LUANDA (Angola) - They hired David Fizdale as the new head coach and recruited eleven new players, and their efforts are starting to pay off.
In November, Tunisia overcame Nigeria 88-78 in overtime on home soil in the first round of Group C. However, their rematch on Thursday in the Angolan capital marked a new beginning for Nigeria.
If we get legit NBA guys coming in to the roster, half of this roster is going to be on that team too. - David Fizdale
The D'Tigers arrived in Luanda with a 1-2 record and questionable chances of advancing far in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers. However, their 84-81 victory over Tunisia reflected their determination to turn things around.
Tunisia head coach Adel Tlatli was the first to acknowledge this. "This is not the same team we defeated seven months ago. They could have ten different rosters," he said.
Only Paul Dibal, who sat out the entire game, of the twelve players donning the D'Tigers jersey featured in the November clash between Nigeria and Tunisia.
Nigeria forced Tunisia to turn the ball over 19 times.
"Collective and physical toughness down the stretch won us the game", Fizdale acknowledged.
The two-time NBA champion and former Miami Heat assistant coach admitted that there is room for improvement. ."We did a lot of things wrong. We made a lot of mistakes that these guys have never made," he said.
Fizdale detailed how the process is going for the new face of the former African champions, who last featured at the World Cup in 2019.
"As soon as I got the job I basically leaned on our GM and a lot of these guys to tell me their valuation on who are the players that we need to have here in Africa for this window.
"I started recruiting guys heavily. I called Stan [Okoye], my second call was to this gentleman [Ike Iroegbu] because I needed him to run our show. We really worked hard to put this team together. I was on the phone a lot.
"A lot of the guys in the NBA are interested in playing [for Nigeria]. The big issue will be who can get certified out of the NBA pool. We have six to seven guys in the NBA that really want to do this. I am getting texting messages from different guys.
"If we get legit NBA guys coming in to the roster, half of this roster is going to be on that team too."
Nigeria face Guinea in Friday' opening game in Luanda.
FIBA