Kayinsola Odufuwa of Gombe Bulls and Joy Ebiega of First Bank were the big winners at the Crown Elite Sports Awards. The event was held to honor outstanding athletes in Nigerian basketball at its 10th anniversary gala.
Odufuwa and Ebiega were named the Most Valuable Players in the male and female categories respectively. The male and female Coach of the Year Awards went to Kwara Falcons’ Chief Coach, Baba Jibril and Coach Taye Adeniyi of First Bank respectively.
Zenith Bank, Total Energies, and MFM were also recognized with Awards for Excellence. The celebrations started with an exhibition game between Ebun Comets and Raptors, which was won by Comets, 48-49.
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The second day featured an All-star contest featuring players selected from the Oceanic and Sahel conferences, with the Oceanic Conference ladies, coached by Adeniyi, winning the trophy and cash prize of N50,000 per player. They defeated their Sahel counterparts narrowly by 45-44 points.
In the men’s game, Odunfa Konyinsola scored the highest points (25) to help Oceanic Conference win the play-off with a score of 78 to 69 points. Francis Nworaka of the Sahel Conference was the closest rival with 15 points.
Regina Donanu of MFM Basketball Club was named the best women’s playmaker, while Victor Ezeh of Kwara Falcons won the Best Playmaker (men) award. Nkem Akariwe of Customs was declared the female Best Defensive Player, and Rivers Hoopers’ captain, Victor Koko, won the Defensive Player of the Year (men) award.
