Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
The General Manager of Rivers Hoopers basketball club, Ifie Ozaka has described 2018 as the best year ever in the history of the club.
Hoopers for the first time won the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Championship early this month in Cotonou, finishing with a 5-0 record.
Looking back on 2018, Ozaka labelled it a bitter-sweet experience for the Zone 3 Champions who played only two games all year, before the competition in Cotonou.
“I will describe 2018 as turbulent for the team. We didn’t play any competitive basketball till November were we had only two competitive matches which we qualified for the FIBA qualifiers in Zone 3.
“From the turbulence of 2018, we are ending the season on a high note. A turbulent season turned out to be our best season and highest point ever in the history of the club.”
Ozaka continued, “playing along league where players have to play many matches, where players get more allowances, where the fans of the team come out and watch the team play week in, week out that’s what I would have loved to do this season. Not playing a long league and not just the Kwese league wasn’t too good for my team and also fans of basketball in Port Harcourt.”
The long-serving administrator of the club was satisfied with his team’s performance at the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Championship which they finished as champions.
“I was very impressed with my boys. At the beginning of 2018 when we went out to recruit a couple of players we wanted, I think we made very good choices in the transfer market. The players we brought in filled the gaps properly.
“I told them it’s been a long time I had a bunch of talented young men together as a team. A team I believe that can hold their own against any team in Nigeria so I was very impressed with their play judging that they have not had a long time together.
They played a lot of physical sides and I say kudos to them and if we can keep them together for another season I am sure they will go on to do great things.”
