Nigeria’s representatives in the fifth season of the Basketball Africa League, Rivers Hoopers, have arrived in Pretoria, South Africa, ahead of the finals which tips off on Friday, June 6, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The KingsMen, who secured their place for the BAL finals by finishing second in the Kalahari Conference qualifiers earlier this year, are one of eight franchises set to battle it out at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria for the right to be called champions of Africa.
The coach Ogah Odaudu-led side will slug it out with seven other top teams including Al Ahli of Libya, Al Ittihad of Egypt, US Monastir of Tunisia, Petro de Luanda of Angola, APR of Rwanda, FUS Rabat of Morocco and Kriol Star of Cape Verde.
Rivers Hoopers, who claimed the bronze medal at the 2024 edition, after finishing third during the fourth BAL season held in Kigali Rwanda, have been ranked as the fourth-best team in Africa ahead of Friday’s dunk-off.
Libyan side Al Ahli SC, Al Ittihad of Egypt and U.S. Monastir of Tunisia are ranked in the top three respectively ahead of the Port Harcourt-based outfit. The team stepped up their preparations for the event by completing the signing of Chingka Garba last month from Orion Basketball Club in Rwanda, where he shone as one of the top players in the Rwanda Basketball League.
The Hoopers boast of some elite performers, who shone during the Kalahari Conference. Madut Akec was the scoring leader, averaging a total of 17.8 points per game. Peter Olisemeka was the rebounds leader, averaging a total of 11.0 per game, the assist leader tag belonged to Kelvin Amayo, who averaged 6.6 assists per game, Raphael Putney put up an average of 1.7 blocks per game, while Kelvin Amayo was the steals leader as he averaged 2.0 steals per game.
The KingsMen, who are the only team from the West African region, will be looking to reach the final in South Africa, in what would be their best-ever outing since the formation of the Basketball Africa League. The BAL playoffs is scheduled to be held between June 6 to 14.