Your Weekly Dose of FIBA Africa Zone 5 News: Urunani, Nairobi City Thunder secure Elite 16 slots as Road to BAL East Division Group D qualifiers conclude in Kibaha as the Zone's women's teams continue to prepare for WBL-Africa qualifiers
Last Updated on
October 23, 2024
Burundi champions Urunani and their Kenyan counterparts Nairobi City Thunder will represent Group D of the East Division in the final phase of BAL qualification after finishing in the top two places in the five-team competition held in Kibaha, Tanzania. The Elite 16 action is slated, tentatively, for 12 November with the host yet to be confirmed.
Vijana Queens host JKT in game two of the Dar es Salaam Women's League playoff semis as the two sides use these as part of their preparations for the upcoming Women's Basketball League-Africa (WBL-Africa) qualifiers.
In the men's league, JKT, fresh from a 1-3 run in the Road to BAL qualifiers held at Kibaha take on Mchenga in the Semis.
More than eight teams are expected to converge in Zanzibar for the Zone 5 qualifiers for the new-look Women's Basketball League-Africa, previously run as Africa Women’s Basketball League (AWBL) whose inaugural edition was held last year in Alexandria, Egypt.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) who lost the final of the inaugural edition headline the list with other key contenders expected including Rwanda Energy Group, semifinalists last year and Al Ahly of Egypt.
Bradley Ibs men made the Road to BAL Elite 16 in their first time of asking, winning three of their four matches in Kibaha. The side lost 89-88 to unbeaten Urunani.
They head back to camp where they have three weeks to prepare for the next phase in the hopes of becoming the first Kenyan side to qualify for the premier African men's club competition.
Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) women’s league champions Equity Bank Hawks and KPA continue their preparations for Zone 5 qualifiers of the African competition as they hope to bag the two slots available. KPA are the defending champions in Zone 5 and expect stiff competition is expected from other clubs.
FOX basketball will carry South Sudan's flag in the Road to BAL East Division Group E qualifying matches slated for October 23 to 27 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The new champions emerged victorious in a week-long South Sudan BAL Qualifier Tournament that was held in Nimra Talata Basketball Courts, Juba from October 14 to 19. They become the second side, after Cobra to participate in the BAL Qualifiers.
Making their return for the first time since their debut in 2022, Burundi champions Urunani have lofty ambitions for the Elite 16. Captain Landry Ndikumana, a regular on the Road to BAL platform says they have a solid team but will need to seal all loopholes exposed in the first qualifying phase, despite going unbeaten, to level the other teams set to compete in the Elite 16.
The side has experienced BAL players led by Marcus Crawford who played for US Monastir, former AS Douanes and NBA Academy Africa graduate Jean-Jacques Boissy, former Cape Town Tigers' Sandile Sibanyoni Nkonsinathi as well as Senegalese talent Mohamed Doumbya who are keen to propel the side to BAL.
[Credit Photography/Imagery :FIBA, SSBF, BASKETBALL255]
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