Grassroots: Rising Stars U13 Boys & Girls Basketball Championship To Dunk off In Lagos

Grassroots: Rising Stars U13 Boys & Girls Basketball Championship To Dunk off In Lagos By Niyi Busari Rising Stars U13 Boys and Girls Basketball Championship will dunk off on January 22 through to January 28 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium Surulere Lagos, BSNSports.com.ng can report. The organisers had announced that not fewer that 14 teams will participate in the seven-day grassroots championship. Powered by Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation, the organiser has concluded plans to protect the players from being exposed to the hands of unscrupulous elements with policemen around their camp for total security of the young talents who come from six different states in Nigeria. Speaking ahead of the championship in Lagos, the former Captain of the Nigeria senior basketball team, D'Tigers, Olumide Oyedeji, OLY, said, "We aimed at keeping the young boys and girls off the streets and start this early in the year with grassroots competition to give a platform to young Nigerian basketball players to excel. There are many talent hunts programmes in our sleeves this year and that's why we start early so that the calendar will be able to contain the activities through the year. The competition will climax with career talk and mentoring programs, teaching of life skills and importance of education. "Once youth are engaged in sporting activities, it will inadvertently reduce the crime rate in the country which in extension creates peaceful coexistence among the citizenry. "The players that would be discovered in the competition would be selected and scholarship will be awarded through the Foundation. Passionate about grassroots development, Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation in 2021 organised four grassroots competitions in Nigeria and five other in five different African countries in Ethiopia and Liberia to mention but few. Each state is expected to send a 26-man deligation including 24 players and two coaches to the championship Recently, the Foundation concluded the Rising Stars U17 Girls Basketball Championship in Lagos in December, 2021, Basketball Camp in Ekiti and earlier in the year, in June, he pioneered the U17 Noah Dallaji Basketball Championship in Kano. Also, in April 2021, the Rising Stars U17 Boys Basketball Championship was held in Akure Ondo where Lagos State emerged after beating Oyo State in the final.