Limoges CSP signs Jeff Varem

Limoges CSP continues with signings this summer. The latest addition to the squad is the Nigerian small forward Jeff Varem (198-G/F-83, college: Washington St.). The 27-year old player arrives to Limoges from the Iranian club Saba Mehr, whose member he also was on season 2008/09. This year he also played on Philippines for the Barako Bull Energy Boosters. Varem is not a new face in France as he already played there in the past. On season 2007/08 he was a member of ASVEL averaging 3.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg for 11 games in ProA. At that time he also had 6.5 ppg and 3 rpg in 4 EuroCup games. His first stint in France was with Pau-Orthez on season 2005/06. That season Varem had 5.6 ppg and 3.8 rpg for 30 games in ProA. Pau-Orthez also competed in Euroleague, where Varem added 4 ppg and 3 rpg in 14 games. In the meantime, he also played for the Sioux Fall Skyforce in NBDL.
Jeff Varem is a product of the Washington State University, where he graduated five years ago. In his senior season Varem had 10.5 ppg and 7.8 rpg for 28 games. He is a member of the Nigerian National Team since 2003.

NBBF/ Zenith WPL: First Deepwater begin title chase on bright note -

First Deepwater basketball club continue her impressive run in the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) organized Zenith Bank Women Premier League with an 86-33 points whitewashing of FCT Angels basketball club of Abuja in the second phase of the league.

The Oil and Gas ladies who is leading other teams in the race for the 2009/ 2010 league title went into the game as the clear favourite to pick the game against the Abuja ladies thus confirming pre-game prediction.

Speaking shortly after the game First Deepwater captain, Julie Onyelugo says nothing will stand between the team and its title ambition in the ongoing season.

The soft spoken small forward told our correspondent that the team will approach all their games with the same seriousness as no team is a pushover in the league.

Gone are the days when the league title is ascribed to a particular team before the first jump-ball but all that has changed as all team now compete on equal level and strength.

Our aim is to reward our management and fans with the league diadem this year and that we are committed to achieving, concluded Onyelugo.

In the other games played earlier in the day, Adolescent Health and Information Project (AHIP) basketball club of Kano defeated her city rival Nigeria Immigration basketball club by 75-43 points, defending champion, First Bank basketball club of Lagos had the better of Dolphin basketball club also of Lagos by 64-45 points.

The Dolphin side who missed the first phase battle in Kano in March this year held the banker in the first two quarters with the bankers taking a one point advantage of 23-22 points going into the third quarter.

The lose further compound the Wale Aboderin girls hope of making appreciable impact in the league now look slim.

Home girls Delta Force basketball club of Asaba defeated Plateau Rocks basketball club of Jos by 67-37 points to maintain its fourth position from the first phase while the game between Sunshine Angels basketball club of Akure walked-over Nigeria Customs Service basketball club, the border girls are yet to make it to Asaba venue of the second phase.

Action continue Tuesday with five games on the bill; Plateau Rocks will take to the floor against Nigeria Customs Service basketball club of Lagos at 09H00; Nigeria Immigration will have its hands full when its battle First Bank basketball club at 11H00; FCT Angels and Dolphin will entertain Asaba fans at 13H00; AHIP basketball of Kano and Sunshine Angels basketball club of Akure will enter the court in a battle royal at 15H00 while Delta Force of Asaba and First Deepwater basketball club of Lagos are to do battle in what look like the STAR MATCH OF THE DAY

Day-1 Results:

Nigeria Immigration 43-75 AHIP

Dolphin 45-64 First Bank

Plateau Rocks 37-67 Delta Force

First Deepwater 86-33 FCT Angels

Sunshine Angels 20-0 Nigeria Customs (W/O)

Day-2 Games:

Plateau Rocks Vs Nigeria Customs 09H00

Nigeria Immigration Vs First Bank 11H00

FCT Angels Vs Dolphin 13H00

AHIP Vs Sunshine Angels 15H00
Delta Force Vs First Deepwater 17H00

NBBF/ Zenith Bank WPL: FCT Angels shock Dolphin 47-43

As First Deepwater maintain unbeaten run

FCT Angels basketball club of Abuja Tuesday provided one of the shocking results of the second phase of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) organized Zenith Bank Women Premier League with a 47-43 points win over highly rated Dolphin basketball club of Lagos.

The less fancy Abuja side who lost her second phase opening game Monday against First Deepwater basketball club by a whopping 53 points margin of 86-33 points were able to put behind them the scandalous lose to edge past 2008/ 2009 second runner-up, Dolphin in the third game of the day at the sports hall of Asaba township Stadium.

