- August 17th, 2006, 5:16 pm
#25371
http://www.fiba2006.fiba.com/pages/eng/ ... eamNumber=
17/08/2006
NGR - Nwosu eyes big upset
SENDAI CITY (FIBA World Championship) - Julluo Nwosu is confident that Nigeria will still be around when the World Championship reaches the knockout stages in just over a week's time.
Not only that, but the one-time San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtic back-up center believes his team has what it takes to surprise one of the 'Big Three' in Group A - Argentina, Serbia & Montenegro or France.
"We are looking to give those teams a tough time and if we play like we know we can, anything is possible," Nwosu said.
"The games against Lebanon and Venezuela are very good chances for wins and I know those two teams also think that way about playing against us. But I think we could give the better teams some trouble."
The way Nigeria plays - according to the 14-year veteran - is a good combination of power and skills.
"When we played against other African teams in the FIBA Africa Championship, those games were really all about power. But now that we're in the World Championships, it's a different style. There's more skill and finesse involved and I think we can do that.'
"Defense is our style of play. That is our main strength and that's how we hope we can surprise teams and get to the second round."
Nwosu would know a lot about different styles of play having taken his game to teams in the United States, Spain, Russia, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Romania, Syria and even Japan.
He will be expected to provide a spark and a leadership quality as he did last year when Nigeria took home a bronze medal from the FIBA Africa Championship in Algiers, Algeria.
That result has Nigeria back in the FIBA World Championship for the first time since 1998 when they finished 13th in Athens, Greece.
Despite the encouraging result, Nwosu has mixed memories of that tournament as he was suspended after just two games for a doping conviction resulting from buying bad medication at a market in Lagos.
But he now has a chance to create better memories here this week in what some expect to be his last competition with the national team.
By Simon Wilkinson
FIBA
17/08/2006
NGR - Nwosu eyes big upset
SENDAI CITY (FIBA World Championship) - Julluo Nwosu is confident that Nigeria will still be around when the World Championship reaches the knockout stages in just over a week's time.
Not only that, but the one-time San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtic back-up center believes his team has what it takes to surprise one of the 'Big Three' in Group A - Argentina, Serbia & Montenegro or France.
"We are looking to give those teams a tough time and if we play like we know we can, anything is possible," Nwosu said.
"The games against Lebanon and Venezuela are very good chances for wins and I know those two teams also think that way about playing against us. But I think we could give the better teams some trouble."
The way Nigeria plays - according to the 14-year veteran - is a good combination of power and skills.
"When we played against other African teams in the FIBA Africa Championship, those games were really all about power. But now that we're in the World Championships, it's a different style. There's more skill and finesse involved and I think we can do that.'
"Defense is our style of play. That is our main strength and that's how we hope we can surprise teams and get to the second round."
Nwosu would know a lot about different styles of play having taken his game to teams in the United States, Spain, Russia, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Romania, Syria and even Japan.
He will be expected to provide a spark and a leadership quality as he did last year when Nigeria took home a bronze medal from the FIBA Africa Championship in Algiers, Algeria.
That result has Nigeria back in the FIBA World Championship for the first time since 1998 when they finished 13th in Athens, Greece.
Despite the encouraging result, Nwosu has mixed memories of that tournament as he was suspended after just two games for a doping conviction resulting from buying bad medication at a market in Lagos.
But he now has a chance to create better memories here this week in what some expect to be his last competition with the national team.
By Simon Wilkinson
FIBA