Basketball Archives | Trendbrio.com

Basketball: Port Harcourt to Host Phase I & II of 2025 NBPL

Fola Badmus4 weeks ago4 weeks ago04 mins

Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has been selected to host the 2025 Nigeria Basketball Premier League’s Phase I and II, with games starting 28 August. The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has named Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as one of four venues to stage the forthcoming 2025 Nigeria Basketball Premier League (NBPL). In a letter dated 19th August, 2025, and addressed to all participating clubs, the NBBF announced Port Harcourt as the only city to host both Phase I and Phase II of the league’s new format, which will see action between all sixteen (16) participating teams broken down into four phases (Group, Inter-Group, Playoff, and Final Four) across the Savannah and Atlantic Conferences. The Indoor Basketball Court, on 54 Niger Street, Port Harcourt Township, which is home to defending champions Rivers Hoopers BC, will also welcome Delta Force, Oluyole Warriors, and Kwara Falcons in Group B of the Atlantic Conference. Ibadan, Oyo State, will host Group A games in the Atlantic Conference, which will see Ebun Comets, Police Batons, Lagos Legends, as well as Hoops & Read, go head-to-head at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba. In the Savannah Conference, the Moshood Abiola National stadium, Abuja, will be the centre of action for Group A teams – Nile University, Nigeria Customs, Gboko Chiefs, and Correctional Service – while Group B games between Kano Pillars, Plateau Peaks, Gombe Bulls, and Bauchi Nets will hold at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium, Kano, Kano State. All teams are expected to arrive at their various centres between 26 and 27 August, with match action to hold from 28 August to 3 September, after which follows a period of rest before the commencement of the Inter-Group Phase (II). The Inter-Group Phase, scheduled for 24 September – 5 October, will once again see Port Harcourt play host, this time to all eight (8) teams in the Atlantic Conference, while all teams from the Savannah Conference will converge at the National Indoor Sports Hall, Rayfield, Jos, Plateau State. Venues for the Playoffs and Final 4 are yet to be named. The latest development means Port Harcourt, Rivers State, will host Premier League Basketball games for the third straight year, having also hosted the finals of the 2023 and 2024 NBPL seasons.

Basketball Africa League Season Five Was ‘Bitterwsweet’ Says Odaudu

Fola Badmus3 months ago3 months ago06 mins

Just over two weeks after their quarter-final exit at the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Season five, Head Coach of Nigerian champions Rivers Hoopers, Ogoh Odaudu has shed some light about what went wrong during the team’s outing in Pretoria, South Africa. Having recorded a 4-2 win-loss ratio from the Kalahari Conference phase, the six-time Nigerian Basketball League champions entered the BAL Season five Playoffs in Pretoria, South Africa, as the fourth ranked team and full of optimism to better their achievements from previous appearances. However, consecutive losses to Tunisian outfit US Monastir in a seeding game (89-81), and Rwanda’s APR in the quarter-finals (104-73) meant the KingsMen exited the tournament earlier than expected. Speaking for the first time since their BAL Season five journey, Odaudu reflected on the team’s experience through the tournament, describing it as “bittersweet”. “BAL Season five was both good and bad. It was fantastic when we went to Morocco, we did everything right; Won the games we were supposed to and came second in the conference. However, in Pretoria, things fell apart. Some players fell sick, the chemistry we thought we had, we just didn’t show up. So it was kind of bittersweet at the same time. But in all, we give God all the glory.” he said. For the first time since its inaugural edition, the BAL Playoffs moved from Kigali’s BK Arena to the SunBet Arena in Pretoria. Having played at both venues, the seasoned basketball tactician commended the facility and atmosphere at the Season five Playoffs. “It doesn’t matter where you play the playoffs, whether it’s in Pretoria or in Kigali, it’s the same thing. It’s still basketball. The crowd in Pretoria was really energetic. I think they were both similar as regards their support for basketball, so it was good. And then the facilities were also top-notch,” he added. Rivers Hoopers made history by becoming the first (and only) Nigerian team to score a podium finish at Africa’s club basketball showpiece, when they finished third during BAL Season four, but fell short of matching that feat a year later. While dismissing any notion that the team was perhaps not up for the challenge in Pretoria, Odaudu shed some light on what went wrong for the KingsMen. “What went wrong? It was just one of those days. We just didn’t have a good final and I don’t think it’s anything unusual. There are teams who are bigger, who have been older and who have been there more times than us, who were sent packing the next day too.” he stated. He further explained that key members of the team had caught a bug just before the team’s quarter-final meeting with Rwanda’s APR, which limited their overall performance. “The actual fact was that most of the team fell sick in Pretoria. We were just barely managing with what we had. We were all ready for the BAL. We all arrived on time, we all practiced hard, but then the virus or something that started within the team was a major contributing factor [to our early exit],” he stressed. The veteran Nigerian coach however pointed out that his side will look to make the most of their BAL Season five experience in order to return to the podium at Africa’s premier club basketball tournament. “Like I said, we didn’t have a good [showing at the] playoffs this year but we are hoping to bounce back and learn from all the mistakes that we did [in Pretoria].”