Plateau Rocks had a free points when it walked-over Nigeria Customs Service team who failed to turn up for her second consecutive game of the phase, defending champion, First Bank basketball club hammered Nigeria Immigration basketball club of Kano by 92-35 points while Sunshine Angels basketball club of Akure went past AHIP basketball club of Kano by 65-43 points.

High riding First Deepwater basketball club subdued home girls by 61-56 points to keep her title chase alive and remain the only club to remain unbeaten after eleven games this season.

The coach Lateef Erinfolami tutored side that turned the heat on home side even in the face of the vociferous crowd that backed the Delta Force to pick the valuable win thus setting up a third game pairing against Nigeria Immigration basketball club of Kano at 09H00 on Wednesday.

Other Wednesday pairing (Day-3) include Delta Force taking on AHIP at 11H00, Nigeria Customs will have her hands full when they take on Dolphin who have been badly hurt in the campaign so far, the game comes up at 13H00, Plateau Rocks of Jos and FCT Angels will entertain the crowd at 15H00 while Sunshine Angels of Akure and First Bank of Lagos will tango at 17H00 in what promises to be an acid test for the Elephant who were humbled by the Coach Andrew Isokpehi tutored Angels from Akure during the first phase in Kano in March this year..

Day-2 Results:

Plateau Rocks 20-0 Nigeria Customs W/O
Nigeria Immigration 35-92 First Bank
FCT Angels 47-43 Dolphin
AHIP 43 -65 Sunshine Angels
Delta Force 56-61 First Deepwater

Day-3 Games:
First Deepwater Vs Nigeria Immigration 09H00
Delta Force Vs AHIP 11H00
Nigeria Customs Vs Dolphin 13H00
Plateau Rocks Vs FCT Angels 15H00
Sunshine Angels Vs First Bank 17H00

NBBF/Zenith WPL: Delta fell to AHIP 51-71

Surprise results continue to rule the second phase of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF organized Zenith Bank Women Premier League as team considered to be outsider are churning out great results day after day.

First it was FCT Angels basketball club of Abuja who shocked the Nigeria basketball world with a 47-43 points win over highly rated Dolphin basketball club of Lagos on Tuesday, and now it is the turn of fast rising AHIP basketball club of Kano to prove a point that they have learnt one or two tricks from the bigger when it down home girls Delta Force basketball club of Asaba by 71-51 points.

The win by AHIP over Delta Force remind basketball faithful of the scintillating performance the Kano-based youthful AHIP side put up against First Bank basketball club of Lagos during the first phase of the league in Kaduna last year.

First Deepwater basketball club continued from where they left off with a five star performance against Nigeria Immigration basketball club whom the Oil and Gas Ladies down by 94-59 points to keep a clean slate.

Nigeria Customs failed to show-up in Asaba and were therefore walked-over for the third time in the second phase of the league while Plateau Rocks had a slim 52-51 points win over FCT Angels with First Bank regaining composure from the first phase set-back to beat Sunshine Angels basketball club of Akure by 81-50 points to occupy the second spot behind league leader, First Deepwater.

Five games will be decided in the fourth day of the phase with FCT Angels battling it out against AHIP in a match-up of giant killers at 09H00; Nigeria Immigration and Sunshine Angels will entertain the fans at 11H00; Dolphin and Delta Force will continue their rival at 13H00; Plateau Rocks will test the strength of First Deepwater at 15H00 while two old rivals Nigeria Customs and First Bank will take their turn at 17H00 for the last game of the day.

Day-3 results

First Deepwater 94-59 Nigeria Immigration
Delta Force 51-71 AHIP
Nigeria Customs 0-20 Dolphin (w/o)
Plateau Rocks 52-51 FCT Angels
Sunshine Angels 51-80 First Bank

Day-4 Games May 6, 2010

FCT Angels Vs AHIP 09H00
Nigeria Immigration Vs Sunshine Angels 11H00
Dolphin Vs Delta Force 13H00
Plateau Rocks Vs First Deepwater 15H00
Nigeria Customs Vs First Bank 17H00

NBBF/Zenith WPL: Dolphin bounce back beat Delta 60-44

For five consecutive seasons, Dolphin basketball club occupied the second spot behind First Bank basketball club in the domestic league in Nigeria before a change was caused by the arrival of First Deepwater basketball club last who took over the spot of defunct Dodan Amazons basketball club last season.

