GOMBE BULLS AND ITS JOURNEY TO STARDOM

Gombe Bulls Basket Ball team came into being in 1985 under the executive leadership of late senator Jalo Waziri of blessed memory (the then Wazirin Gombe) as the team ‘s grand patron with late Alhaji Yuguda Umar Danburam as its chairman and the technical leadership of a Cameroonian Basketball international late Muhammad Sani who was then a staff with the Bauchi state sports council posted to Gombe local government to promote Basket Ball game across primary and secondary schools.

The first inter primary schools Basket Ball competition was held at Teachers College Gombe with Gandu primary school as the pioneer champions which attracted the school a befitting basket ball court by the then Alhaji Maigari Yuguda led Gombe local government council.

Few years later the game kept improving from strength to strength through series of grass root to local basket ball competitions which provided an avenue for talents discovery of ex internationals that include the likes of Muhammad Abba a.k.a Jaggu, Musa Adamu who currently manages a senior and reputable Basket ball team in Ivory Coast as well as the one and only Icon whose names were written in gold as per as Basket Ball game is concern in Gombe state, Ibrahim Gimba alias Dogo Basket.

Having emerged champions in the Bauchi state inter local government basket ball competition in 1990, Gombe Bulls basket ball team from Gombe local government represented the then Bauchi state in the national division 2 basket ball team competition in Ibadan and won 3rd position which earned the team automatic promotion to 1st division (the then apex league status in Basket ball competition in Nigeria).

Came the subsequent year, Gombe local government could not fund the operational demands of the 1st division league, the development that paved way for the then Bauchi state government to take over the status to its darling team in the state capital, Bauchi nets basket ball team, the position the club currently still enjoys.

In the year 1991/92, The financially handicapped Gombe Bulls helplessly re competed in the 2nd division Basket Ball league in Akure and Lagos respectively under the technical supervision of late Coach Muhammad Sani and kept performing averagely, this financially challenging moment left the helpless Gombe Bulls with no option than to pay total concentration on the local competitions and talents hunt for some years which eventually led to the discoveries of more committed players that involved the likes of Kawu Abdulkadir, Abdulrahman Muhammad and Leo Kingsley among others.

1n 1996, prior to the creation of an additional state, Bauchi state hosted the national Basket Ball division 2 league and Gombe Bulls took advantage of the competition’s venue proximity to emerge 2nd position as runners up in favor of their Adamawa state counterparts which earned them another automatic elevation ticket to 1st division league.

Immediately Gombe state was created in December 1996, Gombe Bulls in 1997 represented the infant Gombe state in the division 1 first phase basket ball competition in Akure to emerge the overall winners and eventually ended up 2nd position in the second phase of the competition in Kano which earned the club an automatic promotion to the premiership league in the Nigeria Basket Ball league.

Gombe Bulls brilliant performance in the nation’s basket ball apex competition lasted only to year 2000 following a penalty measure imposed on the club by the Basket Ball league regulatory body (Nigeria Basket Ball Federation) for late league registration which prevented the team from taking part in that year’s premier league competition and resulted the relegation of the club down to 1st division league.

Since 2001, The morale and zeal for basket ball stakeholders in Gombe for nearly a decade became demoralized as a result of the neglect the game suffered by the previous governments giving priorities to other sporting games, football precisely.

In 2011, with the establishment of the Gombe state sports Commission by Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo administration, Basket Basket ball revival process begun by the pioneer executive chairman of the Commission Malam Faruk Yarma through consultation and mobilization of stakeholders in the Basket ball game across the state and beyond which eventually augured the desired result of making the comatose Gombe Bulls an active body again.

Having successfully rebuilt the club by the Commission, Gombe Bulls took part and won the 2012 Basket Ball north east zonal competition and subsequently proceeded to represent the region at national level.

In 2012, the Gombe state sports Commission equally provided an enabling environment for the game to thrive and funded Gombe Bulls to take part in the 2nd division league in Abuja and the team’s commitment earned the club a 3rd position which elevated the jewels to play a 1st division league.

In 2013, Gombe state played a host to the 1st division Basket ball league and Gombe Bulls did not leave a single stone unturned in taking advantage of the home crowd to emerge the champions of the competition to advance to premiership.

In 2014, The Commission recruited professional players and also deployed the services of some living legends and ex internationals that made a landmark in their playing days with the club to manage its technical operation which include Abdulrahman Muhammad , Ibrahim Gimba and Kawu Abdulkadir.

These officials led the team and made it among the best four in the savannah conference, then played their four counterparts from Atlantic conference, lost the semi finals and the third place, then eventually emerged fourth in country.

The stage is now set for the 2015 Basket ball premier league and newly recruited players in the club expressed optimism to aspire for a continental ticket.

Apparently, reflecting the rise and falls of the team from the onset to its present status coupled with updates that will henceforth be coming your way on Gombe Bulls' facebook group may ginger basket ball fans across the state and even beyond to keep their fingers crossed by following the club’s day today unfolding events and in turn contribute their quota.

Thank you.

Written by Arzoo Gombe, Media Officer, Gombe Bulls Basket Ball Team.