Are the Hoopers the most fearless team in the BAL?

Fearing no one and nothing, the Rivers Hoopers have made a habit of upsetting host and more famous teams, and now they have their sights set high for the remainder of the 2025 BAL season.

Looking at the Rivers Hoopers' recent BAL history, it's hard not to ask, are the Hoopers the most fearless team in the league?

For a team that went 1-2 in the inaugural BAL season and continues to defy the odds, something special may have happened in the boardroom.

Beating hosts FUS Rabat twice this season in front of raucous crowds was nothing new for the Nigerian champions.

On their way to the 2024 Sahara Conference title, the Hoopers shocked hosts AS Douanes on the opening day of the season and upset former BAL champions US Monastir not once but twice in their three meetings, including a 92-88 victory in the quarterfinals.

In the end, the Kingsmen finished third, becoming the first Nigerian team to ever stand on the BAL podium.

What's behind the Rivers Hoopers' rise to stardom?

It's a Nigerian thing, they say, reflecting on the Hoopers' 10-7 BAL record to date.

"It is about the Nigerian mentality. The fighting spirit that we have in Nigeria… We're fighters, we never let anything go easy and that's the situation we're in. We always go all the way. No matter the home crowd," said coach Ogoh Odaudu, who is in his third BAL season at the helm of Rivers Hoopers.

The game against FUS Rabat on GameDay 4 on Thursday - April 10 - was expected to be the Hoopers' toughest challenge in the conference so far, and it was.

The local fans came out in force to support the Moroccan champions, who faced a must-win scenario, but their presence had the opposite effect.

FUS Rabat led for more than 31 minutes, but the Rivers Hoopers stayed within touching distance, and when Kelvin Amayo tied the game at 64-64 with 4:47 minutes left, and the Hoopers followed with a 4-1 scoring run to extend their lead to 68-65, it was over for Morocco's most successful basketball club.

"Even when we thought it was over, we didn't give up. We knew we would come back, and we finished the job," said Odaudu.

The 2024 BAL Coach of the Year recalled how the 56-54 buzzer-beater loss to hosts AS Douanes in their second game still resonates with him.

"I remember the buzzer beater. It was the same environment," he said.

But the former Nigerian point guard insist: "The crowd in Morocco is more loyal than the crowd in Dakar. Even when their team is down, they are solidly behind them. I loved the atmosphere. Unfortunately, this is basketball.”

One of the Hoopers' ingenious moves was the signing of former AS Douanes guard Madut Akec, who has been one of the Rivers Hoopers' most impactful players, averaging a team-high 19 points while dishing out four assists and contributing eight rebounds per game.

"The culture is very good for the Hoopers. They have built a winning culture and the local [players] do a good job of coming in at 100%; they don't take days off, it just helps us develop. Whenever an import [player] or somebody comes to play for the Hoopers, I always feel like the game is going to flourish and they are going to win games," Akec noted.

Asked about the experience of playing against the Hoopers last season, the South Sudanese said, "Now that I am with the team, I am not really thinking too much about the past. I am just thinking about what I can do to help my team get better and who we can end up being in South Africa [Pretoria will host the 2025 BAL Finals] and be ready to compete for a championship. That's what I'm worried about.”

The second game, Rivers Hoopers against Al Ittihad (4-0) could determine who will be this season’s Kalahari Conference champion.

Akec noted that they are looking forward to correcting their mistakes from the first game, a 100-80 blowout to Al Ittihad.

"Our last game against Ittihad wasn't a very good game; we gave up too many offensive rebounds, transition points, and we had 20 turnovers, which was our most in the whole competition."

What makes this Hoopers team one to watch?

Akec says, "It's about staying together as a team and not letting adversity take over the games. We were down the whole game [against FUS Rabat], but we knew we could get this win. Every single player on the bench believed we could postpone this game.”

In his second consecutive BAL season with the Hoopers, Peter Olisemeka observed: "We don't have many fans here [in Rabat], but we feel their support from behind."

He describes the Hoopers' attitude in the first four games in Rabat as "spectacular”. “We can adapt to different things and situations. It was a tough game, and we must stay together all the way,” he added.

With their second win over FUS Rabat, the Rivers Hoopers are guaranteed one of the conference's two spots in the 2025 BAL Finals.