Nigeria’s representatives at the season five of the Basketball Africa League, Rivers Hoopers have added Raphiael Putney to their roster.
Putney has a lot of experience having played in the G-league, China, Europe, and Saudi Arabia.
The 6-foot-10 power forward tallied a game-high 27 points in his last two games for Cape Town Tigers, which enabled them to win their second consecutive National Championship in August 2022.
In March 2024, Putney signed with the Pioneros de Los Mochis of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Paci co (CIBACOPA) in Northwestern Mexico.
The 34-year-old American was named CIBACOPA All-Star after averaging a league-leading 2.7 blocks per game.
Putney is the latest player to sign with the Nigeria Basketball League Champions.
Earlier, Rivers Hoopers had acquired the services of Madut Akec and Jackson Okoi. Recall that last season Akec delivered an exceptional performance for AS Douanes when they faced Rivers Hoopers in the BAL Sahara Conference.
In the first game, the small forward, who is six-foot-seven, posted a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and followed up with a player- of-the-game performance by scoring 17 points and 7 rebounds in the second game.
Okoi on the other hand has been on the South Sudan national team since 2020. The six-foot- ve point guard helped his team reach the quarterfinals of the Afrobasket 2021, which was the country’s first major tournament.
He was selected as part of the final roster for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and performed in both FIBA windows during the Afrobasket Qualifiers.
Okoi has played in the Croatian league and the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).
Putney is the latest additions to Rivers Hoopers’ roster, following Kelvin Amayo, Peter Olisemeka, Sudanese duo of Madut Akec and Jackson Okoi