Days before the start of their title defence at the forthcoming 2025 Nigeria Basketball Premier League (NBPL), Rivers Hoopers vice-captain Buchi Nwaiwu, has stated that he (along with his team) is not under any pressure to retain their title.
Recall that the KingsMen successfully defended their 2023 title when they beat Hoops & Read 71-54 in the playoff final of the 2024 NBPL season last November, for their sixth league title overall, and head into the 2025 season as strong favourites.
However, despite being tagged as “favourites” for the forthcoming season and heightened expectations from basketball lovers across the country, the 6-foot-7-inch forward says he remains calm as he looks forward to the start of the new NBPL season.
“I’m not anxious, it’s just a usual feeling. It (the new season) comes with new expectations, new kinds of rivalry, new temperaments and all. (But) we’re not panicking. We feel okay,” Nwaiwu said.
The 2025 NBPL season will follow a new format which will see action between all sixteen (16) participating teams broken down into four phases (Group, Inter-Group, Playoff, and Final Four), across the Savannah and Atlantic Conferences.
While acknowledging the changes to the structure of the league, the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Bronze medalist said he was more focused on his team putting up their best performance during each game.
He pointed out that “the format they (NBBF) want to employ this year is not much of a concern to me. I personally believe we will do better regardless of whatever format or playoff style they come up with. You just have to] put your best out there, try to win your games, and come out on top.”
When the league’s organisers, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), announced host cities for both Group and Inter-Group Phases of the league, Port Harcourt (which has hosted the last two finals) was picked as the only centre to host both Phase I and Phase II of the 2025 NBPL season. An announcement which came as a surprise to Buchi Vincent
“Port Harcourt City being picked to be the host for this phase is something we didn’t see coming, something I didn’t see coming. But it’s actually good doing it here. It would be a sort of morale booster [for us] not to be an embarrassment to ourselves and then to the fans who will be coming to cheer us up. For me I think it’s something good for us.” he stated.
With Rivers Hoopers competing against Delta Force, Oluyole Warriors, and Kwara Falcons in Group B of the Atlantic Conference on home court, Nwaiwu who was named among the 2024 NBPL All-star 5, thinks the support from the home crowd will play a huge role in bringing the team success.
“The fans are always a booster to us, they’re like our backup. Even when you’re falling, they’re still there to support you. So, I think they’re going to be a big plus to us. It has always been fun having them cheer us in the background. They play a huge role in our success. They’ve been awesome [and] it will be a good thing having them close by to cheer us up.” he acknowledged.
Group Phase action at the 2025 NBPL season is expected to hold from 28 August to 3 September, after which follows a period of rest before the commencement of the Inter-Group Phase (II) scheduled for 24 September – 5 October.