Rivers Hoopers vice-captain Buchi Nwaiwu, has revealed that the team is not under pressure to retain the 2025 Nigeria Basketball Premier League (NBPL) title.
It would be recalled 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.
Nwaiwu said: “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] I’m not panicking. I feel okay.
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.
Nwaiwu is unperturbed about the new format of the league.
He said: “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 top.”
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.
He concluded: “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.
The 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.
