Fizdale: Lack of bases hurts D’Tigers, but defeat in South Sudan shows Nigeria can compete

D’Tigers head coach David Fizdale believes the absence of key point guards contributed to Nigeria’s problems during the latest window of the FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers, but insists the narrow loss to South Sudan proved his team can compete with established basketball powers in Africa.

Nigeria suffered an 82-79 loss to South Sudan in their second match of the August qualifying window, following a 78-62 loss to Cameroon. The two losses left D’Tigers under pressure heading into their final match against Cape Verde.

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Fizdale identified the lack of players available on the ball as one of the factors that affected Nigeria’s performance, particularly in a demanding qualifying window against experienced opposition.

Despite the setbacks, the American coach took heart from the three-point margin against South Sudan, believing the performance proved the D’Tigers are capable of competing at the highest level on the continent.

Nigeria fought back strongly after falling behind early against South Sudan but ultimately failed to complete the comeback, with the East Africans remaining calm in the closing stages.

The D’Tigers coach now looks ahead to the final qualifying window in February 2027, when he hopes to have more of his preferred point guards and shooters available.

That could give Nigeria greater balance and offensive options as they try to secure one of Africa’s spots at the FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar.