The Nigerian national basketball team has added to their coaching staff, Alan Major, the American tactician who was at the helm of Patriots Basketball Club during the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) in Kigali in May.

The development comes as the West African team is gearing up for the Afrobasket tournament scheduled to take place in Kigali from August 24 to September 5.

Major is remembered for having steered Patriots to the semi-finals of the BAL tournament.

He is a veteran coach with more than 20 years of experience, having coached in various USA college basketball programs.

He also worked as the Director of Player Development for Texas Women’s Basketball, as well as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Ohio State, Southern Illinois.

He will work under Mike Brown, the head coach of the team, a seasoned tactician who has worked with teams like Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Nigeria is considered one of the teams to beat in the Afrobasket tournament.

They were placed in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Mali and Kenya.

Meanwhile, a number of teams have arrived in Kigali for the tournament.

So far, the teams that have already arrived in Kigali are South Sudan, Central Africa, and Egypt.