With few months to the start of the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Australia, uncertainty clouds who will coach African champions D’Tigress at the event, after their coach Otis Hughley reportedly took up a new job due to unpaid salaries and allowances.
The former Sacramento Kings assistant coach took over D’Tigress in 2017 and led the team to the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain, 2020 Olympics in Tokyo as well as helping them win three consecutive Afrobasket championships in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
Hughley was named the men’s basketball coach at Alabama A&M Bulldogs Basketball team on April 18, replacing Dylan Howard, which has made his position with the Nigerian team doubtful.
The American, in a recent interview, lamented owed allowances by the Nigeria Basketball Federation after leading the team to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Serbia earlier this year.
“I love Nigeria and I want to see them win the World Championship or win a gold medal on the world stage,” Hughley told Nigerian journalist, Queen Moseph.
“Sadly, I am owed for the World Cup qualifying tournament in Serbia and the Olympics. I have tried all I can but I can’t continue to do it for free.
“I am not sure my wife will allow me to continue to do this. I don’t live there but I love the girls, I love the team, I love what we have done.”
NBBF factional president Musa Ahmadu-Kida stated recently that his board was working on either extending the contracts of D’Tigress and D’Tigers coaches or getting new coaches.
Reacting to Hughley getting a new job with the Alabama University, NBBF vice president, Babs Ogunade, stated that he could still combine his new position with the Nigerian job.
“The board is yet to decide the way forward but having a job with the Alabama won’t stop him from doing his job with D’Tigress,” Ogunade told The PUNCH.
“Mike Brown, who is with D’Tigers, is also an associate coach with the Golden State Warriors. It has nothing to do with him. The board will decide if they want him to continue with the team or not. It is a matter of striking a balance.”
But it might be the end of the road for both parties as Hughley wants a permanent job.
He added, “You can’t win the world championship using your preparation as a side job. They have to decide: do they want to win or do they just want to be there?”
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