Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Togo for Lagos International Basketball Classics

Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin have confirmed their participation in this week’s Lagos International Basketball Classics.

The three-day tournament dunks off on Wednesday November 20 at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park.

According to the chairman, Lagos State Basketball Association, Babs Ogunade, two other African countries are still expected to ascertain their participation before the commencement of the tournament.

With 12,000 dollars at stake at the tournament, Ogunade, said two categories of teams were expected to feature in the championship with the junior team – Under17 kick-starting the competition on Wednesday.

“The tournament is going to be the 3X3 format, which is a departures from regular full-court basketball. 3x3, previously known as FIBA 33, is a formalized version of three-on-three basketball. It is a form of the game initially developed on inner-city asphalt outdoor courts in the United States.

With over 250 million players worldwide and among the most played recreational sports in the world, 3x3 will become a key motor for the growth of basketball. This variant of the sport is promoted by the FIBA, which began developing it in 2007.

 The format was first tested at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games in Macau, introduced at international level at the 2009 Asian Youth Games in Singapore, and made its worldwide competitive debut at the 2010 Youth Olympics, also in Singapore,” he said.

He added that winners from the tournament would use it to garner points which may qualifies them for the World Championship.

He explained further that the junior teams are expected to use the tournament to acquaint the players with the new style of competition.

24 teams are expected to take part in the tournament with the top eight teams get prize money for their efforts in the senior category.