Mid-Season Bundesliga report by Anthony Craig

The German Bundesliga is about to begin it's customary winter break and African Sports Blog has a look back at the play of some of our guys over the past five months thanks to this write-up by Anthony Craig.

The explosive Bundesliga has come to a halt for the Winter break. I like to take a cursory look at our ambassadors in the Bundesliga this season.In my report last season, we had numerous players plying their trade in the Bundesliga. Unfortunately there are not as many Nigerians playing on top notch teams anymore, but we have a handful with the potential to play at bigger clubs.

Chinedu Obasi Ogbuke(1899 Hoffenheim)
The rise and rise of Hoffenheim this season is not a fairy tale. They have surprised skeptics with their free flowing soccer a la Arsenal. Obasi has been pivotal in the fortunes of the club with six wonderful goals and deft assists.

The attack consists of a triangle between Obasi, Ibisevic and Senegalese international Demba Ba. The trio have been causing havoc to their opponents on a regular basis.

I am particularly happy for Obasi because of his tenacity and hard work despite the fact that he is easily injury prone. So far,he has survived the Litmus test of the Bundesliga.



Chrisantus Macauley(Hamburger SV )
Chrisantus acquired a professional contract this season but he is facing teething problems. Despite his huge potential, he has not played a single match this season. Chrisantus is not alone with this dilemma at HSV. There are other youngsters in the team who are becoming rusty because of a lack of playing time. Speculation is rife that Chrisantus could be released on loan soon.



Ishiaku Mennaseh(1.FC Köln)
Ishiaku moved to Cologne this season from his former club Duisburg that was relegated.
He spent a great part of this season recovering from injury. He played only three matches and scored a goal to crown his effort.
Ishiaku is back and he will play a vital role for Cologne after the break. The Coach, Christoph Daum believes in Ishiaku.


Seyi Olajengbesi(Alemannia Aachen)
Seyi relocated to Aachen after he was employed on loan to Alemannia last season. The good news is he is injury free.
Seyi is a central defender with class. I expect him to move to a much bigger club soon.


Eke Uzoma(SC Freiburg)
Eke has finally settled as a professional player in Freiburg. He is young and willing to learn. We wish him all the best in the last half of the Bundesliga season.

NCAA Basketball round up Cont.d

Hasheem Thabeet-(UCONN) The big man from Dar Es Salaam Tanzania is already surpassing his impressive play from last season that led to him being named to the Big East All-Rookie team. Thabeet is already considered a potential lottery pick as a sophomore and his play so far this season has done nothing to diminish thought.

Uche Echefu-(Florida State) The forward from basketball power Montrose Academy in Maryland by way of Lagos has improved each season at Florida State and his senior year has been no exception so far. Already one of the school's leaders in blocked shots as well as one of the top free throw shooters in the school's history, look for Uche to lead the Seminoles into the Top 25 and shock a few ACC powers.
Alexis Wangmene-(Texas) The Cameroonian forward is a vital piece of the Longhorns rotation and will be important defensively in their march to the NCAA tourney.
Obi Muonelo-(Oklahoma State)The guard from Edmond Oklahoma is second on the Cowboys in scoring and leads the team in rebounds. Obi has become an important part of the Cowboys team and they will need him and PG Byron Eaton firing on all cylinders to make it through the Big 12 season.
Mamadou Diene-(Baylor) The Senegalese Center is a fan favourite in Waco and as impressive a student as he is an athlete. "The Mayor" is already second in blocks and blocks per game in Baylor history and was selected the Big 12's best shot blocker last year. Look for Diene to help lead Coach Scott Drews Baylor Bears back to the NCAA tourney.
Teeng Akol-(Oklahoma State)Freshman F/C
Chinemelu Elonu-(Texas A&M)Junior F/C
Emmanuel Negedu-(Tennessee)Freshman F
Fendi Onobun-(Arizona) Senior F
Charles Okwandu-(UCONN) Sophomore C
Mamadou Diarra-(USC)RS Freshman F/C

Young Africans playing NCAA Div. 1 Basketball

Over the past few years, there's been a rise in the number of young Africans polishing their Basketball skills at NCAA division 1 schools and this year is no exception.
Here's a sprinkling of some lads at various Div. 1 schools in the USA and we'll be filling you on others as the season heats up over the next few months.

