Rivers Hoopers
Rivers Hoopers is a Nigerian basketball team based in Port Harcourt, Rivers. The team plays in the Nigerian Premier League. Established in 2009 as Royal Hoopers, the team has played in the Premier League since its inception. Hoopers have won the national championship four times, with titles in 2011, 2012, 2019 and 2021. History. The club was established in 2009 as Royal Hoopers, with Ogoh Odaudu at the reins as head coach. The team won its first NPL championship in 2011. In December 2018, Hoopers played in the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Championship and won all five games  to emerge as its Champions and went on to play in the 2019 Africa Basketball League in March. On 17 November 2019, the Hoopers won its third Nigerian title when it beat Raptors in the final. With this achievement, the team qualified directly for the inaugural season of Basketball Africa League (BAL). To strengthen the team for the inaugural BAL season, the Hoopers acquired former NBA-player Ben Uzoh and Festus Ezeli. Ezeli, however, got injured before the season and did not join. Hoopers finished third in Group A of the BAL, beating only GNBC from Madagascar. Uzoh led the  team in scoring with 14.7 points. In the 2021 season, the Hoopers won the Premier League for a fourth time after edging Gombe Bulls in the final. Anaiye Johnson was named the league's MVP. However, the Hoopers were denied to play in the BAL by FIBA Africa, that cited the organised league was invalid. Honours. Nigerian Premier League Crown Elite Basketball Championship In African competitions. FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup (3 appearances) Basketball Africa League (1 appearance) Players. Current roster. The following roster was the Rivers Hoopers team in the 2021 BAL season.