Dreamland Dakar: River Hoopers eye Basketball Africa League glory

With an array of newly recruited international stars, Rivers Hoopers look to write history by being the first Nigerian side to reach the playoffs of the Basketball Africa League,Five-time Nigerian Basketball League Champions, Rivers Hoopers, have been drawn in a tough Sahara Conference of the BAL, which features former BAL Champions US Monastir , BAL 2023 runners-up AS Douanes , and Rwandan Champions APR.

However, Eke, who was one of the final additions to the Hoopers’ squad in preparation for the BAL 2024, thinks the KingsMen have what it takes to make progress at the tournament, as the team remains united in their desire for victory.“I honestly think, looking at the little that I’ve seen in the past few days, we can go pretty far because everyone here has the same goal. We’re all trying to win; nobody is selfish here, and we’re all together. So, I feel we can go really far.

The former Zunder Palencia forward, who also played for Acadêmica Efapel , Zeeuw & Zeeuw Feyenoord , and OKK Sloboda Tuzla , is excited to play in his first BAL tournament and believes that Rivers Hoopers will have a good outing at BAL season 4 if the team continues to do the right things. Wilkins, son of former NBA player Jeff Wilkins, is no stranger to African basketball, having played for Moroccan sides AS Sale and Ittihad Tangier , before leading Stade Malien to a third-place finish at BAL 2023. “It’s a really high level, a great competition; one of the best I have played in since I have been in Africa. But we don’t need to be scared. We need to just attack the moment, be there, be present, and I think if we are confident in our abilities, we can surprise people,” he said.

“I’m really optimistic. I know that those past years the teams from Nigeria didn’t do well, but I think with me, Kelvin , Will , and the other guys, I think we can show the way, have some wins, and be more competitive,” he said. “We will try to take the Rivers Hoopers to the playoffs in Rwanda, and then anything can happen from there, but that is the first goal, because obviously Nigeria hasn’t had that kind of success , so I see it as a challenge to change the culture of Nigeria Basketball in the BAL.”

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