Rivers Hoopers are set to return to Basketball Africa League action today at 17:00 hrs when they take on former champions, US Monastir, on Day three of the Sahara Conference at the Dakar Arena, Senegal.

Rivers Hoopers’ opponents, US Monastir, are yet to get a victory at the Basketball Africa League, and while Hoopers would be looking to go three wins out of three games, the Tunisian outfit would be hungry for their first victory.

Rivers Hoopers won their opening game against hosts, AS Douanes, 68-77, despite trailing in the first two quarters, and carried on the momentum garnered in the second to outscore Douanes 9-21 in the third, as they sealed the game in the fourth. Devine Eke was the standout performer in the tie, posting a double-double, scoring 31 points and getting 12 rebounds.

On day two, the Port Harcourt outfit got the victory in a tightly contested game against APR, winning 80-84, showing a high level of teamwork and chemistry to go two up and stay on top of the table. Will Perry led the team to victory with 31 points and four rebounds.

Rivers Hoopers’ starting five in both legs have shown real quality and chemistry. Devine Eke has been a force to reckon with in the paint. Will Perry, Kelvin Amayo, and John Wilkins have been solid from the three-point line, while Peter Olisemeka has been slotting in the rebounds.

The Hoopers have shown their ability to shoot from deep, drive to the paint, and bang the dunks. However, they have also shown a somewhat shabby defence in the paint and have been prone to conceding too many fouls, as well as having the inability to sink free throws.

This is Rivers Hoopers Coach, Ogoh Odaudu’s second BAL stint, having coached the Hoopers in the BAL’s inaugural season. He is a former point guard of the Nigeria men’s national team and has had several head coaching jobs with Nigeria’s youth and senior men’s teams.

Coach Ogoh, while speaking yesterday, addressed US Monastir as the “Angry Birds” acknowledging that they would prove tough opponents and give their all against his side.

“We are playing against US Monastir in our next game. It is quite unfortunate that we are going to play against a very, very angry team. They have lost two straight games. They are not happy about it. They won’t want to go 0-3 in this tournament, so it is going to be a very, very tough one. Monastir beat us in the inaugural edition, so we have that on our minds. We will go and play the basketball we have played in the last two games and not anything different.”

It is the Port Harcourt-based team’s second appearance in the league since their debut in 2021, and they would look to stretch their lead to stay top to advance. By the end of the conference, the two top teams will advance to Kigali, Rwanda, for the playoffs and finals, whereas the team that finishes with the best third-place mark from across the Nile and Sahara Conferences will advance and compete in the eight-team playoffs field.

Current Roster: Victor Koko (captain), Onyebuchi Nwaiwu, Mustapha Oyebanji, Abel Offia, Michael Daramola, Will Perry, Johnson Anaiye, Kelvin Amayo, Peter Olisemeka, John Wilkins, Devine Eke, David Ike.

About US Monastir (Tunisia)

BAL History: Winners of the BAL Season Two, US Monastir have reached the semi-finals in every BAL season but the last one.

Head Coach: Mohamed El-Kerdandi is the first Egyptian to hold a head coach job in the history of the BAL. A former captain of the Egyptian men’s national team, El-Kendandi retired from his playing career right after the 2011 FIBA AfroBasket held in Madagascar.

Current Roster: Mokhtar Ghayaza, Firas Lahyani, Ahmed Addami, Oussama Marnaoui, Amrou Bouallague, Lassad Chouwaya, Achraf Ganouni, Ater Majok, Chris Crawford, Yassine Marmouch, Attitebi George Williams, Sadio Doucoure, Bedoui Ahmed.

Overall Bal Record: 15-4.