Afrobasket 2013 – D’Tigers Breakdown (Guards)

As Afrobasket draws ever nearer, NBB brings you the first in our three-part report of a breakdown of the Nigerian Basketball squad. The squad was announced officially yesterday, and in our first report, we bring you a comprehensive breakdown of the athletes that will be suiting up in the guard position.

Ben Uzoh – 6’3 – Point Guard (N° 14)

Born in Houston, Texas, the inclusion of Ben Uzoh is probably one of the biggest additions to the National team this summer at the guard position. Uzoh will be taking over the lead point guard role vacated by Tony Skinn who has been working his way back to fitness after an injury he sustained during the  London Olympics. It should be noted that although this will be Uzoh’s first campaign with D’Tigers, this is not his first experience with the team having trialled out with the squad back in 2011 as they prepared for the Afrobasket in Madagascar later that year.  In regards to his attributes as a player, Uzoh has come a long way from his four years at Tulsa University where he averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and a team-leading 4.7 assists in his final year.  His standout Collegiate performance saw him earn stints with various NBA teams like the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors, he also spent time in the D’League most recently  at Springfield Armor where he averaged 12.6 points and 5.2 assists per game ranked among the top five in the league. A pass first guard, Uzoh’s ability to manoeuvre the ball in various situations will prove very valuable to the team, he is extremely good in transition where his passing and ability to penetrate puts a lot of pressure on the defence and around the perimeter, Uzoh utilises his skill to finish very well around the basket. If Uzoh is on his game, he could be one of the best players on the court, and D’Tigers will need him to stay focus for the duration of the game if they want to have a chance of going very far in the tournament.

Chamberlain Oguchi – 6’6 – Shooting Guard

Another guard born and raised in the Houston, Texas area, Chamberlain Oguchi stands as one of the most experienced players on the squad having been a mainstay on the team for the last eight years. Still only 27 years old, Oguchi was a standout athlete coming out of High School in the Texas area, he played College ball at the University of Oregon before transferring to Illinois State for his final year. The years following College saw Oguchi suit up for various professional teams around the world including France, Philippines and recently Russia then Spain. Oguchi is known for his ability to score from range, he is a very good shooter from behind the arch shooting 39% in the 9 games he played for Spartak Primorie (Russia) last season. In recent years, Oguchi has adapted his game in both guard positions, he can fill in at the point guard spot if needed, and his length around the perimeter gives the team a much bigger look. With a solid international experience and his ability on the court, Oguchi’s presence in the squad will prove very key to D’tigers quest to glory in the coming weeks.

Richard Oruche – 6’4 – Combo Guard

A member of the 2012 Olympic campaign, Richard Oruche was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois and went on to play his College ball at Northern Illinois University and the University of Springfield Illinois respectively, he led Springfield Illinois in scoring (19.8 points per game) and rebounding (5.8 rebounds per game) during the 2009-10 season and has gone on to carve himself a fine professional career in places like Portugal, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Oruche is an athlete that plays with a lot of discipline, and will put in maximum effort on the court, he is not the flashy type and he always plays to instructions, his strength lies in his ability to slot into different positions while maintaining the balance of the team, Oruche does a bit of everything and is always looking to execute the plays where possible. His presence in the team will prove an important factor in very tight games, and the experience he has had over the last two seasons with the Nigerian team should see him have a breakout tournament in the Ivory Coast.

Stanley Gumut – 6’6 – Guard

The only home-based player on the squad for the tournament, Stanley Gumut has done extremely well to earn a final selection in the presence of Foreign-based professionals. Born and raised in Plateau, Jos (Middle-belt, Nigeria) Gumut rose through the ranks of the Nigerian basketball program playing for the likes of Plateau Peaks, Niger Potters, Kano Pillars and more recently Mark-Mentors this season. Gumut represented Nigeria at the 2007 and 2009 Afrobasket competitions, and comes with a solid experience playing in the continent, he stood out as one of the top performance at the last African Club Championships, and his hardwork over the years has put him on the fringe of being a regular on the Senior Team. Gumut’s strength lies in his high-motor and transition game, he knows how to break out very well, and a quick first time allows him to put a lot of pressure on the defense. Gumut averaged 6.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game at the Stankovic Cup.