Rivers Hoopers eye dramatic return to top of Nigerian basketball league

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Six-time Nigerian champions Rivers Hoopers have begun intensive preparations for the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League season.

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Following official confirmation from organisers, the Nigeria Basketball Federation and the League Management Company, the 2026 NPBL season, earlier scheduled to tip off on May 9, will now begin on May 16, with 20 teams split into two conferences — Atlantic and Savannah.

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The 2026 season will be played across four phases: group stage (home and away), inter-group stage (round robin), playoffs (top eight teams), and finals (top four teams), with each conference further divided into two groups of five teams each.

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The KingsMen have been placed in Group A of the Atlantic Conference, where they will face Lagos-based Comets BC, Hoops & Read, Raptors BC, and DAM Confluence Giants of Kogi, with games scheduled to take place in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, between May 16 and 26.

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Despite a condensed preparation window following the recent release of the league calendar, the atmosphere inside the team’s camp has been described as “intense”, with the coaching staff pleased with how quickly the roster has assembled after initial logistical challenges.

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“The preparation is intense,” assistant coach Wilkinson Suobo said.

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“Some of the players are coming in a little late because the league board just released the league timetable. It was surprising, as we did not expect the league to start now, so we began assembling our players on short notice. Most of them are already in camp, and we’ve begun intensive training,” he added.

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Suobo also revealed that the Hoopers’ management has been active in the transfer market, bolstering the squad with fresh talent to complement the existing core of players.

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“We are very ready,” Suobo emphasised.

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“All the players are intact, and they’re really ready to play. We’ve gotten some new players to join us, and we know these additions will take us a long way and help us do very well in the league.”

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After last season’s heartbreak, when they narrowly lost the NPBL title to Maktown Flyers 74-72 in the championship game, the primary motivation for the KingsMen this year is redemption, with Suobo admitting that the sting of that defeat remains a driving force for the squad as they return to the court.

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“We’ll come back very strongly because losing the final last year came as a shock to us,” Suobo said. “This year we don’t want to take chances, so we’re preparing very hard in order to come out in flying colours this term.”

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