The Wale Aboderin owned Dolphin have not been finding things easy in recent times, first they failed to honour the first phase held in Kano in March and have not find it to good in the second phase where it lost to First Bank basketball club and was humbled by lowly FCT Angels basketball club but rose back to life in the Day-4 pairing against host, Delta Force basketball club with a 60-44 points victory.

AHIP basketball club of Kano had the better of FCT Angels basketball club of Abuja by 70-55 points while Sunshine Angels basketball club of Akure bounced back with a 91-34 points win over Nigeria Immigration basketball club of Kano.

First Deepwater basketball club kept her unbeaten run intact with an 80-46 points win over Plateau Rocks basketball club of Jos with Nigeria Customs of Lagos still missing in action thus giving First Bank basketball club free points.

Action continues on Thursday being Day-5 of the second phase with five games from 09H00 through 17H00.

First Bank basketball club of Lagos takes to the floor against Plateau Rocks basketball club of Jos at 09H00; Nigeria Customs basketball club of Lagos will do battle against Nigeria Immigration of Kano in an all-service game at 11H00; Sunshine Angels of Akure will engage Dolphin of Lagos at 13H00; AHIP will have her hands full against First Deepwater at 15H00 while host Delta Force takes on FCT Angels of Abuja at 17H00.

DAY-4 Results:
FCT Angels 55-70 AHIP
Nigeria Immigration 34-91 Sunshine Angels
Dolphin 60-44 Delta Force
Plateau Rocks 46-80 First Deepwater
Nigeria Customs 0-20 First Bank (W/O)

DAY-5 Games May 7, 2010
First Bank Vs Plateau Rocks 09H00
NGR Customs Vs NGR Immigration 11H00
Sunshine Angels Vs Dolphin 13H00
AHIP Vs First Deepwater 15H00
Delta Force Vs FCT Angels 17H00

NBBF/ Zenith Bank WPL: First Deepwater surrenders to First Bank 62-68

Oil and Gas team, First Deepwater basketball club Tuesday surrenders her leadership of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, (NBBF) organized Zenith Bank Women Premier League to defending champion, First Bank basketball club losing by 68-62 points to move down to second place in the league of ten-team.

The Coach Lateef Erinfolami tutored side shared the four quarters in equal half with the Elephant Girls of (12-15; 15-10; 13-27 and 22-16), with Tuesday lose First Bank, First Deepwater and Sunshine Angels basketball clubs have all lost two games each and are occupying the first, second and third spot on the league table.

In the first game played Tuesday Nigeria Immigration basketball club of Kano defeated FCT Angels basketball club of Abuja by 56-50 points.

Sunshine Angels basketball club of Akure outclass Delta Force basketball club by 67-52 points while Dolphin had the better of Plateau Rocks by 80-37 points.

The second phase series end Wednesday with First Bank basketball club taking on AHIP Queens basketball club of Kano at 08H00; Sunshine Angels will battle Plateau Rocks at 10H00, Nigeria Immigration and Delta Force will entertain the crowd at 12H30 while Dolphins will test her luck against First Deepwater basketball club at 16H30.

NBBF/ Zenith Bank WPL: Uchendu, Akashili rescue First Deepwater from Dolphin

The duo of First Deepwater basketball club forward, Ijeoma Uchendu and combo guard, Nkechi Akashili provided five-star performance Wednesday to stop Dolphins basketball club determination of getting a pound of flesh in a tension soaked game of the second phase of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, (NBBF) organized Zenith Bank Women Premier League.

The Dolphins team coached by its owner, Wale Aboderin entered the game with great determination and zeal to stop First Deepwater match toward picking another continental ticket winning the first quarter by 15-08 points but the spirited display of Akashili and Uchendu with support from Atosu Upe and other First Deepwater players played themselves back into reckoning in the second quarter which they won by 21-15 points but still trailed Dolphins by one points of 30-29 going into the break.

With defeat steering them in the face First Deepwater players roared back to live in the third quarter with a 20-14 points win to go into the last quarter with a 49-44 points advantage, though Dolphins win the last quarter by 18-17 points but it was too late to save them from defeat as First Deepwater ran away with a 66-62 points win to keep her title hope alive.

Uchendu led the floor with a double double effort of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assist; Akashili contributed 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while Memuna Fuludu added 10 points.

Earlier in the day First Bank basketball club defeated AHIP basketball club of Kano by 87-36 points; Sunshine Angels of Akure had the better of Plateau Rocks basketball club by 74-52 points while Delta Force handed down a 68-59 points defeat to Nigeria Immigration basketball club of Kano in the closing day of the second phase of the league.