80 Nigerians take part in FIBA Statistician certification course

LAGOS - Basketball statisticians in Nigeria got a huge boost with a FIBA Statistician certification course held on October 22-23 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

The two-day course organised by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) had FIBA Statistician Instructor Arnaud Sevaux on hand to lecture the more than 80 participants on the basics of statistics.

The participants from different states of Nigeria included already trained statisticians who used the opportunity to get a refresher about what they already knew, along with rookies that included journalists who craved to better their reportage of the game.

"WE DON’T INTEND TO STOP HERE BECAUSE WITH THE FIBA BASKETBALL WORLD CUP 2019 QUALIFIERS AHEAD, ONLY COMPETENT OFFICIALS WILL HAVE ROLES TO PLAY." KidaKida

Speaking to FIBA.basketball, Sevaux explained why the training and retraining is an important aspect of the game of basketball, especially given the fact that it goes a long way in the reading of games and helping journalists to better their reports of matches.

FIBA Statistician Instructor Arnaud Sevaux

"This has been a wonderful experience. The participants showed eagerness to learn and it was good going through it with them. By the time they get their certification based on those who excelled, Nigeria would have increased his number of statisticians. This means that there would be better efficiency during championships at both local and international levels."

"The course is just one of many others planned for Nigerians. We're concerned with capacity building because it is important for the game in Nigeria," said NBBF President Musa Kida.

"The turnout is a testimony that people are eager to learn and get better. In keeping with our development programme, it is our desire to help improve standards at all levels and build confidence with technical officials. We don’t intend to stop here because with the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers ahead, only competent officials will have roles to play."

One of the attendees Biola Shomala, described the certification course as a huge gift as it afforded them the opportunity of learning new things about statistics.

Oluwafemi Adefeso, a journalist who participated in the course, observed that he never understood the seriousness that goes into running statistics in a game situation.

"I have learnt that being a statistician is serious business," he warned. "One cannot get involved in the game or be biased. Being a statistician requires utmost concentration. It looks easy from outside but being on the table requires one to be at alert as the room for error is very minimal. I am glad to have been a part of this process."

FIBA