Kenya’s representatives at the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference, Nairobi City Thunder (NCT), are set to play their “home” fixture away from home today at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, against South Africa’s Made By Basketball (MBB).

This comes after a one-day rest yesterday following back-to-back opening losses to hosts Rwanda Patriotic Army (APR) and Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli at the same venue.

Meanwhile, storm of inexperience, poor player recruitment and sidelining of local talent has blown NCT off course in their maiden Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference campaign, with veteran coaches now calling out the team’s flawed build-up after a humbling defeat to Rwanda Patriotic Army (APR) in Kigali on Saturday, May 17, 2025.

In their opening game, witnessed by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall, APR thrashed NCT 92-63.

Strong start

Though Thunder started strong, winning the first quarter 23-22, they crumbled in the second (8-17) and fourth (14-33) quarters.

The following day (Sunday), Thunder fell again, 87-115 to Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli. Despite tying 34-34 in the fourth quarter, they had already trailed 18-24, 20-29 and 15-28 in the previous quarters.

Speaking to People Sports yesterday, Kisumu-based national Division One’s Lakeside basketball outfit tactician Emmanuel Ochieng’ attributed Thunder’s loss to the inexperience of some players making their debut in the BAL championship. He also criticised the team’s recruitment strategy ahead of the tournament.

“Thunder’s sponsor should have adequately empowered the technical bench to recruit quality players capable of competing and withstanding the rigours of a continental tournament like BAL,” said Ochieng’.

“To compete effectively at the BAL level, the sponsor must allocate a sufficient budget to facilitate scouting, recruitment, and retention. That includes offering lucrative contracts to avoid player turnover,” he added.

Ochieng’ further noted that Thunder should have retained key import players such as South Sudanese Majok Ater James and Abdoulaye Harouna, who were instrumental in the team’s qualification during the Road to BAL East Division group stage qualifiers held in Kibaha, Tanzania, and the Elite 16 stage at Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi.

“For a team to compete at this level, the sponsor must be willing to spend generously and offer competitive salaries to attract and retain top talent,” he advised.

Separately, after last year’s season-opening BAL build-up match between Thunder and AllStars (which NCT won 111-83) then AllStars’ Cameroonian coach Abel Nson had warned of serious issues in Thunder’s defence and scoring setup.

Defence errors

“Thunder’s technical bench should urgently fix their defence. Defence is the core of basketball. I also noticed they struggled to score from inside the paint. That won’t fly at BAL, where teams are extremely aggressive,” Nson had warned.

He also pointed out that Thunder over-relied on a core of eight players, sidelining local talent that had helped the team qualify for BAL.

“You can’t go to BAL with such a limited rotation. These are professional players who won’t hold back. Thunder must widen their squad depth,” he cautioned.

Nson, however, singled out imports William Sidney Davis II and Uchenna Iroegbu for praise, commending their shooting, quick moves, and teamwork.

In a follow-up interview yesterday, Nson said he had reached out to coach Brad Ibs after the AllStars match to share areas for improvement and has continued to do so even during the ongoing BAL campaign in Rwanda.

Equity Hawks’ coach Ben Oluoch (last season’s Coach of the Year) also weighed in on Thunder’s back-to-back losses to APR and Al Ahli Tripoli (AHT) in Kigali.

“From a coaching point of view, Thunder lacks inside presence, players who can anchor the team and galvanise teamwork,” Oluoch noted.

“Who killed’ Thunder against APR? It was Alion Diarra, who dropped 21 points. A player like Majok would have been vital in countering him.”

Zero collective play

Oluoch also mentioned that only Captain Tylor Ongwae appeared unfazed during both matches.

“Some players looked overwhelmed by the occasion. Eugene Adera, for instance, was too individualistic. Thunder needs to calm down and play collectively,” he said.

He added that local talent like Ken Wachira showed more promise than some imports, including Ghanaian player Nana Appiah.

“Some of the imports aren’t up to BAL standards. Thunder should trust their local players more,” he warned.

Kenya women’s national team coach George Mayienga echoed these sentiments.

“Thunder didn’t play badly overall. They won the first (23-22) and third (21-20) quarters against APR. But the fourth quarter was disastrous.”

Mayienga said some of the new imports lacked chemistry with local players, disrupting rhythm and defensive organisation.

“BAL demands disciplined team defence. Thunder players resorted to man-to-man marking without rotation or help defence.”

“This is their debut BAL appearance, so that must be considered. Thunder is Kenya’s top club, but adjustments are urgently needed for better continental results,” he advised.

Despite Coach Ibs’ ambition to make Thunder the best team in Africa, the ongoing BAL Nile Conference at BK Arena in Kigali has painted a different picture.