Arinze Onuaku- (Syracuse Center) The big man is making a name for himself this season and getting more publicity as Syracuse climb the Top 25. Here's a nice article on Arinze.
http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2005/04/18/Sports/Mbb-Arinze.Onuaku.The.Next.Big.Thing-927690.shtml

Solomon Alabi-(Florida State) The redshirt freshman is looking to bounce back this season after a leg injury shortened his season last year. Look for the big man to be a defensive force for Florida State in the ACC this year.

Josh Akognon-(Cal.State Fullerton) Akognon is an experienced point guard that played for Nigeria in the 2006 FIBA world championships. The California born guard tested the NBA draft waters after last season and despite holding his own against his draft competition, Akognon decided to return for his senior season. Look for him to raise his draft stock as the season heats up.

Al-Farouq Aminu-(Wake Forest) The versatile forward was one of the top 10 players in America coming out of high school. Look for Aminu to stake his claim on a starting spot for the Demon Deacons.

Gani Lawal-(Georgia Tech) Another versatile forward, Gani is an explosive player that is quite adept at the many facets of the game. The former "Mr.Basketball" in the state of Georgia had a decent freshman season but has come on in leaps and bounds so far in his sophomore year. The odds are on Gani to make the jump to the NBA after his sophomore year as he is a probable lottery pick along with Al-Farouq Aminu.

Alfred Aboya-(UCLA) The senior Forward/Center has been a model of consistency for UCLA in his career as he played in every game for UCLA last season and was one of the team leaders in FG percentage. Look for Aboya to finish off his UCLA career in the same manner.

O.J Atogwe -Takeaway Artist

The St.Louis Rams are getting ready to end their wretched 2008 NFL campaign and get back to square one in terms of figuring out what went wrong with their season. One player that should have no remorse nor any burden on his shoulders for the miserable play of the Rams is Oshiomogho Atogwe aka O.J. Atogwe.
The Rams Safety has four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles and is second on the team with 88 tackles. Last year he led the NFC in interceptions with eight. An intense Incredible Hulk fan, O.J is a dedicated professional and is known for coming in on the usual NFL team day off-Tuesday and working on catching the football from the JUGS machine with the Rams coaching staff. The former Stanford Cardinals pre-med student may have been denied a Pro-Bowl spot on the initial list just released today but rest assured that O.J. will more than likely find his place in Hawaii in February and no one on the hapless Rams will deserve it more than him.

Note: Congrats to Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders and Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens on being named to the AFC Pro-Bowl roster. Both players have become standouts in their respective postions, Asomugha-Corner back and Ayanbadejo-Special teams, and the honor is well deserved.


http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/sports/rams/story/8119ef7d972b301a8625751c0019cb61?OpenDocument

Nigeria's Osaze Odemwingie looking to make EPL move

Nigerian international striker Osaze Odemwingie is keen on a move to an English Premiership club according to BBC Sport. The 27 year old former Bendel Insurance striker and current Locomotiv Moscow player tells Oluwashina Olekeji of "the beeb" about his experience so far in Russia and his hopes for the future. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7784196.stm

Hopefully we'll be seeing Osaze making his mark on the EPL when the January transfer window opens. The versatile striker is a diligent and smart player and one would have to believe there's an EPL manager willing to bring him on board.

EPL Roundup

Let's start with Saturday's action.

Scorers

Emmanuel Adebayor scored the only goal for Arsenal as the Gunners drew with Middlesbrough 1-1. No Emmanuel Eboue though as the Ivorian was an unused sub.
Abou Diaby and Alex Song got starts in midfield for Arsenal while Mido missed this match.

