Erica Ogwumike (along with her sisters Nneka and Chiney) is on the 15-woman provisional Olympic roster for Nigeria. I think they will pare down the list of 15 to 12 for the final roster for Tokyo? Nigeria is in the same qualifying group as the U.S. once basketball pool play begins in Japan.

It's kind of hard to find where the official 12 person team will be announced (and the current 15-player list). Hopefully Mike will be on the (sleuthing) job shortly to hunt down the list. But they should release the final 12-person roster any day now (their first game in Tokyo is July 27th against Team USA). Here's a story on the three sisters making the 15-person team (although it mostly talks about Erica's older sisters as the story should).

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ol...882411002/

(07-07-2021 04:50 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  It's kind of hard to find where the official 12 person team will be announced (and the current 15-player list). Hopefully Mike will be on the (sleuthing) job shortly to hunt down the list. But they should release the final 12-person roster any day now (their first game in Tokyo is July 27th against Team USA).

The USA Today story said the announcement came as tweets from the Nigerian Basketball Federation. I found a series of July 6 tweets from #NBBF @nbbfonline -- starting (or ending, as the links start with the newest/last in the series) with this one: https://twitter.com/nbbfonline/status/14...1581156355 -- that gave the following names:

1) Nneka Ogwumike
2) Chinenye Ogwumike
3) Erica Ogwumike
4) Adaora Elonu (Assistant Captain of Team Nigeria)
5) Amukamara (Charnay BB of France),
6) Atonye Nyingifa (Porta XI Ensino, Spain)
7) Ezinne Kalu (Landerneau, France)
8) Pallas Kunayi-Akpannah (Italian Serie A for Pallacanestro Vigarano)
9) Ifunanya Ibekwe
10) Elizabeth Balogun (Louisville point guard)
11) Amy Okonkwo’s
12) Oderah Chidom
13) Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream)
14) Victoria Macaulay
15) Aisha Balarabe

"The final 12 man list will be announced before the team head out to Japan from their camp in the USA where the team will face USA, Japan and France in group B."

“Also on the rooster (sic) are Sarah Imovbioh, Sarah Ogoke, Atosu Upe and Nicole Enabosi”
(https://twitter.com/nbbfonline/status/14...9032980483)

I did not see the same sort of graphic that the federation had for their men's 15-man roster:


(https://twitter.com/NigeriaBasket/status...13/photo/1)

The other interesting additional thing I found are these three tweets that report that the Nigerian Customs Service says that it will not release the Nigerian women's and men's basketball "kits" (uniforms and equipment, I think these are; they were donated three months ago by the Chinese company, Peak Milk) until they're paid 35 million Nigerian Niara (84,797.13USD)!!
(https://twitter.com/titansbasket/status/...65/photo/2 ...
https://twitter.com/titansbasket/status/...65/photo/3 ...
https://twitter.com/titansbasket/status/...65/photo/4)

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id...enied-fiba

Erica can play in the Olympics for Nigeria (for free). Chiney can play as a naturalized player (for a fee of about $5468). Nneka (and one other potential Nigerian Olympian) have had their appeals denied by FIBA, which for now, makes them ineligible to play in the Olympics.

Stay tuned I guess. BTW, the article linked at the top mentions that the three sisters are filming a documentary on the whole process.

Apparently Nneka has three times not made the USA Olympic roster. USA Basketball has already granted consent to allow Nneka (and Elizabeth Williams) to play for Nigeria.

Nneka remains the only WNBA MVP to not make an Olympic roster.

It’s currently under appeal by Nigeria to FIBA.

Let Nneka Play!!!!

(07-14-2021 07:04 PM)owl at the moon Wrote:  Apparently Nneka has three times not made the USA Olympic roster. USA Basketball has already granted consent to allow Nneka (and Elizabeth Williams) to play for Nigeria.

Nneka remains the only WNBA MVP to not make an Olympic roster.

It’s currently under appeal by Nigeria to FIBA.

Let Nneka Play!!!!

It was denied, but she really shouldn't be eligible for Nigeria, given her substantial involvement with Team USA already. Completely absurd she didn't make the USA Olympic team (supposedly because of her knee injury), but yet Diana Taurasi made it despite injury...

