Basketball Africa League (BAL) officials, based in Dakar, Senegal, made a notable trip to Kenya to assess Nairobi City Thunder’s exceptional performance and evaluate other teams during the BAL Elite 16 Stage tournament semi-finals held at Kasarani, Nairobi. 

The visiting BAL delegation, led by Chief Executive Officer Amadou Gallo Fall, included head of basketball operations Ruben Boumtje.

The team’s mission was to monitor the semi-final games and compile a comprehensive performance report.

According to the USA National Basketball Association (NBA) scout based in Nairobi Abel Nson the officials meticulously observed the matches, engaged with players and sought insights from fans and basketball stakeholders during their visit to Kasarani’s indoor arena. 

Speaking to People Sport, Nson observed that the BAL officials’ visit was also to ensure fair qualification to the BAL Elite 16 Stage finals.

“The BAL team’s role included evaluating team performances, taking photographs, conducting interviews and collecting opinions from players, officials and fans. Their forthcoming report will highlight team and player ratings, along with key takeaways from the tournament,” he explained. 

The four teams that reached the BAL Elite 16 Stage semi-finals were Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder, Uganda’s City Oilers, Kriol Star from Cape Verde, and Burundi’s Urunani BBC.

Thunder defeated the Ugandan side 72-62 to secure a place in the final, while Kriol Star edged out Urunani BBC 90-82 in the other semi-final. 

Reflecting on Thunder’s journey, Nson expressed immense pride in their achievement stating, “Thunder’s performance has firmly placed Kenya on the continental and international basketball map.”

Their victory over Cape Verde’s Kriol Star, 99-86, in the final was a testament to their growing prowess.” 

Similarly, Nson also offered strategic advice, urging Thunder to retain their current squad with minimal adjustments for the BAL Club Champions final.

He noted: “Thunder will undoubtedly make it to the ultimate BAL Club Champions semi-finals if the team’s technical bench maintains the same players who played during the BAL Elite 16 Stage tournament. However, they can only make very slight recruitments and additions to the team that will compete in the BAL Club Champions final.”

He went on to laude Kriol Star’s tactical approach, highlighting their commendable performance as worthy finalists.

“Kriol Star is a tactical and well-organized team from the little-known West African country of Cape Verde, which is about an hour’s flight from Senegal. Cape Verde is a basketball country, and FIBA Africa did not make a mistake by granting Kriol a wild card to compete in the BAL Elite games in Nairobi. By reaching the BAL Elite final, they proved they didn’t fluke but deserved it.”

The 2025 BAL will include 12 teams split into three conferences: Nile, Kalahari and Sahara.

The Kalahari Conference will be held from April 5 to 13 in Morocco’s capital, Rabat.

The Nile Conference group will take place from April 24 through May 6 in Dakar, Senegal.

Additionally, the Sahara Conference group is slated to run from April 17 to 25 in Kigali, Rwanda.