TheCable

Mike Brown, head coach of D’Tigers, has promised that his players are “going to Tokyo to win”.

The coach gave the assurance while speaking in a video shared on the team’s verified Twitter page on Saturday.

He said the boys are not going to the Olympics for sightseeing but to show the world the basketball talents Nigeria has.

“The experience is going to be nice, and we are excited about going there and experiencing anything that Tokyo has to offer for us as well as the Olympics. But we are not going there for just the experience; We want to go win,” Brown said.

“So we have the mind that we’re going to Tokyo to win.

“We are looking forward to showing, not just the people of Nigeria and the continent of Africa but those all over the world,  there’s a lot of Nigerian talent out there.”

D’ Tigers became the first team to book a ticket to the Olympics after defeating China 86-73 at the 2019 FIBA men’s World Cup.

On Tuesday, Brown named eight NBA stars among the 15-man squad ahead of the four-nation preparatory tourney featuring US, Argentina and Spain.

The final 12-man list will be revealed after the tournament and before the team departs for Tokyo on July 17.

Nigeria is in group B alongside Australia, Italy and Germany.

The Olympics is billed to take place from July 23 to August 8, and the basketball event will begin on the third day.