FIBA Africa Zone 6 Weekly Review: 25/01/2025

FIBA Africa Zone 6 Weekly Review: 25/01/2025

MBB Blue Soldiers from South Africa have received the wild card for the fifth edition of the BAL. This came after there were numerous reports that they would get immediate qualification as a host nation the same way Morocco did, but FIBA and BAL required them to go through Elite 16 in Kenya. They went to Nairobi with the sole goal of qualifying for the BAL but after a lot of administrative delays from various federations, some of their players did not get cleared in time so they showed up with only local talent.

They fought hard and lost a few games narrowly and fell short on making the playoffs, but it was ultimately their corporate governance and the potential they showed that earned them the wild card. Despite many critics, one cannot doubt their potential should they avoid any administrative challenges around the competition. It is left to be seen how the South African side will fare in their debut in the competition with hopes high that they can punch a ticket for the playoffs and have an opportunity to play in front of their home crowd in Pretoria in June.

The Zambian Super League continues with the second round of the playoffs taking place this weekend. The semi-finals are a 3-game series so the first team to 2 wins in the series advances. Defending champions, Matero Magic, returned to full force after continental exposure at Road To BAL and picked up right where they left off.

They dismissed their rivals, Munali Suns, in the first game of the series when they won 95-68. They will be looking to close off the series in the second game. The other semi-final was a close contest that went down to the wire until Lusaka Basket Kings edged Buffaloes to take home the first game of the series with a 72-69 win. It is unclear who will take the series and will most likely go down to game 3. The women’s finals will be tipping off this weekend and will also be a 3-game series between two heavyweights as Lusaka Basket Queens take on Green Buffaloes. With continental competitions such as BAL and WBLA, the stakes have never been higher as the champions will qualify for the qualifiers to these continental tournaments.

South Africa's Minister of Sports, Gayton McKenzie, was heard on radio speaking about the poor administration of the national federation, Basketball South Africa (BSA), and how they dropped the ball on preparing to host the FIBA U18 AfroBasket in Pretoria in 2024. He was called in the eleventh hour to save the federation as the participating nations had landed in Johannesburg but there were no delegations to welcome them, no shuttles, accommodation and the venue was not paid for.

His office managed to save the day and not bring the nation’s reputation into disrepute. He then went on to say that the BSA leadership had conducted itself poorly on this, granting him the right to bring the force of the law on them as they violated the penal code for the position they hold. He has asked the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee to intervene in changing the leadership of the sport. He said he will continue to investigate this matter and bring it to a close.

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[Images and Photography Courtesy of FIBA, MBB and Midlands]