2025 BAL: Rivers Hoopers relish tough test ahead of play offs in South Africa

Posted : 20 April 2025

Rivers Hoopers of Port Harcourt captain, Victor Anthony Koko, has acknowledged that his team will confront teams that are tougher than Al-Itihad of Egypt at this year’s Basketball Africa League (BAL) finals in Pretoria, South Africa.

Koko declared as much based on memories of how the Egyptian club beat his team twice during the recent Kalahari Conference qualifiers at Prince Moulay Abdallah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco; and many analysts are already rating them as a major hurdle to confront during the forthcoming finals.

Amazingly, during the qualifiers in Rabat, the Hoopers’ second loss was a blowout 94-77 slump to the Egyptians, which put a dent in a surge of two victories apiece over both Stade Malien of Mali and hosts, FUS Rabat of Morocco.

However, with the KingsMen getting a total of four wins from their double fixtures with the Malians and Moroccans, the Nigerian outfit was able to scale through to the finals in South Africa, where they will confront six qualifiers from three other conferences.

With their eyes now set on a second straight outing at the BAL finals from June 6-14 at Pretoria’s Sunbet Arena, Koko admitted that the task ahead of him and his teammates is tough but enthused that their target is to go one step further than they achieved during their debut last year in the prestigious basketball clubs’ competition.

Koko stated, “Our aim this season is to go a step higher than where we finished last year – which we are already working towards. By the special grace of God, we will achieve it. We cannot achieve it by our own power but by God’s power.”

He also recounted the Hoopers’ exploits in Rabat, where a 79-59 victory over Stade Malien in their last match of the Kalahari Conference games guaranteed their qualification for the 2025 BAL Finals and stressed that the two defeats they suffered against Al-Itihad do not make the Egyptians the only team to be wary of.

Koko added, “We lost two games to Al-Itihad, but they are a team that can be beaten. Who knows what will happen when we get to South Africa? Nobody knows. But there are other teams that are also preparing hard for this tournament.

“So, I’m not looking at Al-Itihad as the ultimate side to prepare for. There are other teams that we also have to defeat, and I see a team beating Al-Itihad there as well.”

With fond memories still rife about the superlative exploits of Rivers Hoopers’ stars like Madut Akec, Kelvin Amayo, Peter Olisemeka, Abel Offia, Raphael Putney, and Michael Afuwape during the qualifiers in Rabat, Koko concluded with a strong tone of optimism that the Garden City side can ruffle many feathers come June in Pretoria.

“We want to go a step higher than where we finished last year. If possible, we can even win the BAL. That has been our target, that has been our goal, and we can achieve it, by God’s grace,” the Hoopers’ skipper affirmed.

2025 BAL: Rivers Hoopers relish tough test ahead of play offs in South Africa

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