BAL: Rivers Hoopers Intensify Preparations In Abuja Ahead Of Pretoria Playoffs

2024 bronze-medallist Rivers Hoopers have arrived in Abuja to continue preparations for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs which begins in Pretoria, South Africa from Friday, June 6.

The KingsMen will look to better their 2024 BAL appearance as they prepare in the country’s capital before travelling to South Africa.

The six-time Nigerian champions were drawn in the Kalahari Conference where they played against FUS Rabat of Morocco, Egypt’s Al Ittihad, and Stade Malien of Mali at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco.

Rivers Hoopers were runners-up at the Kalahari Conference, winning four of its six games, losing twice to eventual conference winners, AL Ittihad Alexandria.

Despite clinching the BAL playoff ticket in April with a game to spare, coach of the side Ogoh Odaudu acknowledged the team needs to put in the work to reach their tournament target at the playoffs in June

“We need to up the ante to compete in South Africa. I see the amount of work we have to put in for us to be better in South Africa. We have the time to do all that and hopefully, we will come out better,” Odaudu said.

“We came in third last year. We are hoping that we are going to go a step further. Everybody wants that for us; they have pushed us, and we want to go a step further than what we did last year.”

So far at the BAL 2025, the foreign professionals have been instrumental in the team’s success, improving the quality of the team and value of tournament numbers.

Canadian-born Nigerian combo guard Kelvin Amayo as well as Peter Olisemeka, who were instrumental in the team’s historic third-place finish at the last edition have been immense in the 2025 edition.

Amayo led the assists and steals’ chart with six and two per game respectively, while Olisemeka sits at the summit of rebounds made, 11 per game at the Kalahari Conference in Rabat.

Dr Congo’s point guard Maxi Shamba, South Sudan forward Madut Akec and American Raphiael Putney have also been instrumental in the Rivers Hoopers success so far in 2025.

Rivers Hoopers will be making their second successive playoff appearance at the BAL. They featured in last season’s edition, where they finished third.

After making it to successive BAL playoffs, Rivers Hoopers coach Ogoh Odaudu has said the team’s ambition is to be “greedy” and go one better than last year.

“It feels really good to qualify for the finals again. It is the highest basketball league in Africa and everybody in Africa wants to be there,” Odaudu said.

“Right from the get go, our target was to make the playoffs. Now we have made the playoffs we are going to get greedy. We came third last year, we are hoping that we are going to go a step further.”