Rivers Hoopers look to go the entire Nigeria Premier Basketball League campaign undefeated, given incentives by the state government.
Speaking recently after securing a spot in the last eight after they defeated Ebun Comets 94-50, their coach, Ogoh Odaudu, expressed his delight at the team’s splendid run, asserting that their mission was to finish the season unbeaten.
“That was our target from the beginning. We are happy we have accomplished it, but we still have a long way to go because we are trying to get better, and we are happy we are in the Final 8.
”We will take each game as it comes and win every game because there is an incentive for us for every game if we win, so we don’t want to throw away money like that,” he said.
The defending champions recorded four wins in seven games to brush aside their opponents for a place in the quarterfinals.
They opened their campaign with an 87-39 win over Delta Force to record an impressive first game in the NBBF League before a 77-43 win over Oluyole Warriors in their second match.
The five-time champions battered Police Batons 87-58 in their third match to further establish their status as the favourites to retain the title.
In their fourth game against Ebun Comets, Abel Offia led the way with 19 points; Michael Daramola and Ifeanyi Koko scored 14 points apiece, while Michael Okiki and Patrick Abah scored 11 points each.
Odaudu, who has been in charge of the team since 2009, led them to two consecutive titles in 2011 and 2012 after losing in the final against Kano Pillars in 2010.
The top four teams from the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences will advance to the final eight, billed for November 13-19 in a yet-to-be-decided venue.
Eight teams are competing in each conference. The Savannah Conference line-up includes Nigeria Customs Basketball of Abuja, Nile University Basketball Club of Abuja, Kano Pillars Basketball Club of Kano, Bauchi Nets Basketball of Bauchi, Plateau Peaks Basketball Club of Jos, Gboko City Chiefs’ Basketball Club of Gboko, Gombe Bulls Basketball Club of Gombe, and Correctional Basketball Club of Abuja.
The Atlantic Conference features defending champions Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club of Port Harcourt, Lagos Legends Basketball Club of Lagos, Police Batons Basketball Club of Lagos, Delta Force Basketball Club of Asaba, Kwara Falcons Basketball Club of Ilorin, Comets Basketball Club of Lagos, Hoops Reads Basketball Club of Lagos, and Oluyole Warriors Basketball Club of Ibadan.
The top four teams from each conference will advance to the Final 8 tournament, scheduled to take place from November 13 to 19.
While the venue for the Final 8 will be announced in due course, this knockout stage is expected to be intense and thrilling.
