Basketball: Choosing Nigeria Over USA Was Easy..... Jordan Nwora

Choosing Nigeria over USA was easy- Jordan Nwora By Oni Afolabi The latest golden boy of Nigerian basketball, Jordan Nwora said the decision to play for the D’Tigers rather than wait for Dream Team was pretty easy because of the love for his fatherland. The University of Louisville undergraduate who has been tipped by many as a first round pick in the NBA draft next year said it was a great feeling having the opportunity to represent Nigeria. “It was a case of playing for Nigeria because I love the country. I have always played in African and Pan- African teams my whole life back in the state.” Jordan who became the first Nigerian basketball player ever to play under his father in the national team said playing in Africa was the toughest experience he has ever had because of the physical style of play. He thanked the fans for the warm reception which made his homecoming and debut international assignment easy. “It was a great first experience playing in front of the home crowd, so I was just happy that my first qualifying games was a homecoming. They took me in with open arms and cheered me on. They supported me in what I was doing. “First game was a little rough. It felt great, we had a successful tournament, I am just happy we were able to have the outcome that we expected,” Jordan continued. The player who scored 36 points in the team’s last game against Mali to edge out team captain, Ike Diogu (31) as D’Tigers’ highest point scorer in a single game in competitive game thanked all members of the team for making him settle down easily in the team. He singled out team captain, Ike Diogu, Ben Uzoh and Jeleel Akindele whose experiences proved vital. “They are all professionals, high level guys with high level characters. It’s been a great experience having had to take in a lot from them. They have a lot of experience when it comes to basketball, so playing with them, there is a lot of knowledge to be gained.”