Junior D’Tigress Move Up In Latest FIBA Ranking

Junior D’Tigress Move Up In Latest FIBA Ranking

Sampson Adedeji

Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress have recorded a notable rise in the latest FIBA World Ranking for Girls, climbing nine places to 26th in the newly released standings published on Thursday, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

 The impressive surge places Nigeria among the top climbers globally, ranking as the fourth biggest mover overall and the highest-ranked nation within the top 30 to make such a significant jump.

On the continental scene, the Junior D’Tigress are now ranked third in Africa with a total of 469.5 points.

They trail Mali, who occupy 16th position, and Egypt, who also moved up four places to 21st in the global rankings.

Nigeria’s upward movement is attributed to its performance at the FIBA U-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Czechia.

Led by Juliana Akhere, the team finished 12th overall, recording a morale-boosting classification victory over Argentina before narrowly losing 85–79 to Korea in their final outing.

The latest ranking underscores the steady progress of Nigeria’s women’s basketball development at the junior level and reflects the growing competitiveness of the Junior D’Tigress on the global stage.