AfricaBasket's Top 5: Point Guards | AfricaBasket’s Top 5 series kicks off with Nigeria’s Zenith Bank Basketball League: Highlighting the league's best floor generals, celebrating talented stars from veterans to rising players, some of whom may have flown under the national team radar.
Last Updated on
November 6, 2025
Over the coming weeks, AfricaBasket will spotlight many of Africa's leading domestic-based pros, organised by their positions (and yes, this is despite the rise of positionless basketball), who have distinguished themselves in their respective leagues.
This series will feature a variety of players ranging from seasoned veterans to emerging stars, including some that their national team may have overlooked.
Propelled by the ongoing success of Nigeria's senior women's national team, which recently won the FIBA 2025 AfroBasket Women's championship, the West African nation continues to enhance its reputation across Africa. The Zenith Bank Basketball League has played an important role in the core success of producing several emerging talents in recent years, particularly among point guards.
Many of these players have gained recognition across Africa for their excellent ball-handling, court vision, and high basketball IQ, significantly contributing to their respective clubs' successes.
Selecting the Zenith Bank Basketball League's top five floor generals isn't about listing the highest scorers and flashiest passers, and it definitely isn't about those who fill up the box scores.
It's about recognising those who embody the true essence of the position (once again, despite the rise of positionless basketball). The vision to create, the bravery to lead, and the consistency to perform when the lights are brightest. We sought players who don't just play the game, but shape it, measuring assists, defensive stops, scoring efficiency, leadership, and court presence.
These five point guards embody the spirit of their teams and the emerging talent in Nigeria's Zenith Bank Basketball League.
When Idubamo Pius Beggi steps onto the court, the game seems to slow down for her. At just 19, her natural court vision is a gift that can’t be taught. She finished as the league’s assist leader, delivering the rock with a sense of purpose and timing that turns her teammates into constant threats.
Watching her is like watching a chess master, seeing moves ahead of everyone else. Even at her young age, this talent has already earned her the title of two-time Zenith Bank Basketball League champion.
Her qualities and composure have been evident on the international stage, as she led Nigeria's U19 team to the World Cup, averaging 11.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. She has also gained valuable experience playing for the country's 3x3 team.
We can assure you that Beggi isn't just playing for today; she's redefining the position for her compatriots for tomorrow, and her consistency has further cemented her status as one of Nigeria's most promising young stars.
And when you pick an exciting and legendary point guard in Ezinne Kanu as an example of who to emulate your game after, you know you are on the right path as far as being rightly inspired is concerned.
“I honestly don’t really have a role model, and I hardly watch the WNBA. But I love D’Tigress’ Ezinne Kalu. She inspires me. She’s a point guard and crazy about the game. I want to be like her, or even better.”
If Beggi is the vision, her combo-guard backcourt partner-in-crime, Marvis Hembam Wandoo, is the punctuation. With a jump shot so pure it seems to pause at its apex, Wandoo forces defences to make an impossible choice. Guard her too closely, and she’ll slice through you; give her an inch, and the ball is through the net.
She was voted as the Zenith Bank Basketball League MVP in 2024 and has since gone on to bag more individual awards. Her game speaks of a relentless dedication to her craft, but what truly elevates her is her understanding that her shooting is a tool to create for others. The space she commands during a matchup is a point guard’s greatest weapon, and Wandoo wields it with the precision of a seasoned artist.
A 2017 FIBA Women's Afrobasket champion, Nkechi Akashili, has built her reputation utilising her distinctive poise during games.
Akashili is said to be an island of calm, with her game not built on flashy highlights but on a profound understanding of basketball's rhythms. The veteran playmaker is also known for controlling a game's tempo like a conductor; her high basketball IQ is evident in every deliberate play and well-timed entry pass.
While younger stars may light up the stat sheet, Akashili's value is measured in wins and leadership. At 35, she is the steady hand on the for both her coach and her teammates, whose poise under pressure is the foundation upon which championships are built.
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Esther Ify brings a storm of energy with her every time she checks into a game. Her style is one of beautiful, controlled chaos, fueled by a relentless defensive motor that harasses opponents from baseline to baseline. She is a disruptor, turning steals into instant offence and injecting her team with raw, contagious energy.
But to call her just a defender would be a disservice. In the open court, she transforms into an explosive force, attacking the rim with a fearlessness that belies her position. Ify is the embodiment of a two-way player, a constant reminder that the best offence often starts with a game-changing stop.
Divine Nwoke is the quintessential floor general. She may not dominate the headlines, but she dominates the flow of the game. In the half-court, she is a master of execution, dissecting defences not with overwhelming force, but with intelligent reads and pinpoint passing.
Her consistently stellar assist-to-turnover ratio is a testament to a player who values possession and makes smart, efficient decisions. Nwoke is the player every coach trusts to run the team, the quiet architect whose fundamental soundness and reliability make everyone around her not just better, but more coherent.
Together, these five women currently represent the vibrant present and the thrilling future of sports in Nigeria's basketball as they tell their stories with every dribble, pass, shot, and leadership skills on the court, even as they keep writing exciting new chapters for the game they love.
[Photography Courtesy of FIBA/Zenith Bank Basketball League]
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