Rivers Hoopers guard Kelvin Amayo has expressed confidence that he and his teammates will deliver an even stronger performance in the Final Four of the 2025 Nigeria Basketball Premier League (NBPL) as they look to defend their title and capture a seventh national crown.
Amayo was instrumental in the Hoopers’ 83–69 win over Kwara Falcons on Sunday, scoring 17 points to lead the team to victory as they comfortably wrapped up their Final Eight Playoffs campaign.
The Nigerian-Canadian guard, who missed the Hoopers’ earlier loss to Lagos Legends due to fitness issues, produced an impressive all-round display against the Falcons — contributing five assists and five rebounds in addition to his scoring performance.
With the Final Four scheduled to take place in Port Harcourt from November 20 to 24, the 2024 NBPL Finals MVP vowed to raise his game even higher.
“I came into the team the day before the final eight, so we had a plan to get me going little by little. Every single day I feel like I was getting better and in better shape, and today I feel like I was good and pushed myself even more. Now there are two weeks, and you’ll see a bigger show in the Final Four,” Amayo said.
Echoing his player’s determination, Rivers Hoopers head coach Ogoh Odaudu reaffirmed the team’s ambition to retain their title.
“We’re happy we made the final four; that was our target right from the beginning, and we’ve done that. But it’s not over yet; we are going to take a couple of days off, get some rest, and then come back and try to fix all the things we didn’t quite do well on this final eight,” he said.
The coach also highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in defense and rebounding.
“Well, we’ve been talking about it a lot. I emphasise every day about rebounds and what we need to do. We have to make stops, we have to box out, and we have to play help defense. As a unit we have to play better defense, and that’s mostly what we’re going to be working on. We have two to three weeks between now and the Final Four, so we’re going to make sure that before the jump ball we’ll be fine,” Odaudu added.
Rivers Hoopers will face Lagos Legends, Gboko City Chiefs, and Nigeria Customs in what promises to be an intense showdown as they aim to make history with another championship run.
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