After securing a second-place finish in the fiercely contested Kalahari Conference, Rivers Hoopers head coach, Odaudu Ogoh has expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.
The coach affirmed that the primary goal of qualifying for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) final phase in South Africa has been achieved.
Speaking after the qualification, Coach Ogoh made it clear that reaching Pretoria was always the mission.
“It’s a great feeling for us, having qualified for the final phase, that was the target that we set out to achieve at the beginning of this campaign,” he said.
Ogoh hinted at possible squad reinforcements and tactical fine-tuning ahead of the high-stakes playoffs in June.
“Well, we are not a perfect team yet, so regarding seeing new players, we want to keep doing the little things that we’re doing. Of course, definitely, we need all the experience going forward—we need everybody.”
Abel Offia, one of Hoopers’ key contributors during the Kalahari Conference, echoed his coach’s sentiments.
The guard acknowledged the team’s solid offense but pointed out that their defensive lapses could prove costly if not addressed before the finals.
“20 points, they were still playing defence as if they were down,” Offia said, highlighting the resilience of their opponents.
“So I think we just need to go back and work more on our defence because we already have the offence.”
Beyond defence, Offia also noted the need for better ball distribution and rotation.
“Work more on our defence—we know how to rotate the ball and our distribution was a little bit bad, but we’re going to work on it when we get back to Nigeria.”
