Monrovia – The Secretary General of the Liberia Basketball Association (LBA), Calvin Diggs, has confirmed that the association’s newly crowned female division champions, Commissioners, and runner-up, Invincible Eleven (IE), will represent Liberia in the African Women’s Basketball League (AWBL).
By A Macaulay Sombai, [email protected]
In an exclusive interview with *FrontPage Africa*, Diggs revealed that the tournament is set to commence on October 29, 2024, at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex Gymnasium in Paynesville City and will run until November 3, 2024.
“We are very excited about hosting our first international tournament after four years of suspension from FIBA competitions,” Diggs stated. “We are proud to show Zone Three that Liberia is back on the international basketball stage. Two teams, made up of the champions and runner-up, from each of the eight Zone Three member countries—Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, and Ghana—will participate in the league.”
Diggs also highlighted the participation of the LBA’s newly crowned first-division champions, Mighty Barrolle, who are currently in Libya representing Liberia in the qualifying round of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He described the return of LBA teams to FIBA competitions as a timely and significant development for the sport in Liberia.
According to Diggs, the involvement of Mighty Barrolle in the BAL will enhance the skills of male athletes competing in Libya, while the female athletes set to participate in the AWBL in Liberia will also benefit from this exposure to high-level competition.
He urged Mighty Barrolle’s players not to focus solely on qualifying for the next stage of the Basketball Africa League in Libya but to concentrate on learning from their opponents to improve their overall skills.
Similarly, he encouraged the athletes from the two female teams representing Liberia in the AWBL not to be overly concerned about winning the league but to focus on honing their skills by learning from their competitors.
The participation of these teams marks a significant milestone for Liberia’s re-entry into international basketball, underscoring the LBA’s commitment to developing the sport both locally and internationally.