…The Success Story Of Ibadan City Basketball League
It all started on the 29th of April at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, for the maiden edition of the Ibadan City Basketball League ICBL with 9 teams participating.
The 9 teams were divided into two groups, the King that’s Olubadan with 5 teams: Showtyme Hoopers, Trust Hoopers, The Polytechnic, Adamasingba Spartans as well as Egbeda LG and in the other group, the Governor, that’s GSM had Hoop Dreams, Unibadan Warriors, Liberty Spears and Loyola Warriors.
Organizers, Oyo State Basketball Association (OSBA), selected six venues, Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ajani Sports Complex, Alakia, University of Ibadan Basketball Court, Loyola Basketball Court, Liberty Stadium Basketball Court and The Polytechnic Basketball Court.
Four games were played on Match Day 1 with Showtyme Hoopers recording the biggest win over Trust Hoopers 62-34 points. The Polytechnic, Hoop Dreams and Liberty Spears were other winners on the opening of the Ibadan City Basketball League (ICBL).
After four rounds of games in the Olubadan group and the GSM group, the league went on two weeks break with Showtyme Hoopers dictating the pace in the Olubadan group while Hoop Dreams led the GSM group ahead of Unibadan Warriors.
During the round robbing phase of the City League, Showtyme Hoopers and Hoop Dreams dropped only one game each with Showtyme topping the Olubadan group while Unibadan Warriors held sway in the Governor’s group.
THE SEMI FINAL PLAY-OFF:
The two Play-Off games were loaded with dramas and dramatic moments and they were action packed too. The benches had to pull out all kinds of cards, antics and technical know-how in order to grab the two tickets to the grand finale.
At the end of the Play-Off, Showtyme Hoopers dominated Hoop Dreams in the first semi final by 88-63 points to pick the first ticket to the final while Unibadan Warriors defeated Trust Hoopers 62-51 points in the other semi final Play-Off game.
Before the final on Saturday, Hoop Dreams brushed aside Trust Hoopers by a 20 points margin 82-62 to finish third in the inaugural edition of Ibadan City Basketball League (ICBL).
It was show time for Showtyme Hoopers to show the strength, skills and all the stuff they have in the keenly contested final against the students from Unibadan Warriors and after four gruelling quarters Showtyme shoved aside Unibadan Warriors to smile home with the top honour.
79-69 points it ended in favour of Showtyme Hoopers that has Shola Durojaye as Founder and CEO.
Daniel Sunday of Showtyme Hoopers was awarded the Amos Tunde Babalola MVP trophy sponsored by late Coach Babalola’s Family.
THE POSITIVES OF ICBL
The story of the Ibadan City Basketball League (ICBL), is a clear prove that, passion coupled with team work, the zeal, desire and determination breed success.
The Oyo State Basketball Association (OSBA) members, the back room staff and technical officials ticked all the right boxes as far as the maiden edition of the City League which is the second of its kind in the modern era of the slamming and dunking game in Africa’s number one basketball playing nation, Nigeria.
Funded by board members of OSBA, the Ibadan City Basketball League recorded massive turnout of spectators especially students and pupils around the ancient city of Ibadan.
The quality of the technical officials and officiating through out the League was very encouraging and supportive too.
It’s interesting to know that two members of Hoop Dreams that finished third in the Ibadan City Basketball League made Nigeria’s Male U-16 that won the just concluded FIBA Africa Zone 3 Championship in Accra, Ghana.
Despite the fact that the ten weeks long City Basketball League did not enjoy corporate backing, the hard working board members of Oyo State Basketball Association (OSBA), still made available prize money for the top three teams at the end of the competition.
This is how the prize money for the maiden edition of Ibadan City Basketball League (ICBL) was distributed:
1st N350,000
2nd N250,000
3rd N150,000
MVP N50,000
THE PLAY-OFF RESULTS
SEMI FINAL
Showtyme 88
Hoop Dreams 63
Unibadan Warriors 62
Trust Hoopers 51
THIRD PLACE
Hoop Dreams 82
Trust Hoopers 62
FINAL
Showtyme Hoopers 79
Unibadan Warriors 69
