Following Rivers Hoopers’ 3rd place finish in the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) tournament, the team is determined to go one step further in 2025, and perhaps even claim the championship.
The team’s ambitions were boosted by their stunning performance at the 2024 National Basketball Federation (NBBF) Final 8, where they clinched their sixth national title with a dominant 71-54 win over Hoops and Read.
This victory also extended their unbeaten streak in the domestic league to 25 games.
The Hoopers’ last defeat came in November 2022, when they lost to Nigeria Customs in the semifinals of the Final 8 tournament, a loss that cost them a place in that year’s BAL.
However, the success they enjoyed in the fourth edition of the BAL has sparked renewed hopes of even greater accomplishments.
After their third-place finish at the 2024 BAL, the Hoopers received a personal message of encouragement from BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall, who urged them to build on their success.
“Amadou Gallo Fall personally approached me and said, ‘Hey, you guys have to go and build on all of this that you just did, otherwise, it will all be a waste,’” Hoopers’ head coach Ogoh Odaudu told ESPN.
“This is why it is such a great feeling for us to know that we are going back.”
“It means a lot to me because we didn’t want to miss out on qualifying because then it would mean that whatever it is that we achieved the previous BAL was just a fluke.”
“So we really wanted to go back and build on it.”
Following this motivation, the Hoopers were intentional in their preparations for the new season. Unlike many teams that change their rosters before each BAL season, Rivers Hoopers kept their squad largely intact throughout 2024, even maintaining player consistency during the domestic season.
Odaudu believes continuity will be crucial to their future success: “One of the things we are going to stick with is continuity. You find out that every BAL season, teams come with entirely different teams than they had the previous one.”
“We are going to try and limit that as much as possible and come back with almost the same set of people that we used to prosecute the last campaign.”
A key figure in the team’s national title victory was Canadian-Nigerian Kelvin Amayo, who scored 29 points in the final and was named Finals MVP.
Amayo, who was instrumental in the Hoopers’ third-place finish at the 2024 BAL, described the title as one of his most special achievements.
“It feels amazing to be a Nigeria champion. This is my first professional championship so it is very big for me. It’s kinda special, and it was at home too. So it means the most to me.”
Looking ahead to the 2025 BAL, Odaudu hopes to bring back the same group of import players who contributed to their success last season.
This includes Amayo, Will Perry, Peter Olisemeka, and Devine Eke. However, he revealed that some players may not return, such as John Wilkins, who has retired and transitioned into coaching.
“It’s not guaranteed that we are sure of them, but we are in talks with them already. The only people we are sure of right now are Peter and Kelvin who came to help us qualify.”
“Will, of course, was instrumental to our success, but he has a new contract with a team in Dubai, and we don’t know what his season is going to end. But then I’m sure that if he is free, he will come and play for us.”
“I’m thinking this year don’t let all the load fall on the import players. The local players, just from being at the last BAL, have stepped up a lot and will hopefully see a lot of playing time in the next BAL too.”
The Rivers Hoopers’ long-term goal is not just to be a participant in the BAL, but to consistently compete at the highest level on the…
