The highly anticipated 23rd edition of the MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship National Finals is just around the corner, set to take place on July 7, 2023, at the National Stadium in Lagos. This event marks the climax of an exhilarating journey that began with over 11,000 schools participating from across the 36 states and the FCT.
Last year’s champions, the Bayelsa State teams, will have their work cut out for them as they face formidable contenders from Topfield College in Ajegunle, Lagos, in both the boys’ and girls’ categories. The competition promises to be intense as General Murtala Mohammed College Yola from Adamawa State represents the Savannah region in the boys’ category, while Government Science Secondary School Jalingo from Taraba State proudly represents the girls’ category.
The Central Conference will be represented by Father O’Connell Science College in Minna, Niger State, and Government Secondary School in Karu, FCT Abuja, in the boys’ and girls’ categories, respectively. Meanwhile, Urhobo Model College in Effurun, Delta State, and St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School will display their talents in the boys’ and girls’ categories, respectively, representing the Atlantic Conference. Topfield College from Ajegunle, Lagos, will represent the Western Conference in both categories.
The best losers in the conferences who did not reach the finals will also compete in the national finals. In the boys’ category, Government Secondary School Karu, Abuja (Central), and Bishop Dimieri Grammar School Ovon, Bayelsa State (Atlantic), will compete. In the girls’ category, Don Domingos College in Warri, Delta State (Atlantic), and Kings International College in Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State (Western), will showcase their best game in the final matches.
The MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship has been a pillar of basketball development in Nigeria, nurturing the skills of young Nigerian athletes for the past 25 years. This year’s championship holds even greater significance as special needs children will participate in the final games for the first time, showcasing that there is immense ability even in the face of disability.
Apart from nurturing young talents, the MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship has played a pivotal role in elevating the basketball scene in Nigeria. The winners of the 2022 Milo National Secondary School Championships, Bishop Dimieari Grammar School, and St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School Amarata from Bayelsa, represented Nigeria for the first time at the 2022 World School Basketball Championship in Belgrade, Serbia.
With the game draws to be announced at the upcoming press conference, basketball enthusiasts and fans eagerly await the action-packed week of intense basketball battles, sportsmanship, and the emergence of new heroes. Join us at the national stadium in Lagos from the 1st to the 7th of July 2023, as we witness the crowning of the new champions of the 23rd Edition of the MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship National Finals.
