Nigeria’s Aminu looking for an Olympic medal in Rio

BROOKLYN (2016 Rio Olympics) - Nigeria may not rank among the favourites at the Rio 2016 Games, but that hasn't prevented Al-Farouq Aminu from dreaming big.

The Nigerian ace has revealed bold goals for the Western Africans who qualified for the Olympics for the second consecutive time. Back in August, in Rades, Tunisia, he averaged 12 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in helping Nigeria win AfroBasket 2015 for the country's first-ever continental title.

Now, with that historical achievement taken care of, the Portland Trail Blazers forward insists Nigeria, as the best team on the African continent, have the duty of reaching the podium at the Olympics, a feat that no African team has ever achieved.

I know it's a big goal as every team that goes there want a medal. I think we improved since the last Olympics. - Aminu

Talking to FIBA.com in Brooklyn, New York, the 25-year-old set out clearly Nigeria's goal at the upcoming Olympics: "We didn’t have all the success we wanted in 2012 but we learned a lot from that experience. Now we are going back to the Olympics being more mature, having better things in place. I think we should compete for a medal."

The US-born player has become a regular as well as an emblematic figure for the D'Tigers' success in the past few years. He made his international career debut at the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, where Nigeria stunned the basketball world by beating Greece, Lithuania and the Dominican Republic to reach the London Olympics.

His continuing commitment to represent Nigeria, Aminus says, is indicative of his desire to help grow the game in the most populous African country, where basketball trails football amongst the most popular sports.

"I think it’s important to help grow the game back home in Nigeria. The contribution that I make by playing with the national team is a big part of that," said the 2.06m forward, who is averaging career-highs 10.6 points, 1.6 assists in 29 minutes per contest in his sixth NBA season.

Al-Farouq Aminu (NGR)

"I like to be involved. I am going to start an annual camp, a youth camp for different kids back there, with the support of other African players that are in the NBA. We are proud of who we are today and I’d like to see way more Nigerians kids being able to fulfil their dreams and try to help back their families and community through sports.

That’s our goal. We want to bring Nigerian basketball to the highest level and try to bring the spotlights as much as soccer in my country. This is going to be our second Olympics in a row, and that’s interesting for us as the country starts to pay attention to us. Kids are starting to look at us and saying now “oh man! I can play another sport than soccer now”. I feel like it’s our job in order to show that kids can play basketball and show them that everything is possible - Aminu

Over the course of the past two decades, Angola - a team that Nigeria defeated in the Final of AfroBasket 2015 - dominated African basketball, winning 11 of 13 titles.

But for Aminu, African basketball may be about to live a new chapter in its history.

FIBA