By JOHN EGBOKHAN
They may be the lowest ranked side of the 12 nations that will compete in the basketball event at the London Games but D’Tigers’ forward, Ike Diogu believes that the Nigerians are capable of springing surprises against their highly rated opponents at the Olympics.

Diogu scored 25 points asNigeriaearned the final men’s basketball spot at the London Olympics with an 88-73 victory over theDominican Republicrecently and the forward who plays forPuerto Rico’s Capitanes de Arecibo team, received the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.

D’Tigers are in Group A alongsideUSA,France,Lithuania,ArgentinaandTunisia, who they open their campaign against on July 29. And speaking when the team arrivedLondon, Diogu said that the players were not fazed by the prospects of facing basketball giants likeUSA,FranceandArgentina.

“We played against heavyweight teams inVenezuelaand we did what we needed to do, which is win. Now the stakes are higher but we are calm, focused and preparing for the tasks ahead. It is going to be difficult but do not rule us out of causing some upsets. If we play as a team of fighters, we can do great things”, said the 26-year old Diogu.

He was born inBuffalo,New York. His parents are native Nigerians who moved to theUSA  in 1980. Diogu went to high school inGarland,Texasand attended college atArizonaStateUniversity.

The 6-foot-9-inch power forward was the ninth-overall pick in 2005 forGoldenState, but as it turned out, his basketball journey was only just starting.

Diogu was traded to the Indiana Pacers during his second season with the Warriors in 2007. From there the NBA took him toPortland,Sacramento,New Orleans(though he never played a game there), the Los Angeles Clippers, and the San Antonio Spurs. Since then, Diogu has taken his talents overseas.

After a two-game stint with the Spurs, he was on the roster of the in The People’s Republic of China and at last check, he was playing for  inPuerto Rico.

Over his NBA career, he averaged 6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. While atArizonaState, Diogu was named to the 2004-2005 AP All American second team when he averaged 21.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest.

He said he was proud to be playing forNigeriaat the Olympics and wishes to enjoy his time inLondon.

“It is going to be a fun time for all of us. It is great playing for the Nigerian team and we want to be part of history”