CAPTAIN of the national men’s basketball team,  D’Tigers, Olumide Oyedeji, and his assistant, Ike Diogu, will lead 13 others to the ninth FIBA Stankovich? Continental Champions’ Cup slated for China later this month.

According to the 15-man list released by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), other players in the team are Ben Uzoh, Mike Ohiero, Richard Oruche, Deji Egbeyemi, Stan Okoye, Abubakar Usman, Stanley Gumut, Yahaya Abdul, Solomon Alabi, Nkem Ojougboh, Kingsley Oguchi, Kelechi Anuna and Ehimen Orukpe.

Two Chinese cities of Lanzhou and Guangzhou will host the tournament from June 26 to July 10.

According to NBBF, the tournament kick-starts the team’s preparations for the Afrobasket men championship slated for August in Cote d’Ivoire.

However, some players, who are committed to the national team for the Afrobasket have been allowed to team up with the team in July after the Stankovich Cup to enable them sort out contractual issues and try outs with NBA teams during the period.

The FIBA Stankovi? Continental Champions’ Cup is an international basketball tournament for men’s national teams organised annually by FIBA. The idea for the tournament came from President of FIBA, Carl Men Ky Ching, and the purpose of the cup was to honor FIBA Secretary General Emeritus, Serbian Borislav Stankovi?, for his significant contribution to basketball.

Being the only Chinese President of the 28 International Sports Federations, Ching picked China as the host country for the Cup and it is organised to promote basketball and to provide an opportunity for the Chinese Men’s National Team to compete with other national teams from all around the world at the highest level.

Other nations expected to feature in the tournament include Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, and Serbia.

Africa has been represented by Angola and Tunisia at the tournament with Angola joining Slovenia as the only two teams that had won the tournament twice since its inception in 2005.

Tunisia finished third at the 2012 edition, while Angola has featured six times in the championship, with the Southern Africa nation winning it in 2008 and 2011. Slovenia won it in 2007 and 2010.