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The
2010 Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship was concluded at
the weekend with Benue’s Saint Joseph Secondary School emerging
victorious in the boys event, and Delta’s Asaba Girls Grammar School in
the girls category.

The girls from Asaba had on Friday defeated Kwara’s Dalex Royal College to emerge winners in the girls event.

Twenty-four hours
later, on Saturday, it was the turn of the boys from Benue state to
etch their names in the record books as they defeated former champions,
Ahmaddiya College, Kano, 76-63 mostly through the efforts of the trio
of John Ogwuche, Simeone Tamen and Abeda Phillips.

For their efforts,
the winners of both the boys and girls events were each given one
hundred and fifty thousand naira to go along with the winners’ trophies.

Speaking after
Saturday’s final, the Managing Director, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Martins
Woolnough, said the tournament has become more competitive for all
participating schools while also adding value to the game at the
grassroots level with over four thousand schools registered for this
year’s championship.

Woolnough also
disclosed that Nestle delved into basketball because of the country’s
enormous potential. He said it will be sad if the company fails to give
the country’s youths a lift in a sport he believes they have the
ability to become future champions in.

Woolnough advised
the youth to remain focused on doing their best at all times and also
pay attention to their education, which he regards as a springboard to
becoming future champions. He added that the company has a good
relationship with the Nigeria Basketball Federation to regenerate the
country’s basketball at the grassroots level.

Yearly improvement

For the Brand
Manager of Milo, Femi Akintola, the quality of play by the teams proves
that there has been improvements in the yearly championship.

He however expressed satisfaction with the organisation of this year’s championship, which is the 12th edition.

Akintola also said
he was hopeful that standout players from the championship will attract
the attention of international scouts and go on to feature in the
biggest basketball league in the world, the American NBA.

According to him,
Milo has not only provided a befitting foundation for the growth of the
sports at the grassroots level but has also paved way for the country’s
young players to qualify to play for the national teams.

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper and captain, Peter Rufai, who was at
the event, commended the organisers for adding value to Nigerian
basketball. Rufai added that the country’s sports administrators, as
well as other corporate bodies should endeavour to focus on
developmental sports programmes in order to build a virile future for
Nigerian athletes.