Your Weekly Dose of FIBA Africa Zone 3 News: Nigeria’s Dolphins crowned champions, Ghana hosts a FIBA 3×3 referees clinic, and Benin Republic re-elects Dr. Ismahil Onifadé as federation president.
Last Updated on
October 2, 2025
The Dolphins Women's team were crowned as the new champions last Saturday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, when they secured their second title in style, beating record winners, First Bank Women's Basketball team, 61-55 after overtime in an exciting matchup that saw them halt the latter's chase for a tenth title.
The close tie, as expected, saw the Dolphins rally back in the final quarter, despite being in the lead at halftime, to tie the game 53-53 in normal time and force the game to go into overtime.
Last season's winners, MFM, who had narrowly lost to First Bank in the semifinals, finished third in the league following their 70-42 blowout win against Royal Aces in the third-place game. The winner of this year's league went home with an improved prize money of N7.5m ($5,000), while the second-place team won N5m ($3,350) for their efforts, and the third-place team received a winning prize of N3m ($2,000).
The winning team went on to dedicate their win to the memory of the team's founder, Late Wale Aboderin, who had invested a great deal in the team by building a clubhouse and a gym for the team before his untimely demise on May 30, 2018.
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Still in Nigeria, defending champions of the Nigeria Basketball Premier League (NBPL) and participants in the Basketball Africa League's Season Five, Rivers Hoopers, continued their winning streak during Phase Two of the ongoing men’s league. Their latest game saw them record a win over Ebun Comets despite a slow start to the game. After a slow start, the defending champions picked up the pace to lead by five points at the end of the first quarter with the score at 19-14.
However, the second quarter was off for the KingsMen as they lost by nine points (9-18), their lowest tally in an entire quarter. To Comets, who then went into the halftime break with a four-point lead at 32-28.
The KingsMen returned from the halftime break with a belief to avoid a loss especially on home court as the score stood at 46-43 before the final quarter which saw the team close out the game with a nearly flawless performance in the fourth as they notched up nineteen (19) points as against Comet’s six points in the quarter as the game closed out with a 65-49 result.
Speaking during his post-game interview, Rivers Hoopers Head Coach Ogoh Odaudu admitted to his team's slow start.
"I think we started badly. I noticed before jumpball [that] the body attitude was not convincing; there was no energy at all. Everything was flat. That was why we struggled, and that's something I have to work on." Basketball is about stopping your opponent from scoring, not how many baskets you make." I emphasised a lot about the defence, and they came, and they did it perfectly," he said.
The Men’s Basketball league is expected to round off in a couple of weeks and the winners will get to represent the country in next season’s Basketball Africa League.
Ahead of the upcoming FIBA Africa Zone Three 3×3 Tour in Accra, Ghana, the basketball governing body for the region, FIBA Africa Zone Three hosted a specialized 3×3 referees clinic in Accra, Ghana. The event was organized under the leadership of Col. Sam Ahmedu (Rtd.), in partnership with Dreals Paris, as part of broader efforts to enhance officiating standards and build capacity within African basketball, in alignment with FIBA’s global development objectives.
The one-day clinic was held at the Accra Sports Stadium to equip referees with the latest officiating knowledge and practical tools essential for the fast-paced 3×3 basketball format. Twelve referees, drawn from the eight participating countries in Zone Three, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo, all took part in the clinic.
Joseph Mayo Botele, an elite 3×3 referee with over a decade of experience from the French Basketball Federation, was on the ground to bring a wealth of international expertise and a passion for developing officials with potential across the continent.
All the trained referees who attended the clinic went on to officiate games at the 3×3 Tour during the event, showcasing their newly acquired skills.
Basketball activities are poised to reach new heights in Benin following the recent election of Dr Ismahil Onifadé, who was reappointed as President for a new four-year term by the Elective General Assembly of the Beninese Basketball Federation (FBBB) earlier this month. This decision represents a resounding validation of his track record, which he established in the office when he first joined in 2017.
Void of discrepancies, the delegates exhibited total transparency as the outgoing President received 82 votes in his favor, with five votes cast against him. So far, his eight-year tenure has seen him transform the basketball landscape in the West African country; an additional four years will likely mean further transformation for the country, alongside his solid executive team.
Yatondé Alabodé Fiacre Yata was elected as the first Vice-President; Soudonou Epiphane Aboègnonhou (2nd Vice-President); Atin Foriti Christian (General Secretary); and Sita Abirou Keny (Assistant General Secretary).
His first term was marked by structural reforms, including the creation of the YouZou Ligue Pro, which, to date, remains one of the major achievements of the board, with the professional league being the first of its kind in the country. The creation has seen new standards being met by the clubs with better benefits for players, especially from their contracts and insurance, regular trainings of coaches and a 3x3 Basketball Tour, which is being sponsored by a corporate body and the ability to organize major international events, such as the FIBA National Youth Camp in Ouidah.
Dr Onifade said after he was re-elected that he hopes to build on some of these achievements and consolidate them, charting a new path forward for basketball in the country. Additionally, the FBBB aims to enhance the professionalization of its structures, optimize the development of national teams, and further elevate the overall competitiveness.
Only recently, American-born Kameron Taylor opted to play for the national team. The EuroLeague star, a reigning champion with Unicaja Malaga and a new signing for Valencia Basket in Spain, was officially presented to the Basketball Federation President after he received his Beninese nationality certificate.
The tenure extension signals the continuation of an ambitious and coherent project for Beninese basketball, driven by stable and visionary governance.
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