Ex-Quaker Archibong on Nigerian Olympic team

DAILY NEWS STAFF REPORT
Posted: July 11, 2012

FORMER PENN forward Koko Archibong will participate in the Summer Olympics as a member of the Nigerian basketball team.

Archibong, 31, plays professionally in Germany. He is believed to be the first Penn basketball player to play in the Olympics, according to the university, which notes that Penn has been represented at every Summer Olympics since 1900.

Archibong, listed at 6-8 and 215 pounds, was a 4-year letterman (2000-03) and started 99 games at Penn. He co-captained the 2002-03 team with Andy Toole. Archibong ended his Quakers career with 1,131 points, 504 rebounds, 110 assists, 76 steals and 59 blocked shots.

Nigeria finished third at the Federation of International Basketball Associations qualifying tournament in Venezuela. That placement gave Nigeria the final berth in the 12-team Olympic tournament.

Penn also will be represented by a second athlete in London: Rower Susan Francia, a gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, qualified in the women's eight.

Francia, of Abington, graduated from Penn in 2004. She also was on the winning women's-eight team at the 2011 world championships.

Francia was a walk-on as a sophomore and earned letters for the Quakers in 2003 and '04.

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