I haven't seen any news about the appeal of FIBA's ruling against Nneka playing for Nigeria. Nor have I seen any announcement of Nigeria's final Olympic women's team roster.

The Tigress' exhibition game vs the USA women's team is today at 4:30 p.m. (Central time) in Las Vegas. It will be televised on the Olympic Channel (U-Verse: 667/1667(HD); Verizon FIOS: 91/591(HD); DirectTV: 624; Dish: 389).

(I'm not subscribed to this channel, so I won't be able to report on the broadcast.)

There are some photos of Nigeria's women's team in Las Vegas on the Twitter feeds of the Tigress team (https://twitter.com/DtigressNG) and Nigeria Basketball Federation (https://twitter.com/nbbfonline).

Erica is playing for Nigeria. Her sisters have not.

She played 5 minutes in the first half - 5 points (1 of 3 on 3-pointers, 2 of 2 FT).

https://www.usab.com/news-events/live-st...s-ngr.aspx

Live boxscore there.

Elizabeth Williams has played for Nigeria though. She's the other player besides Nneka whose appeal was denied by FIBA. Two of the 15 players listed on the provisional roster (earlier in this thread) haven't played in addition to the two other Ogwumike sisters. If Nneka and Chiney are allowed to play in the Olympics, it's possible the final roster spot comes down to Erica and a couple other players who didn't get a ton of 1st half playing time (Elizabeth Balogun and Oderah Chidum). Balogun is still playing college ball (she started her college career at Georgia Tech, then transferred to Louisville and is playing one final season for Duke). Chidum also played at Duke, was drafted in the WNBA but now plays overseas.

if Nneka and Chiney don't play in the Olympics, I would think Erica would play (if she wants to play there without her sisters). I think if Nneka and Chiney do play, then there is likely one roster spot up for grabs.

I don’t have the link, but I read yesterday that this is now being appealed to Court of Arbitration in Sport

https://twitter.com/DtigressNG

The Nigerian Olympic women's basketball twitter feed tweeted out a series of tweets an hour ago welcoming Erica and three other players to their Queens (national) Team.

My guess is Erica will be going to Tokyo - I'm not sure if her sisters will join her there though (Chiney might be hurt and I guess Nneka's status still hasn't been resolved officially?).

All eyes will be on Adaora Elonu, Aisha Balarabe, Elizabeth Balogun, Promise Amukamara, Atonye Nyingifa, Ezinne Kalu, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah and Ify Ibekwe at the Olympics ahead of their first game against USA on the 27th of July.
#NBBF
@nbbfonline
·
47m
Coach Otis Hughley who led the team to the 2019 Afrobasket win in Senegal also picked Oderah Chidom, Victoria Macaulay, Erica Ogwumike and Amy Okonkwo to complete the list of D'Tigress team heading to the oriental city of Tokyo.

Owl at the Moon pointed out to me that Arsalan Kazemi indeed is on the Iranian Olympic men's basketball team (I had seen a list a month ago or so of the Iranian National Team without him, but it was for some other international tournament - not the Olympic team). So that makes four Rice Olympians in Tokyo (assuming the Games get played as scheduled) - one (Ari Ince) in track and field, two in basketball (Ogwumike and Kazemi), and one in the Paralympic swimming events (Ahayla Letterberger).

USA Women Basketball vs Nigeria (including Erica Ugwumike) is tonight (8pm Central Time on USA Network).

Here's a just-published ESPN article on Nneka's double-rejection ordeal: https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball...iba-denial

(07-26-2021 01:59 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  USA Women Basketball vs Nigeria (including Erica Ugwumike) is tonight (8pm Centra Time on USA Network).

Here's a just-published ESPN article on Nneka's double-rejection ordeal: https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball...iba-denial

Think the game is a litter later, closer to midnight.

(07-26-2021 02:15 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  

(07-26-2021 01:59 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  USA Women Basketball vs Nigeria (including Erica Ugwumike) is tonight (8pm Central Time on USA Network).

