Rivers Hoopers Head Coach, Ogoh Odaudu, is optimistic that his team will retain the Nigerian Premier Basketball League (NPBL) title, at the ongoing Final Eight Championship holding in Port Harcourt.

The NPBL began yesterday in Port Harcourt with Gboko City Chiefs beating Police Batons 82-50 in the opening game before Nile University defeated Kwara Falcons 62-45 in the second game, with Hoops and Read 73-66 better than Kano Pillars. Odaudu’s Hoopers began their campaign at the championship against Gombe Bulls.

The D’Tigers assistant coach said that the KingsMen are excited to begin their title defense at the Final Eight in front of their home fans. Odaudu said: “We’ve been working very hard, and we’re ready. The moment we were announced as hosts, the mindset changed completely. The boys are very excited. Of course they want to play in front of their fans, and they know that this is their home; they play better when they’re at home. I tell you the spirit in the team is better than it was last year.”

Odaudu stated that the defending champions will approach each game with the same level of seriousness, saying, “Basketball is not played on paper; basketball is played on the court. We’re going to approach each game with the level of seriousness that it deserves. There’s no small team or big team. We’ll simply go out there and do what we’re supposed to do. At the end of the day, we hope to do well.” He insisted that the KingsMen will put up a performance that Rivers people and all fans of Rivers Hoopers would be proud of.

“They should come out en masse to cheer us as they’ve always done, and we, on our part, will try our best to make them proud. At the end of the tournament, everyone will be proud to have supported Rivers Hoopers,” he said.