Obafemi Martins scored Newcastle Uniteds second goal in 3-0 win over Portsmouth.

Players

Bolton
No Danny Shittu but Fabrice Muamba got the start for the Wanderers in midfield.

Everton
Joseph Yobo kept his place at the back for David Moyes side in a 1-0 win over Manchester City. Victor Anichebe missed the match as he failed a fitness test before the match due to a back ailment.


Stoke/Fulham
This matchup had Ibrahima Sonko and Mamady Sidibe getting starts for Stoke while John Paintsil is holding his own at RB for Roy Hodgson's Fulham squad. No goals in this affair as two Nigerians, Dickson Etuhu for Fulham and Seyi Olofinjana of Stoke were unused subs for their respective squads.

Tottenham
Benoit Assou-Ekotto played his part in defence for Tottenham as they held defending EPL champs Manchester United to a nil-nil draw.

Wigan
Amr Zaki started up top with partner Emile heskey as the Latics heaped more misery on Blackburn Rovers in a 3-0 win.

West Brom
Abdoulaye Meite started in the back for West Brom in a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the Roy Keane-less Sunderland.

Interview with the player - Emeka Okafor(Charlotte Bobcats)

African Sports blog had the pleasure of interviewing Charlotte Bobcats power forward Emeka Okafor as he swung through the Southern tip of the United States with his Charlotte Bobcats team. We asked Emeka a mix of questions just to get a feel for him beyond what's already out there. Enjoy.

A.S. Where in Nigeria are your folks from?
E.O. Anambra State.

A.S. How many times have you been back?
E.O. I've been back three times.


A.S. What are your impressions of the Country?
E.O. The economy is messed up,
people are nice but the place could be a lot better than what
it is right now. We have enough natural resources that should
have enabled the country to get into a much better economic
situation than it currently is in.

A.S. What do you think it's gonna take to grow and take
Basketball even further in Nigeria?
E.O. Time and organization. They need spots for people to play.

A.S. Did you ever consider playing for the Nigerian national team?
Did the Basketball federation ever approach you about playing for the team?
E.O. They did but I can't really remember what happened.
I think there was an issue with the time frame.
I think I was coming back from an injury, I can't quite
remember what happened.

A.S. What's your favorite Nigerian meal?
E.O. Favorite Nigerian meal... Plantain, Pottage, Ogbono and Egusi soup.

[Editors note: Bobcats Center Nazr Mohammed (whose parents are Ghanaian) interjects and acknowledges the greatness of Egusi soup as well as Jollof Rice but things go awry when Nazr brings Kenkey into the mix as neither the interviewer nor Emeka have experienced Kenkey, but we end on a high as all acknowledge the tastiness of Puff-Puff(Traditional round doughnuts):]

A.S. What sports did you grow up playing besides Basketball?
E.O. Baseball, Soccer and I ran track.

A.S. What was your parents reaction when you began focusing intently on Basketball later on in your High school years?
E.O. They were cool, as long as I kept up with my academics.
My dad really liked Baseball, he wanted me to play Baseball.

A.S. You were a Finance major at UConn, graduated in three years,
any thoughts on the current Economic crisis as well as the
state that the major Investment Banks have fallen into
like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns.
E.O. That's basically what happens when people get greedy,
eventually it'll come down.

A.S. How did you decide among the numerous worthy causes
on what to dedicate the focus of your foundation
(One million African Lives)?
E.O. I just decided to
tackle one thing at a time. You just gotta pick
something and go from there.

A.S. Favorite sport outside of Basketball?
E.O. I like Football(American).

A.S. Favorite athlete outside of Basketball?
E.O. Favorite athlete...I gotta go with Tiger man. I like what he's done.
I'm kinda working on my Golf game.

A.S. Favorite video game to play?
E.O. I'm on that Call of Duty right now. I play Madden and I
like a little Fifa. I don't really play with the
clubs I usually use the countries.
[Emeka and I bemoan the exclusion of Nigeria in recent Fifa games]

A.S. Are you still a Madden fiend?
E.O. Nah I'm not as big a Madden fiend as some other people.
If I go online I still get my butt whooped.

