Portland Trailblazers of USA basketball star, Al-Farouq Aminu has disclosed that he relishes every opportunity he gets to star for Nigeria’s senior national team, D’Tigers.
Though he is currently free of national team action, Aminu said he cannot wait to join the squad and sports247.ng learnt he is already thinking of joining D’Tigers for next year’s world championship.
Aminu said he aims to help the Nigerian team ensure they end the China 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers unbeaten.
With three games left to play in the sixth window of the qualifiers in February 2019, Nigeria became one of the first teams to qualify for next year’s World Cup in China.
Nigeria have been unbeaten in the qualifiers, having a 9-0 record to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2006 and, up next in February, D’Tigers will face Ivory Coast, Central African Republic and Senegal.
Ahead of it all, Aminu admits he is missing the national team, and stressed that D’Tigers want to finish the qualifiers on a high to get them in a good shape for the World Cup.
Aminu said: “It’s not because we already have our spot for China 2019 that we have to give up competing for the rest of the qualifiers.
“We’re going to keep working and try to reach our full potential in order to have a great run in China next year but to also keep building for the future of the national team.
“Those games are very important. Why not trying to win the last three left? It’s important to stay in the same dynamic.
“We can’t wait to compete again on the world stage and compete against the best teams in the world.
“We are all looking forward to it. There is still plenty of time before the start of the competition but we have that in mind and we can’t wait for it to be next summer.
“I’m very proud of being Nigerian and to be playing for the national team so it feels very good to go back home to compete and share wins with the fans.
“It’s one of the most important things in my career, that’s for sure. I’m proud to play for Nigeria and I love the feeling of wearing the national team jersey and representing the country.
“When I do something, I try to do it the best way and I’m 100 per cent invested in the national team and on helping basketball grow in Nigeria, but also on the entire African continent.”
