D’Tigers coach faces tough battle to name final squad for Olympics

D’TIGERS head coach Mike Brown has admitted that selecting a final roster of 12 players for the Tokyo 2020 men’s basketball event will be a tough task.

The American called up over 40 players to camp in the United States, most of them high-profile stars with NBA experience.

Brown said he was impressed with the array of talented players he has been working with since the camp opened last week.

While looking forward to decent outings at the Olympics as well as the 2021 AfroBasket Championship, the coach is confident that the players in camp are good enough to compete with the best players around the world.

Focusing on Gideon George Omohkudu and Warith Alatishe, Brown described both players as excellent prospects.

“They are young, athletic and energetic,” Brown told NBBF media. “They do a lot for you on both ends of the floor.

“Their abilities to get to the rim and finish above the defenses is second to none especially for young men their age, but more importantly, the defense they brought to the table so far this week, their ability to rebound, come up with 50/50 balls at a very high level is commendable.”

Asked about the the possibilities the two and others of making the final cut, Brown said nothing was certain.

He noted that there is a lot of quality competition in the forward positions but admitted that the duo have a huge role to play in the future.

D’Tigers face Australia and two other yet-to-be-determined opponents in the group phase of the Olympics, which start on 23 July.