Wikipedia

2024 BAL season

The 2024 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 4, will be the 4th season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 9 March 2024 and will finish with the final on 1 June 2024, which will be played in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda for a fourth consecutive season.[1]

2024 BAL season
LeagueBasketball Africa League
Season2024
Dates9 March – 1 June 2024[a]
Number of games48
Number of teams12
Seasons
2025 (Season 5) →

This season the league was expanded to 48 games, and from two conferences to three conferences, as South Africa will host the inaugural Kalahari Conference.[2]

Al Ahly are the defending champions, having won the previous edition.

Venues edit

On 19 June 2023, the BAL and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) announced they agreed on a multi-year extension to their collaboration. Under the extension, it was agreed that the BK Arena in Kigali will host the playoffs and finals in the 2024, 2026 and 2028 seasons.[1]

On 5 January 2024, the host venues and schedule were announced. The SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, will be the fourth arena to host BAL games.[3]

Format changes edit

The BAL expanded the total games in the season from 38 to 48. In the group phase, there will now be three conferences as the Kalahari Conference will be held in South Africa. The number of teams in the conferences is decreased to four, with all teams playing each other twice. The top two teams and the two best third-placed teams advance to the playoffs. Before the playoffs, the eight teams will play seeding teams to determine their opponents in the single-elimination playoffs. This was the second time the match-ups in the playoffs were determined on seeding, as this was last done in the inaugural season.[2]

Qualification edit

Qualified teams edit

The six directly qualified teams were the champions of the national leagues of six pre-selected countries. The other six team qualified through the Road to BAL.

Road to BAL edit

Main article: 2024 BAL qualification

The Road to BAL began on 3 October and ended on 26 November 2023. On 21 September 2023, FIBA announced the 20 teams that had registered to play in the first round, which is played in five groups.[4] The final phase of the West Division was organised in Yaoundé for a third time, and Johannesburg hosted the East Division finals once again. Chad was represented for the first time in tournament history.

Teams edit

class=notpageimage|
Location of teams of the 2024 BAL season main tournament.
  Green: Nile Conference;   Yellow: Sahara Conference;   Red: Kalahari Conference.

Petro de Luanda were the first team to qualify, as they won the 2022–23 Angolan Basketball League on 19 April 2023.[5]

APR, Al Ahly Ly, Bangui Sporting Club, Dynamo and FUS Rabat will make their BAL debuts. Al Ahly Ly, Bangui Sporting Club and Dynamo are the first teams from Libya, the Central African Republic, and Burundi, respectively, to play in the BAL.

Team Method of qualification Date of qualification BAL appearance Previous appearance Consecutive appearances Previous best performance Ref.
  Petro de Luanda 2022–23 Angolan League champions 19 April 2023 4th 2023 4 Runners-up (2022) [5]
  Al Ahly 2022–23 Egyptian Premier League champions 15 May 2023 2nd 2023 2 Champions (2023) [6]
  US Monastir 2022–23 Championnat Pro A champions 27 May 2023 4th 2023 4 Champions (2022) [7]
  APR 2023 RBL season champions 9 September 2023 1st — 1 — [8]
  AS Douanes 2023 Nationale 1 champions 17 September 2023 3rd 2023 2 Runners-up (2023) [9]
  Bangui Sporting Club Road to BAL West Division champions 4 November 2023 1st — 1 — [10]
  FUS Rabat Road to BAL West Division runners-up 4 November 2023 1st — 1 — [11]
  Al Ahly Ly[b] Road to BAL West Division third place 5 November 2023 1st — 1 — [12]
  City Oilers Road to BAL East Division runners-up 25 November 2023 2nd 2023 2 Group phase (2023) [13]
  Cape Town Tigers Road to BAL East Division champions 25 November 2023 3rd 2023 3 Quarterfinals (2022, 2023) [14]
  Rivers Hoopers 2023 NBBF Premier League champions 25 November 2023 2nd 2021 1 Group phase (2021) [15]
  Dynamo Road to BAL East Division third place 26 November 2023 1st — 1 — [16]

Personnel edit

As of 26 November 2023.

Team Head coach Captain
Al Ahly   Augustí Julbe[17]   Seif Samir
Al Ahly Ly   Ivan Jeremić[18]   Sofian Hamad[18]
APR   Maz Trakh   Jean Jacques Nshobozwa
AS Douanes   Pabi Guèye   Alkaly Ndour
Bangui Sporting Club   François Enyengue[18]   Jimmy Djimrabaye[18]
Cape Town Tigers   Mlungisi Ngwenya   Lebesa Selepe[19]
City Oilers   Nesba Karim[20]   James Okello[21]
Dynamo   Julien Chaignot[22]   Bryton Hobbs[19]
FUS Rabat   Said El Bouzidi   Abdelhakim Zouita[23]
Petro de Luanda   José Neto (Conference Stage)[24][c]   Carlos Morais[23]
  Sergio Valdeolmillos (Playoffs)[25][c]
Rivers Hoopers   Ogoh Odaudu
US Monastir   Adel Tlatli[26]

Foreign and Elevate players edit

Each BAL team was allowed to have four foreign players on its roster, including only two non-African players. Players in italics were signed only for the playoffs. If players have multiple nationalities, the nationality of an African nation is shown.

