Sanusi plans basketball academy at Ilaji

In his efforts at ensuring even development of sports in Oyo State, the Chief Executive Officer of Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, Chief Dotun Sanusi, has concluded arrangements to set up a basketball academy.

This revelation was made recently at the closing ceremony of a basketball championship organised by Ilaji Sports Resort and the Oyo State Sports Council.

The two-day championship, co-sponsored by Sterling Bank and Chief Dotun Sanusi, which featured male and female teams of selected public and private secondary schools, was won by King’s College male and female teams.

Chief Sanusi, who was represented at the ceremony by the resort’s General Manager, Mrs Nike Remi-Olarinde, charged the competition’s technical committee to come up with the list of talented players discovered at the tournament for nurturing at the planned academy.

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Chief Sanusi took a similar step last year at the closing of the football event of Ona-Ara Sports Festival, a competition he solely financed.

The players selected during the competition have since been absorbed into Ilaji’s football academy and have participated in competitions within Nigeria and beyond.

In the final matches played last Thursday at the basketball court of Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, Yejide Girls Grammar School, who are Oyo State’s Milo champions lost to a highly motivated King’s College side, just as King’s College male team showed that being crowned the state’s Milo champions was not a fluke as they defeated their counterparts from God’s Blessing Group of Schools in a tension-soaked encounter.

To get to the final, King’s College male and female teams had defeated their counterparts from Nickdel Group of Schools and St. Brigg’s, respectively.

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In his address, Sterling Bank’s Regional Business Executive, Mr Abiodun Tomomero, praised Ilaji Sports Resort and Oyo State Sports Council for organising the basketball championship, saying that Sterling Bank would always to identify with programmes designed for the development of Nigerian youths.

Apart from winners of the competition, all the participating teams and players went home with gifts courtesy of Ilaji Sports Resort while Sterling Bank, the co-sponsor of the competition, also distributed gift items to all the participating teams as well as the referees.