John Idakwo, the Oyo State male and female cricket teams’ coach, says work has just started for him with their qualification last week for the 2024 National Sports Festival (NSF).
The coach told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ibadan that there was still more to be done ahead of the competition scheduled for May in Ogun.
“We have to make perfect all that led to lapses and make sure that we present more formidable teams at the festival.
“We will now put more effort into training, so as to win the gold medals at the Festival, which is our target,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, Taiye Sobogun, the state basketball coach, said his team’s preparation plans would commence in earnest, in order to record a brilliant outing.
Sobogun said he was sure his team was a work in progress as they are far from perfect.
“Training and grooming players is a continuous process. It is not possible to have a perfect team.
“What is very important is that they are being equipped to face and overcome all their opponents.
“They should have the knowledge to know what to do and how to execute it while on the court.
“Basketball is about first thinking and delivering. It is a game that does not give room for thinking for too long,” he said.
NAN reports that Oyo State had last week qualified at the South-West Zonal Elimination Series in Ibadan to feature in seven team sports at the 22nd NSF.
The state had alongside four others —- Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Lagos —- in the South-West geo-political zone participated in eight team sports and clinched slots in seven of them, aside football.
They came first in abula female, beach volleyball male and female, cricket male, hockey male and volleyball female.
They then came second in abula male, basketball male, cricket female, handball female, hockey female and volleyball male.(NAN)