Here's a just-published ESPN article on Nneka's double-rejection ordeal: https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball...iba-denial

Think the game is a litter later, closer to midnight.

I welcome any time corrections, but I have my ESPN schedule set to Pacific time, and it says 6pm tonight -- https://www.espn.com/olympics/summer/2020/schedule

But this Sporting News site says July 27/12:40 am Eastern (11:40 pm Central/9:40pm Pacific tonight) _ https://www.sportingnews.com/us/athletic...ts10tsuote

I wonder which is correct. :-)

(07-26-2021 02:24 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(07-26-2021 02:15 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  

(07-26-2021 01:59 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  USA Women Basketball vs Nigeria (including Erica Ugwumike) is tonight (8pm Centra Time on USA Network).

Here's a just-published ESPN article on Nneka's double-rejection ordeal: https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball...iba-denial

Think the game is a litter later, closer to midnight.

I welcome any time corrections, but I have my ESPN schedule set to Pacific time, and it says 6pm tonight -- https://www.espn.com/olympics/summer/2020/schedule

But this Sporting News site says July 27/12:40 am Eastern (11:40 pm Central/9:40pm Pacific tonight) _ https://www.sportingnews.com/us/athletic...ts10tsuote

I wonder which is correct. :-)

11:40pm CT.

(07-26-2021 03:27 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(07-26-2021 02:24 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(07-26-2021 02:15 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  

(07-26-2021 01:59 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  USA Women Basketball vs Nigeria (including Erica Ugwumike) is tonight (8pm Central Time on USA Network).

Here's a just-published ESPN article on Nneka's double-rejection ordeal: https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball...iba-denial

Think the game is a litter later, closer to midnight.

I welcome any time corrections, but I have my ESPN schedule set to Pacific time, and it says 6pm tonight -- https://www.espn.com/olympics/summer/2020/schedule

But this Sporting News site says July 27/12:40 am Eastern (11:40 pm Central/9:40pm Pacific tonight) _ https://www.sportingnews.com/us/athletic...ts10tsuote

I wonder which is correct. :-)

11:40pm CT.

I checked my on-screen cable TV (U-Verse) guide, and it has the game being shown beginning at 12:40 a.m. (Tuesday morning) MY time (Pacific time).

So now I'm wondering if the 6 p.m. (Pacific) time on ESPN's schedule is when the game will actually be played. And the later times (12:40 a.m. Eastern and also three hours later: at 12:40 a.m. in the Pacific time zone) are when the game will be broadcast to U.S. audiences.

I'll check the ESPN site around 8 p.m. or so to see if the result/score has been posted.

UPDATE: The schedule saga continues. At the last minute, ESPN changed its schedule to show the 6pm (Pacific time) game as Japan vs. France. At halftime, France leads, 36-34.

9:40 Pacific start time is was ... and broadcast here in the Pacific time zone.

Nigeria's energetic pressing led to a 20-17 1Q lead, despite 20.8% shooting. (USA shot only 31.3%). But in the second quarter, USA operated more inside (with 6-9 Brittney Greiner and other bigs) and defended better ... going on a 23-0 run to take a 16-point lead (41-25) over the Tigresses. A mini-run, including a long banked shot at the buzzer narrow the US advantage to 12 (44-32). USA committed 11 tunrovers to 2 for Nigeria.

Erica's played a few minutes at point guard in each quarter, but hasn't attempted any shots. She did get a rebound and lost a turnover (after the pass to her near the basket was deflected and she went up-and-down trying to gather it in.

I didn't see Erica play in the 2nd half.

USA won by 9 points, 81-72. But they had a 22-point lead in the 3rd quarter. A 12-0 Nigerian run in the 4th brought the margin down to 8 (75-67) with 3:32 left in the game. But that was as close as they could get.

Nigeria impressed with their energy and full-court pressure, which forces 25 US turnovers. But the Americans shot 43.9% shooting (29-66), while Nigeria had difficulty scoring, going 23-84 (27.4%) but with only 11 turnovers.

https://www.espn.com/womens-olympics-bas.../401344333

Erica was playing out of position, was a point guard bringing the ball down court, but I guess anything to play minutes.