APR Dumps Rivers Hoopers Out of Basketball Africa League Season Five Playoffs

Fola Badmus3 months ago3 months ago14 mins

Six-time Nigerian Basketball League champions, Rivers Hoopers, have been knocked out of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), after they suffered their biggest defeat in the history of the competition – a 31-point loss – to Rwanda’s APR in a quarter-final encounter at the ongoing BAL Season five, which ended 104-73. After both teams struggled to score any points during the opening minute of the game, APR found their rhythm with effective shooting and good perimeter defense to close out the first quarter 24-11, as the KingsMen struggled to get into their groove. During the first quarter, APR scored 14 while Rivers Hoopers had four, highlighting the early dominance of the Rwandese at both ends. While the KingsMen struggled to get going in the game, APR’s trio of Aliou Diarra (13), Chasson Randle (13), and Nuni Omot (12) ran the show, with each player hitting double figures for points by the halfway mark to give the Rwandan champions a lofty 25-point lead at 57-32. Hoopers Head Coach, Ogoh Oduaudu, tried to change things from the bench with the reintroduction of Kelvin Amayo, Rahpiael Putney, Peter Olisemeka, and Ahmed Doumbia after the halftime break. The move seemed to have an immediate impact as the KingsMen cut the deficit by 7 points inside the first four minutes of the 2nd half. But APR responded with a dominant 3-minute spell to re-establish a 31-point lead heading into the final quarter. Things moved from bad to worse for the KingsMen after Rahpiael Putney who notched 12 points as the team’s second best shooter on the day, was ejected from the game with a 5th personal foul within two minutes of the 4th quarter. However, the Nigerian champions rallied to put up their best showing of the game, with Madut Akec scoring 7 of his game-high 21 points to end the quarter at 21-21, but the damage had already been done as APR ran out 104-73 winners. Maxi Shamba (10) was the only other player to reach double figures for the KingsMen. APR, meanwhile, had four players score at least 10 points, as they dominated in the paint, outscoring Rivers Hoopers 52-32, while notching up 32 points from the bench. Hoopers managed only 18 bench points, with Chingka Garba particularly impressive grabbing 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals off the bench. The result means APR will face Libya’s Al Ahly in the semi-final on Wednesday, 11th June, while Rivers Hoopers must now return home to prepare for the domestic season.

Basketball: Rivers Hoopers Suffer Defeat to US Monastir in Seeding Game

Fola Badmus3 months ago3 months ago15 mins

Rahpiael Putney scored a Basketball Africa League (BAL) career-high 28 points along with 7 rebounds to lead the charge for Rivers Hoopers, but the Nigerian champions succumbed to an 89-81 defeat by Tunisia powerhouse US Monastir in the final seeding game on Saturday. Putney stole the show in a tightly contested first quarter during which both teams exchanged leads nine times, as he led from the front with 10 points to his name, before Madut Akec scored a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the 1st quarter to hand Rivers Hoopers a 2-point lead at 16-14. Ahmed Doumbia scored 7 points in 2 minutes midway through the 2nd quarter to stretch the KingsMen’s lead to 6 points at 27-21. Michael Okiki then found Madut Akec on a fast break for the South Sudanese forward to net an easy score with one of the best plays of the first half as Rivers Hoopers led by 4 points at Halftime with the score at 36-32. Rahpiael Putney, who scored 16 first half points, stayed hot at the start of the 3rd quarter, sinking back-to-back threes to stretch the lead to 9 points. But Monastir responded quickly with hot hands from Andrew Edogi, Patrick Hardy Jr., and Osiris Eldridge who scored in quick succession from the bench to rattle the KingsMen and steal a 4-point lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. US Monastir scored a whopping 41 points from the bench, compared to Rivers Hoopers’ 19. The fourth quarter belonged to BAL elevate star, Babacar Sane who ran the show for Monastir as the 2022 Champions opened up a 13-point lead and never looked back. Ahmed Doumbia brought some cheers to the crowd when he drilled in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from deep to cut the deficit to 8 points, as Monastir held on for an 89-81 win. Peter Olisemeka was again efficient for the Rivers Hoopers, scoring the team’s only double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, with Madut Akec who notched 15 points the only other player to hit double figures for the KingsMen. Speaking after the game, Rivers Hoopers Head Coach, Ogoh Oduaudu blamed the defeat on a loss of concentration in the third quarter. He said “Well, I think it’s [due to] a loss of concentration. We were up there in the first two quarters and then in the 3rd quarter everything broke down. We’re happy it happened in a game that was just a seeding game. Despite the loss, the BAL Season four coach of the year was however pleased with the performance of his team and was adamant of a better showing in the quarterfinals. “We didn’t want this to happen in the quarterfinals. So it gives us the opportunity to go back and try to clean it up tomorrow before we come back for the quarterfinals on Monday. But in all, I think we played a very good game and except for that break in the 3rd quarter I’m impressed with what they did.” he added. The outcome of the game means Rivers Hoopers will square up against Rwanda’s APR in the BAL Season 5 quarterfinals on Monday, 9th June, while US Monastir face defending champions Petro de Luanda.

