Rivers Hoopers captain Victor Anthony Koko has revealed how the pain of losing last season’s Nigeria Premier Basketball League title drove the Kingsmen back to the summit, bringing a remarkable personal career to a fitting conclusion.
Hoopers reclaimed the championship after completing the 2026 Final Four in Port Harcourt with a perfect 3-0 record, sealing their seventh domestic title and qualification for the 2027 Basketball Africa League.
For Koko, the triumph carried particular significance. Maktown Flyers had denied Hoopers the previous season’s championship with a dramatic 74-72 victory, and the veteran captain said that disappointment became motivation rather than something for the players to forget.
“When we came second last season, nobody celebrated us,” Koko said before the Final Four, setting the tone for a team determined to reclaim its crown.
That mentality ultimately produced redemption. Hoopers secured the title with a game to spare after defeating Gboko City Chiefs 88-76, before completing their unbeaten Final Four campaign with a thrilling 92-90 overtime victory over Maktown Flyers, the same opponents who had broken their hearts a year earlier.
Koko said maintaining a positive mentality within the group was crucial, stressing that the players understood the championship would have to be fought for rather than assumed because of Rivers Hoopers’ reputation.
The triumph proved to be his final act as a professional player.
Shortly afterwards, Koko announced his retirement, ending a career that began with Rivers Hoopers in 2009. The 6ft 9in centre/power forward retires as an eight-time Nigerian league champion, winning seven titles with Hoopers and another with Mark Mentors in 2015.
He also helped Hoopers claim a historic bronze medal at the 2024 Basketball Africa League, represented Nigeria at the 2019 FIBA AfroCan and 2021 AfroBasket, and was named the league’s Final MVP in 2021.
Rivers Hoopers have now retired his iconic No. 15 jersey, ensuring it will never be worn by another player at the club.
For Koko, there could hardly have been a better farewell: revenge for last season’s heartbreak, another championship in his hands, and his number permanently preserved in Rivers Hoopers history.
