LAGOS (Nigeria) - 2024 was an eventful year for Nigeria women's basketball.
While the Nigerian women's team became the first African team (men or women) to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games, their junior counterparts have a second chance to make their debut at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
In 2010, Nigeria finished runners-up at the FIBA U18 Women's AfroBasket, a result that earned the West Africans a place at the 2011 U19 World Championship in Chile.
However, Nigeria didn't make it to the 16-nation event.
They finished runners-up at last year's U18 Women's AfroBasket and now have a second chance to make their U19 women's basketball debut in Brno, Czech Republic, in July.
Nigerian guard Wandoo Marvis Hembam, who was a key part of Nigeria's World Cup qualification with an average of 9 points and 3 assists at last year's U18 African Championship in Pretoria, South Africa, says the World Cup opportunity could be a game-changer for the younger D'Tigresses.
"The year 2024 was a season of achievement and the biggest step in the journey of my career.
"Getting the ticket to represent Africa was the best moment for Nigerians in a long time. Nigeria has not participated in the World Cup, so getting the ticket was a moment of joy and prayers answered," the 18-year-old explained.
Wandoo, as she is popularly known, believes that this World Cup qualification will bring more attention to women's basketball in the country and perhaps more funding.
"It has a lot of positive effects for women's basketball [in Nigeria], more attention will be given to us and a lot more will follow. In fact, I describe it as a prayer answered and the beginning of a great step in my career and that of my teammates as we travel through life in basketball.
"We are going to make Nigerians and the world proud. We are going to make a good history for ourselves and the country,” she stated.
Coach Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu and her team will be looking forward to the early preparations and making sure her charges are ready to go if their dream of making an impact is to come true.
Wandoo will be looking to team up with guard Idubamo Beggi, who earned a place on the tournament's All-Star team, to help Nigeria excel.
Beggi, 18, who plays alongside Wandoo for the MFM Queens Basketball team in Lagos, scored 109 points in six games and was instrumental in the Junior D'Tigress' run to the final.
She scored 23 points in the opening loss to Egypt and the semi-final win over Uganda, although the Malians held her to 14 points in the final.
FIBA