Nigeria’s D’Tigers are reassessing their shaky start to the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, with American-born guard Ikechukwu Nwamu attributing their struggles to inadequate preparation and limited team chemistry.
Nwamu admitted that many of the team’s three-point attempts were rushed, resulting from poor spacing and insufficient organisation , all symptoms of a squad that had little time to gel.
“We didn’t really have enough time, and there were a lot of changes from AfroBasket and the qualifiers. It’s almost like we have a new team, and sometimes we settled because we weren’t fully organised,” he said in an interview posted by BballNaija on X.
He added that frequent turnovers were a product of the team’s lack of cohesion, noting that players were still getting used to one another on the court.
Despite the setbacks, Nwamu expressed confidence that improved spacing, better communication and sharper execution would help the team regain momentum in the coming windows.
D’Tigers currently sit in a difficult position in Group C with one win from three games. Their campaign opened with an 88-78 overtime loss to hosts Tunisia, followed by a disappointing 69-55 defeat to Guinea the West Africans’ first-ever win over Nigeria.
Their lone victory came in a 75-69 overtime battle against Rwanda, driven by a standout 30-point performance from Morris Udeze, the highest individual tally recorded in the first window of qualifiers.
Nigeria, ranked eighth in FIBA Africa’s latest rankings, remain in the race for a second-round berth. The top three teams in each group advance, taking their results with them into the next phase. Ultimately, only the top two teams and the best third-placed side from the second round will qualify for the 2027 World Cup.
After missing the 2023 tournament and suffering a first-round exit in 2019, D’Tigers face mounting pressure to reassert themselves on the continental stage.
