Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
Rivers Hoopers head coach, Ogoh Odaudu has attributed his team’s success at the Final 8 in Abuja to the “unquantifiable tips” he learnt under D’Tigers head coach, Mike Brown during the national team’s summer camp.
Odaudu said he executed some tactical and technical moves gotten from the Golden State Warriors associate head coach at the just concluded final 8 organized by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) in Abuja.
The KingsMen defeated Gombe Bulls 74-57 in the final to claim the title on Tuesday 16 November 2021 with a 5-0 record.
“The icing on the cake was my experience in the summer with coach Mike Brown on the national team,” said Odaudu.
“The number of things I learnt from him is unquantifiable. I am trying as much to inculcate a lot of the things I learnt from him to this team and I can say he was a great part of what happened in the final. A lot of things we were running at the tournament are things I learnt from him in the camp.”
Rivers Hoopers have a 25-0 record in competitive games played in Nigeria.
The last time the KingsMen lost a game was against Kwara Falcons (57-68) at the Kwese Premier Basketball League Atlantic Conference Final 6 on August 21, 2017, in Ilorin.
Odaudu revealed the secret behind his technical acumen responsible for his team’s success in recent years.
“I have an open mind. I am always open to learning and so I pick up things every day. I am never satisfied with what I have or being in one position for too long so I go out of my way to pick up things,” he said.
“I subscribe to basketball newsletters, coach’s forum and get new information,” Odaudu added.
