Six-time Nigerian champions Rivers Hoopers have begun intensive preparations for the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) season.
Following official confirmation from organisers, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), and the League Management Company (LMC), the 2026 NPBL earlier scheduled to tip-off on May 9, will now begin on May 16, with twenty (20) teams split into two conferences (Atlantic and Savannah).
The 2026 season will be played across four phases: Group Stage (Home & Away), Inter-Group Stage (Round Robin), Playoffs (Top 8 Teams), and Finals (Top 4 Teams), with each conference further split into two (2) groups of five (5) teams each.
The KingsMen have been placed in Group A of the Atlantic Conference, where they will do battle against Lagos-based Comets BC, Hoops & Read, and Raptors BC, as well as DAM Confluence Giants of Kogi, with games scheduled to take place in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, between 16-26 May.
Despite a condensed preparation window following the recent release of the league calendar, the atmosphere inside the team’s camp has been described as “‘intense’,with the coaching staff pleased with how quickly the roster has assembled after initial logistical challenges.
“The preparation is intense,” noted assistant coach Wilkinson Suobo.
“Some of the players are coming a little bit late because the league board just released the league timetable. It was surprising,as we did not expect the league to start off now, so we began assembling our players on short notice. Most of them are already on ground and we’ve begun intensive training.” he pointed out.
Suobo also revealed that the Hoopers’ management have been active in the transfer market, bolstering the squad with fresh talent to complement the existing core of players.
“We are very ready,” Suobo emphasized. “All the players are intact, and they’re really ready to play. We’ve gotten some new players to join us, and we know these additions will take us a long way to do very well in the league.”
After last season’s heartbreak, narrowly losing the NPBL title to Maktown Flyers (74-72) in the championship game last season, the primary motivation for the KingsMen this year is redemption, with Suobo admitting that the sting of that defeat remains a driving force for the squad as they return to the court.
“We’ll come back very strongly because losing the final four last year came as a shock to us,” Suobo said. “This year we don’t want to take chances, so we’re preparing very hard in order to come out in flying colors this term.”
