Elephant Girls Flying High on the Wings of FirstBank

Lati Erinfolami, the Chief Coach of FirstBank Female Basketball Team, the Elephant Girls is a happy man; his assistant, Taye Adeniyi isn’t different either. And for lovers of the game of Basketball, it’s going to be a swell time henceforth. Already many Basketball fans are asking if basketball back to its glorious days? 

The answer is a resounding yes.

If the exploits of the nation’s foremost basketball team, the Elephant Girls in recent times is anything to go by then it’s going to be fun galore henceforth. Before now, it was gloom, necessitated by the rampaging Covid-19 that put most sporting activities on hold, and even compounded by the crisis that rocked Nigeria Basket Ball Federation (NBBF). 

In all these however, the Elephant Girls are flying high on the wings on the nation’s foremost financial institution, FirstBank of Nigeria limited.   

First, it was the Sam Oguche Basketball Foundation tournament which held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos early in July. Blazing through the preliminary stages, the girls filed out against their familiar foe, co-contenders and one of the most respected clubs in the country; the MFM Queens. It ended 52-40 in favour of the Elephant Girls.

In the encounter reminiscence of the match between the worlds famous  Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers, the highly motivated Elephant Girls show class, skill and resilience in the blistering 1hr 30mins match to seal victory over MFM Queens. But the flying Elephant Girls are not done yet.

Less than three days after the victory over MFM, Elephant Girls returned again to their familiar terrain, the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos for the second series of the Dr. D. K Olukoya Women Basketball Championship.

In contention are Clubs from across the country, MFM Queens, Bayelsa Patriots, Air Warriors all the way from Abuja, Dodan Amazon from Lagos, Sunshine Angels of Akure, Osun Girls, Ekiti Warriors, IGP Queens from Abuja and the rave of the moment, the Elephants tutored by Erinfolami.

Erifolami; a coach of great repute, he does not just impact the knowledge of the sport on the girls; he is their mentor, life coach and much more.

In his days as a player, Erinfolami played to the senior national team level and even played briefly outside the country. He was a key member of the defunct AG Leventis Basketball team, was part of the popular Ebun Comets, had a brief stay in Lebanon before coming back to impact the knowledge of the sport on younger ones.

Erinfolami joined the Elephant Girls not long ago and already has so much to show for. He has led the team to Lagos State City League win in the past, came third in the Zenith Basketball League in 2018/19, winner of 2021 Olukoya Women Basketball Competition and won ‘Mark the Ball’ Championship in Abuja. 

Two weeks back, FirstBank Female Basketball team added another to its already overflowing success cap. The icing on the cake was the victory recorded over hard fighting MFM Queens at finals of the second edition, Olukoya Basketball Competition. It ended 54-Baskets for the Elephant Girls while MFM Queens recorded 37-Baskets.

Such is the history of success of the FirstBank Female Basketball Team. But if you think they are local champions, you must be wrong. Elephant girls have a very rich history.

Apart from winning the 2015/2016 Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball Championship for the seventh time, they’ve gone to the continent to show class. But the 2015/2016 also has a lot of history behind it. The competition dunked off on March 18, 2016; saw the Elephant Girls took the lead in all the games in the Federal Capital Territory, in Asaba and the finals in Lagos.

The team maintained the unbeaten run to reclaim the trophy from Dolphins FC, the then defending champions of the tournament. The victory was spurred by their wallop of the AHIP Queens of Kano in the quarter finals by 106-38, mauled the IGP Queens by 105-22 in the semifinal game and dethroned Dolphins FC with a final scoreline of 75 – 60.

The FirstBank team won FIBA Africa Zone 3 competition, and they were also champions of the FIBA Africa Women’s Clubs Champions Cup in 2003 and 2009.

In 2003, the Elephant Girls represented Nigeria at the International Women Basketball Competition which held in Brazil.

FirstBank, already dubbed first with sports, are not just Basketball freak, but Sports freak. The banking giant has its finger print all over. Be it in Golf, Polo, Tennis, Horse Racing, Athletics etc, they are committed to the development of sports in Nigeria.

Simply put, Sports is woven into the fabric of the banking giant; FirstBank of Nigeria Limited.