on july 10th. The Nigerian basketball team face team USa in a pre olympics exhibition game stan McCoy a Raleigh native and 2016 rio Olympian has played in the Nigerian national team for eight years and was key on the court with a put back dunk over the head of Golden State Warriors power forward, Draymond Green, McCoy's Nigeria dominated team. Usa just like that This capital is going and it gave us more energy to finish out the game because at the very end they made a little run and who knows what happened if there's a lot more time. But you know there's 40 minutes in the European game. So it worked out this was the first time an African team has ever beaten the U. S. Men's national team. A new era of Nigerian basketball according to a koi traditionally clinic against them, It's never been close, it's always been lopsided whenever they play a team from Africa. Um Maybe in the past the most competitive teams I said I say outside of the last eight years the most competitive teams have been uh Tunisia and Angola. They usually dominated Africa. But you know during this this new era of Nigerian basketball where you know a lot of players are coming and playing and playing the national team representing our country, we've been able to take that over. McCoy also explains that for countries like Nigeria olympic competitions mean more than just winds and metals. This are situations like this always uh serve as motivation for young kids to go out and you know chase the dream like this. Like there's so many Nigerians that no person that played basketball, the cheese might may see in the N. C. Double A. Overseas in the NBA. So with that being said the game it could be pioneered from our country, you know to grow in Africa if the resources were put there and you know the same opportunities are given like we have here having grown up in north Carolina, a coin values. The deeper connections he has formed with his roots and family by representing the African nation where his parents were born, Remember in 2016 when we went there were preparing um we all learned Nigerian national anthem and I didn't know it before then and it's the words and the anthem just met so much like serving your father's land with love, strength and faith. Uh all these all these different different words like yeah just they are powerful like people get emotional when they get these words is very different than american national anthem because of what I know it has been founded upon, you know on the backs of slaves and things like that. So uh to be able to represent my parents country, my country as well. You know, it's a very, very uh special thing. A koi is not the only athlete giving north Carolina more than one team to root for this year to UNC chapel Hill stars will dive for new Zealand and Mexico. A north Carolina, Agricultural and Technical State University runner is a member of Liberia's track team and even Germany's basketball head coach was once a tar heel with the games now in full swing and usa basketball stunning loss to France. Sunday morning. Accoyer believes there is real competition for basketball gold this year. There's so many other teams that have a chance to go out there metal, you know, not being biased. I think Nigeria still has without me still has a great chance other than Nigeria, us whatever. I think uh, Argentina Spain and Australia have great chances to meddle. So it's so balanced. Looking at the groups is going to be like a very entertaining competition to draw from the olympic motto. Stana koya is Nigeria north Carolina and America altogether faster. Higher, stronger. Yeah.