bikerstaff as the federation is eyeing a successful campaign.
Announcing Brown’s appointment, NBBF President, Engr Musa Kida, said the decision was in consonance with the federation’s long term project of turning the team into a global brand while getting the best available resources.
“We know that the Olympics require the highest level of coaching and play, so, we are trying to put our best foot forward and represent Nigerians the best way we can. In line with the Honorable Minister’s directive where he challenged federations to aim for a podium finish, we want to see how far we can go.”
Kida announced that Brown’s role in the team would be mutually beneficial to everybody involved as he would be expected to bring his years of expertise in coaching basketball around the world when he took charge of the D’Tigers.
“We are glad that we have been able to seal this deal. This is a win-win situation for everybody involved. The team will have enough coaches (Brown, Bikerstaff and Nwora) to handle them while the federation will focus on other things
The federation assured that the arrival of Coach Brown would enhance the enviable achievements already made by the NBBF in the recent past.
“When we took over the Federation weeks before the 2017 Afrobasket, many people questioned our ability to deliver within such a short time. But here we are, the federation is being commended for taking such smart and bold steps all along. Nigerians must trust our decisions going forward, to build on what we have achieved.”
Brown’s long term commitment to the development of basketball in Nigeria, he said, was obvious and should be seen as progressive step.
