David Fizdale's first assignment as Nigeria head coach ended with a perfect qualifying window as the D'Tigers swept its final three games of the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers to finish the window 3-0.
The strong rebound saw the Nigerians end the group phase at 4-2 and advancing to the second and final round of the 2027 qualifiers.
The sweep followed an 84-81 win over Tunisia, an 80-79 comeback victory over Guinea and a 106-62 rout of Rwanda to overturn their disappointing start from the first window.
Nigeria entered the second qualifying window under pressure after finishing 1-2 in the opening round, but those victories over Tunisia, Guinea and Rwanda lifted the D'Tigers to a 4-2 overall record and into the next phase, where they will face Cameroon, South Sudan, Cabo Verde, Tunisia and Guinea for places at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The turnaround came despite Fizdale being unable to serve officially as head coach during the tournament because his FIBA certification process had not been completed following his recent appointment.
With the certification still pending, longtime assistant David Vanterpool, who had already completed the required certification, took over head coaching duties while Fizdale directed the team from the stands.
But Fizdale, the former Grizzlies and Knicks coach who was hired in May by the NBBF, said the team was unaffected by his inability to be courtside.
"It had no bearing on the game whatsoever," Fizdale said. "We didn't even know until the jump ball that I wasn't gonna be able to do it.
"We looked at each other, and I was like, 'All right, you got it.' The trust is already there, and we just played our butts off and left the excuses out the door."
Vanterpool said the unexpected change never disrupted the team's preparations: "We're going to the jump ball for the first game and find out that he cannot be the head coach in that situation.
"He just said, 'Okay, look, this is what we're gonna do,' and allowed me to step up and help these guys reach their goal. He was over there coaching his tail off as well."
Fizdale said Nigeria's qualification was built on resilience as the team overcame travel delays, limited preparation and a roster assembled from across the globe.
"We came in, we basically had one practice," he said after the opening game. "We had our flights kind of messed up getting in here. Guys came from all over the world on no sleep, and we literally had a practice and a walk-through.
"For these guys to come in and compete against such a good team like Tunisia and fight out and dig out a win was big."
The former NBA coach said the team's ability to withstand adversity compensated for mistakes that came with having almost no time together and they carried it through the window.
"It came down to collective toughness because we did a lot of things wrong," he said. "When you don't get to spend that much time together, they're gonna mess up.
"We made a lot of mistakes, but our overall mental toughness, our physical toughness down the stretch... our guys stayed with it, kept digging, and we got the stops we needed and made the big shots we needed."
With less than two months between his hire and having to get ready for the qualifying window, Fizdale immediately began rebuilding the squad, relying on players' recommendations while personally recruiting Nigerians playing professionally around the world.
"As soon as I got the job, I leaned on our GM. I leaned on a lot of these guys to give me their evaluations on who are the players that we need to have here in Africa for this window," Fizdale said.
"I got on the phone and started recruiting guys heavily right away."
He said veteran Stan Okoye was his first call, followed by point guard Ike Iroegbu, who returned to the national team for the first time in five years, putting behind the issues he had with representing Nigeria. "I know from the past he had had some frustrations," Fizdale said of Iroegbu. "To his credit, he put everything behind him, and he came here and competed for us. We really worked hard to put this team together. I was on the phone a lot, calling players all over the world."
Iroegbu, for his part, admitted he never expected to wear the Nigeria jersey again, but was enjoying being back: "It's a good feeling.
"Honestly, I didn't think I was gonna wear the jersey again. But to be here and to be on this stage, especially with my family, with my brother, and my other brothers on the team, I missed it. I truly did."
Fizdale also credited former NBA forward Chimezie Metu, whom he coached during his time in Phoenix, for helping set the tone from the first game.
"I coached Mezzy in Phoenix, so I go back a little ways," he said. "That's exactly how I want him playing: super aggressive. He's coming off this horrific injury, so for him to contribute in such a big fashion is a big deal."
After toughing out an 84-81 win over Tunisia, D'Tigers had to rallying from an 11-point deficit to edge Guinea 80-79. Vanterpool said the comeback against Guinea best illustrated the team's character.
"Some guys got here like a day before. We only had one practice and really haven't had a chance to spend that much time together," he said. "But you got a chance to see how much heart and determination this team has. They were able to battle through anything, fight through frustration and get a win."
Even though there was a bit of seeming desperation about calling up the heavy hitters for this window, the assistant coach said the players never viewed themselves as trying to salvage Nigeria's qualifying campaign.
"Maybe from the outside looking in," Vanterpool said. "But I know they didn't feel like they were trying to rescue anything. They made sure they stuck together through everything, continued to play with pride and passion, and the chemistry this group has shown with one practice is really indicative of their togetherness."
Caleb Agada, who was part of that disastrous opening window along with Okoye, said the players took ownership after every game.
"We had a players-only meeting, which we do after all the games," he said. "One of the emphases was to come out with energy and play with pride, the same pride we always play with every time we come and compete. I felt like the whole team was locked in."
The veteran guard also credited the coaching staff for helping the players navigate another difficult qualifying campaign.
"It's always an interesting situation with Nigerian basketball," Agada said. "But for this specific window, I want to give a lot of credit to Coach V, Coach Fiz and all of the staff. They've made our jobs a lot easier, even though there are still a lot of complications."
Nigeria now advance to Group E of the final qualifying round, where the D'Tigers will open against Cameroon before facing South Sudan and Cabo Verde in the first of three remaining qualifying windows beginning in August.
"Our goal was to come here and win three games," said Vanterpool, who has moved from his position as assistant coach at the Washington Wizards to a front office role.
"The job's not done. We'll continue to pull from the togetherness, resilience, fight and pride these guys have shown. When you have heart like the players that we have on this team, it's going to be tough to beat us."