Kenya’s representatives, Nairobi City Thunder (NCT), have qualified for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite Stage after defeating the Tanzanian side JKT 86-63 in the BAL group stage, east division qualifiers.
Thunder qualified alongside Urunani BBC from Burundi.
The BAL Elite Stage will see 16 teams compete, out of the 48 teams that participated in the BAL’s 8 group stage qualifiers held across the African continent.
However, National Basketball Association (NBA) scouting official, Cameroonian Abel Nson, has cautioned that Thunder risks being knocked out of the BAL Elite stage due to the sidelining of players who contributed to the team’s qualification for the BAL group stage, east division qualifiers.
Nson pointed out that the sidelining of Thunder’s regular players led to their narrow 88-89 defeat against the Burundian side Urunani BBC in the second-to-last BAL qualifier game, held in Tanzania at the weekend.
Urunani, who topped the BAL East division group stage, also qualified for the BAL Elite stage. Thunder finished the BAL qualifiers in second place.