LAGOS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua/GNA) - Nigeria's national women's basketball team is still a work-in-progress in spite of being tipped to win the 2019 FIBA Women Afrobasket Championships, Otis Hughley, the team's coach said Thursday.
In a statement made available to Xinhua in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, Hughley said the new faces in the team needed time.
The U.S. national said they needed to technically and tactically blend with the core members of the team.
"What we have now is still a work-in-progress, but I think we have taken a step in that direction," he added.
"I think if we can play well, win and defend our title, get back at Cameroon for what they did to us several years ago, I think it will attract more talents from the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)," the coach said.
Hughley said the inclusion of some new faces was necessitated by the shortfalls noticed by the technical crew at the last World Cup.
"We have added some talents," he added.
"Some other people playing at a higher level are interested in playing for Nigeria and we are drawing a lot of attention that we were hoping for," the coach said.
The senior national women's basketball team is gunning for its fourth African title, and has been grouped alongside Tunisia and Cameroon.
The competition starts on 10 August and ends on 18 August in Dakar, Senegal.
GNA
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