Junior summer basketball tournament dunks off at Ikoyi Club

The playing hall of Aerobics and other Sports Section of Ikoyi Club 1938, Lagos came alive Saturday, August, 10, 2024 when the first edition of Junior Summer Basketball Tournament dunked off at the premises of the most prestigious social club in the country.

Declaring the championship open Vice Chairman of Ikoyi Club 1938 Rufai Ladipo explained that the tournament was organised to bring young people together especially during their holidays to enable them
engage in healthy rivalry, meet new friends, share ideas, network and bond together collectively to achieve result.
According to him, the Chairman of the Aerobics and other sports section of the club Mrs. Kikelomo Asuelime must be commended for the great innovations she has brought to the section since assumption of office; saying that the club is happy that the section which is one of the eight sections of the prestigious club chose to organise a basketball tournament to keep youths busy during vacation.

Ladipo while expressing hope that some of the players will later play in the NBA, charged them to be disciplined, imbibe spirit of fair play and play to the rules of the game throughout the duration of the tournament.

In her speech, Chairman of the Aerobics and other Sports Section of the Club, Mrs. Kikelomo Asuelime stated that they decided to organise the competition as their own contribution towards developing the slam and dunk game at the grassroots as well as to give young players opportunity of expressing themselves on the Court just as she posited that the championship will be an annual event.
She was also particularly happy with their sponsors whom she described as partners in progress with an appeal to corporate Nigeria to see the need of partnering Ikoyi Club to further develop the dunk and slam game in the country.

” I must have to express my warmest appreciation to our sponsors for making the tournament successful because without them, we cannot achieve much.
” Kudos must go to Pocari Sweat, Selly Fak Energy Services Limited, Universal Mccan Limited and Senforce Insurance Brokers Limited for their support and as we look forward for further support from them in subsequent editions, we also appeal to other corporate organisations to partner with us as we strive to develop basketball at the grassroots because of the immense benefits which the game offers to our youths.

Also speaking, Captain of the session, Mrs. Bolaji Pearse expressed hope that the tournament will help in improving the knowledge of the players about the game of basketball and charged them to be focused and not loose hope.
” My advice to the players is to be focused and never lose hope. They should realize that for the fact that they played badly in a particular game is not enough for them to be discouraged rather, they should go back to the drawing board, train harder and make amends for subsequent matches”, she stressed.
Some of the players who spoke on the tournament; Masters, Chioke Anthony Ikemefuna, Adejare Soketun and Lewis Beake as well as a parent, Mrs. Abisoye Soketun all gave kudos to the organisers of the tournament just as they expressed hope that it will be a continuous one.

” We’re really excited about this competition because of the immense benefits it offers to the students and we look forward to it being an annual event.

” The tournament has really offered us the opportunity to express ourselves fully on the Court and at the end of the day, we’re hopeful that our games will improve and we appeal to corporate organisations to support Ikoyi Club in their drive for grassroots sports development”, they chorused.

Meanwhile, in some of the matches decided on Day 1 of the tournament, RangerRockers defeated Ikoyi Team B by 50 baskets to 17 while Whitesand beat Doozy Stars 17-8 with the game between Topfield and Provacios ending 26-25 in favour of Topfield.

Eight teams are participating in the round robin game and they are; RangerRockers, Ikoyi Team A, Ikoyi Team B, AZ Read, Doozy Stars, Provacios, Whitesand and Top Field.

The tournament will end on Friday, August, 16, 2024.