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.