A.S. Favourite show on TV to watch when you have a little downtime?
E.O. The Simpsons and Family Guy.
[Argument ensues as I try to convince Emeka that Family Guy has jumped the Shark but it comes to naught as he is a staunch Family Guy supporter]

E.O. Favorite city in Europe
A.S. Saint Tropez was fun man

A.S. You're known for being an avid reader, what are you reading lately?
E.O. I've fallen off my reading, I'm telling you man I gotta get back to my reading.

A.S. Thanks a lot Emeka and have a great season.

Kalou and Drogba lead Chelsea into Champs. Lge knockout rd

Salomon Kalou and his compatriot Didier Drogba scored goals either side of halftime to lead Chelsea into the 1st knockout round of the UEFA Champions league. Kalou scored first in the 39th minute to give Chelsea the lead but a goal from Ivorien born but Burkina Faso national team player Yssouf Kone tied things up for FC Cluj at Stamford Bridge. Drogba came on for Kalou in the second half and it took all of six minutes for Droggles to get reacclimated to sticking the ball in the back of the net as he put Chelsea up for good in the 70th minute. The Champions league draw is set for Friday and we'll fill you in on the rest of the African lads in the mix and who's playing who in the next stage.

Jeff Otah helps Panthers on the road to NFL Playoffs

Nigerian born rookie offensive tackle Jeff Otah was a highly rated player coming out of the University of Pittsburgh and the Carolina Panthers thought so highly of him they traded away their 1st round pick in the 2009 NFL draft just so they could snag him along with RB Jonathan Stewart in the 2008 draft. Otah has improved immensely throughout his rookie season in adjusting to the NFL and in doing so has vastly improved the Panthers offensive line leading to the re-emergence of the Panthers running game. Otah has been receiving plaudits from a number of media outlets including NFL reporter John Clayton with ESPN among others. The 6 foot 6 330 pound tackle opened up holes all day during Monday night's game vs the Panthers division rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The play of the Panthers O-line and Otah led to the Panthers rushing for a team record 299 yards in the victory and 100 plus yards and 2 Touchdowns by both running backs on the team. Keep watching for #79 as he anchors the line and leads the Panthers on the road to the 2008-2009 NFL playoffs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=3761787

EPL roundup cont.d

Danny Shittu- Still struggling to stay in Bolton's first eleven, here's a write up about Danny boy.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/wanderers/3869079.Shittu_determined_to_prove_his_worth/

Obafemi Martins- Obagoal is struggling along with the rest of the Magpies to get back to winning ways. He threw a strop after being substituted in Newcastle's last match. Here's a quick write up about his apology to Magpies manager Joe "#@*#&$" Kinnear.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/12/02/martins-is-sorry-for-sub-rage-115875-20940680/

John Utaka- Like the linked article states, Johnny U is playing for his future at Pompey(A club whose future without Harry Redknapp and it's billionaire owner Alex Gaydamak is in doubt).
http://www.goal.com/en/news/751/portsmouth/2008/11/26/982875/utaka-playing-for-portsmouth-future-adams
Emmanuel Adebayor- scored his first goal since October in the win over Wigan. Trying to get Arsenal back on form and help the gunners keep up with Chelsea, Liverpool and Man.United.
Emannuel Eboue- Did not have his best game in the win over Wigan and has apparently drawn the ire of the Gunners faithful although as read in this article, Adebayor still has confidence in his teammate.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1712/arsenal/2008/12/08/1002481/adebayor-sure-eboue-can-restore-fans-confidence
Mido- The Egyptian striker was racially abused by a section of "classy" Newcastle supporters in the Tyne-Tees derby last week. Let's see if the English FA show a stronger disciplinary stance than Fifa and UEFA are prone to do.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/12/01/sports/SOC-Mido-Abuse.php