Rivers Hoopers head coach Ogoh Odaudu has made mental preparation the priority as the KingsMen gear up for the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League Final Four, which tips off on Saturday at the Basketball Stadium in Old Port Harcourt Township. The three-day, round-robin event brings together Hoopers, defending champions Maktown Flyers, Gboko City Chiefs and Aso Sky Hawks, with the winner claiming the NPBL title and Nigeria's solitary ticket to the 2027 Basketball Africa League season.
Odaudu pointed to last season's 74–72 final-seconds defeat to Lagos Legends as the catalyst for his shift in approach. "Most of the things we didn't do well previously were not a matter of basketball ability — it was mental," he said. "I've spent a lot more time talking to the players, getting into their heads rather than just making them run up and down the court."
Hoopers reached the Final Four as the top seed with a 6-1 playoff record, edging Maktown on points differential. Odaudu said the team has continued to evolve. "From what I am seeing in practice, this is not going to be the same team that played in the playoffs either. There is a lot more intensity, a lot more hunger, and a lot more determination," he added.
The veteran coach, however, dismissed talk of a runaway favourite. "It is not going to be a two-horse race or a three-horse race. It is a four-horse race because every team in the Final Four is capable of winning it," he said, while warning his squad that three match days leave no room for slip-ups.
