River Hoopers win 2019 NBBF President’s Cup, qualify for Basketball Africa League

Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club of Port Harcourt beat Raptors of Lagos 97 to 57 to win the 2019 President’s Cup, which ended at the indoor sports hall of the National Stadium, Lagos yesterday.

For emerging champions of the President’s Cup, Rivers Hoopers has won an automatic ticket to the 2020 Basketball Africa League billed for Rwanda next year.

Speaking with The Guardian after the final game, Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) President, Musa Kida said the President’s Cup lived up to expectations as the teams in the final phase of the championship were top clubs in the country.

“The President’s Cup has produced Rivers Hoopers to represent the country in the continent next year. As you can see, the teams in the championship gave their best.“The NBBF focus will now focus on encouraging the teams that excelled in the championship and also work hard to help basketball continue to grow in Nigeria.

“Our girls are on course to get the Olympic ticket which will in another way put Nigeria in the global scene,” he said.Twelve teams from Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Angola, Egypt and Nigeria have booked the tickets for the championship because they emerged champions of basketball in their various countries.At the end of the competition, Abdul Yahaya of Rivers Hoopers was awarded MVP of the President’s Cup.