Basketball: Rivers Hoopers’ Amayo Upbeat Ahead Of US Monastir Clash

Fola Badmus4 months ago4 months ago03 mins

Rivers Hoopers guard Kelvin Amayo is confident that the KingsMen will showcase a high level of intensity on defense ahead of their seeding game against US Monastir on June 7 in Pretoria. The KingsMen, who are ranked fourth, will be up against third seed, Us Monastir, in a seeding game on Saturday. Kelvin Amayo was gracious and quick to congratulate US Monastir for entering the BAL Season 5 Playoffs as Sahara Conference winners. He said, “I just want to say congrats to US Monastir. I watched them in the Sahara Conference, [and] they played well. They’re definitely not the same team from last year to this year. Amayo, who led the Kalahari Conference in blocks, believes that the team’s defensive efforts will be crucial in limiting the Sahara Conference winners. “I think what we are going to do is showcase a high level of intensity in the defensive end,” Amayo said. The 6-foot-4 guard has a positive record against US Monastir, having helped Rivers Hoopers win 92-88 in the 2024 BAL quarterfinals with 18 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists. Both teams have grown to become familiar foes at the BAL and are now set for the fifth installment of their growing rivalry, with the previous four meetings evenly split at two wins apiece. Most recently, the KingsMen knocked out US Monastir in an electrifying quarter-final showdown at the BAL Season 4, which ended 92-88 in favour of the Hoopers. They face the KingsMen on Saturday, June 7, in one of the four seeding games before the 2025 BAL quarter-finals at 6pm local time (6pm Nigerian time), and Amayo is positive about the meeting. “Everybody is going to have fun, and I think Saturday is a great game for everybody to come and watch.”

Rivers Hoopers’ Odaudu Set Priorities Ahead Of BAL Playoffs

Fola Badmus4 months ago4 months ago13 mins

Rivers Hoopers coach Ogoh Odaudu has announced that the team has made additions to its squad to address defensive issues ahead of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs in Pretoria, South Africa. According to Odaudu, the team’s defensive problems were a major concern after finishing the Kalahari Conference with two losses to Al Ittihad Alexandria. To address this issue, the team has brought in Ahmed Doumbia, a defensive-minded players from the French League and Chingka Garba a Nigerian who plays in Rwanda. “We wanted to address that [defensive problems], so we wanted to bring someone who will address that issue,” Odaudu said. When asked about the addition of Ahmed Doumbia and Garba Chingka, Odaudu replied: “We needed to address the deficiency in defence. “Of course, Ahmed plays in the French League. [He is] very defensive minded and, of course, he is a beast on the offense. We needed someone to assist Kelvin [Amayo] in defensive duties in the back court, so we brought him [Doumbia] here.” Preparation has been all plain sailing for Odaudu, with Nigeria forward Chingka joining the fold to stack up the quality of the team. “Also, we brought in another player, Odaudu said. “We were almost playing Peter [[Olisemeka] to the ground. We needed someone who could do that, too that was why we brought in Garba Chingka. The KingsMen will face US Monastir in the seeding game on Saturday, June 7, a side they had played four times previously and won as much as they had lost (twice).

Rivers Hoopers Intensify Preparations In Abuja Ahead of Pretoria Playoffs

Fola Badmus4 months ago4 months ago05 mins

2024 bronze-medallist Rivers Hoopers have arrived in Abuja to continue preparations for the Basketball Africa League playoffs which dunks off 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.”

BAL: Rivers Hoopers Fall to Al Ittihad in Kalahari Conference Clash

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago02 mins

Rivers Hoopers suffered their second loss of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Kalahari Conference, falling 94-77 to Egyptian powerhouse Al-Ittihad Alexandria in a lopsided contest. Hoopers were beaten in crucial areas, especially from beyond the arc, where Al Ittihad’s accurate shooting made the difference, even though they had already guaranteed their spot in the BAL playoffs. TheKingsMen made 21.2% (7 of 33) three-pointers, while the Egyptians made 14 of their 33 shots at a remarkable 42.4% rate. Al Ittihad shot 50% from the field, while the Rivers team was unable to keep up offensively, shooting only 38%. Throughout the game, the Nigerian champions were also beset by turnovers and missed opportunities. Madut Akec led the scoring for Rivers Hoopers with 17 points, while Kelvin Amayo added 11 points and a team-high 7 assists. The top performer on the glass was Peter Olisemeka, who pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds to go with 8 points. Abel Offia also added 8 points and 3 steals in the fourth quarter. Rivers Hoopers will now shift focus to their final group stage match against Stade Malien, as they look to close out their Kalahari Conference campaign on a high note.