When two-time WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike advised her cousin, Nigeria men’s national team (D’Tigers) small forward Devine Eke, to sign for Rivers Hoopers in the Basketball Africa League (BAL), he was not without his doubts.
Eke was playing for Bosnia’s OKK Sloboda Tuzla and it was far from a certainty that he would have time to make his way to Africa to play for the Port Harcourt-based side. His love for Nigeria is beyond question, but he wanted to be part of a competitive team.
In recent years, both Rivers Hoopers in 2021 and fellow Nigerian side Kwara Falcons in 2023 had failed to make the BAL playoffs, by some margin too.
Nigerian basketball has had several problems on the governance front in recent years. For one, Rivers Hoopers were disqualified from the 2022 BAL as a result of interference in the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) by their national sports ministry.
However, the success of Rivers Hoopers this year as they’ve all but qualified for the playoffs – funded by the Rivers State government – is an example of how dominant Nigeria can be when the fundamentals are taken care of.
