The city of Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2024 Nigeria Premier Basketball League Final Eight tournament which will run from November 13 to 19, 2024.
The development means that the Garden City will stage the playoffs and finals of the Basketball League for a second consecutive year after first hosting it in 2023.
Rivers State owned Basketball club Rivers Hoopers will be hoping to make the most of home court advantage to successfully defend their crown which they won at the same venue in November last year.
The win in 2023 was Rivers Hoopers’ fifth league crown although it was the first time they would win it in front of their home fans. They will be hoping for a repeat this month.
Seven other teams will join hosts Hoopers in the Final Eight competition. They include Hoops and Read, Kwara Falcons and Police Batons who all emerged from same Atlantic Conference as Rivers Hoopers.
There are also former champions Kano Pillars, Gombe Bulls, Nile University and Gboko City Chiefs all from the Savannah Conference which the latter won on a canter.
Winners of the week-long event will added to being crowned the Nigerian Champions also pick the sole ticket to represent Nigeria at the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Rivers Hoopers, coached by Ogoh Odaudu represented Nigeria at the 2024 edition of the BAL and made an appreciable impact, finishing third at the tournament held in Kigali, Rwanda. They will be bidding to win a spot to compete at the competition once again.