Each team will also have one player from the NBA Academy Africa, under the "BAL Elevate" program. This year the league allocated the players to teams, a switch from the draft system used in the previous seasons.[27] Players were allocated based on the following criteria, in order: "country of birth, country of nationality, country where majority of life was spent, past BAL team, country of past BAL team."[27]

Team Players Elevate player[28]
1 2 3 4 –
Al Ahly   Prince Ali[29]   Tony Mitchell[30]   Mark Lyons[31]   Seifeldin Hendawy
Al Ahly Ly   Jo Lual-Acuil[32]   Pierre Jackson[33]   Kevin Murphy[34]   Majok Deng[35]   Solo Diabate[18]   Assane Mandian
APR   Dario Hunt[36]   Zion Styles[37]   Obadiah Noel[38]   Abdullah Ahmed[38]   Ulrich Chomche
AS Douanes   Abdoulaye Harouna[39]   Mike Fofana   Chris Obekpa   Khadim Mboup
Bangui Sporting Club   Rolly Fula Nganga[18]   Curtis Hollis[18]   Moses Bol[40]   Emeka Nwabuzor[40]   Nyang Wek[18]   Ahmed Abouelela
Cape Town Tigers   Cartier Diarra[41]   Billy Preston[41]   Ngor Manyang[41]   Mouhamadou Ndoye[41]   Yakhya Diop
City Oilers   Patrick Rembert[42]   Dane Miller Jr.[42]   Randy Culpepper[42]   Bashir Ahmed[42]   Khaman Maluach
Dynamo   Dhieu Deing[22]   Morakinyo Williams[43]   Bryton Hobbs[44]   Makhtar Gueye[45]   Israel Otobo[45]   Mohamed Camara
FUS Rabat   Aliou Diarra[46]   Ken Brown[47]   John Jordan[48]   Ayoub Nouhi[48]   Yacine Baeri[48]   Mohamed Sylla
Petro de Luanda   Markeith Cummings[49]   Anthony Nelson[50]   Aginaldo Neto
Rivers Hoopers   Will Perry[51]   David Ugonna
US Monastir   Ater Majok[52]   Ahmed Deboui

Notes

Pre-season edit

For a second consecutive season, the BAL champions directly qualified for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. At the 2023 Singapore edition, Al Ahly represented the league. Al Ahly finished in the fourth place, after previously beating the NBA G League Ignite to become the first African team to win a game in the competition's history.

The league hosted the third BAL Combine at the Ibn Yassine Omnisports Hall in Rabat, Morocco, between 5 January and 7 January 2024. It was the first combine to be held on the African continent, after the previous editions were hosted in Paris and New York.[3] A total of 30 players participated under combine director Robert Pack.[3]

Schedule edit

The schedule for the 2024 season was officially released on 5 January 2024.[3]

Phase Round Draw date Games
Qualifying rounds
(Road to BAL) 		First Round – 3 – 23 October 2023
Elite 16 23 October 2023 31 October – 26 November 2023
Regular season Kalahari Conference – 9 – 17 March 2024
Nile Conference 19 – 27 April 2024
Sahara Conference 4 – 12 May 2024
Seeding games 24 May – 1 June 2024
Playoffs Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final and third place

Group phase edit

The group phase will be played between 9 March and 12 May 2024. The 12 teams of the group phase are divided into three conferences. In addition to the Sahara Conference and Nile Conference, the inaugural Kalahari Conference will take place.

Kalahari Conference edit

Main article: 2024 BAL Kalahari Conference

The conference games began on 9 March and will end on 17 March 2024 and were played at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa. In the opening day game between Burundi's Dynamo and South Africa's Cape Town Tigers, the Burundian side taped off the logo of league sponsor Visit Rwanda. Political tensions between the two border nations Burundi and Rwanda had been rising, as Burundi has accused Rwanda of supporting the RED-Tabara rebel militia in the country.[54][55] Dynamo forfeited their second game against FUS Rabat on 10 March, with the BAL citing "refusing to comply with the league’s rules governing jersey and uniform requirements" as the reason why.[56] Following Dynamo's second forfeit on 12 March, the team was automatically withdrawn from the group as per FIBA rules.[57] Dynamo players Bryton Hobbs and Makhtar Gueye stated that the Burundian government had prohibited the team to wear the logo and ordered the club to forfeit its games if necessary.[54][58]

Pos Team
 Pld W L GF GA GD PCT Qualification FUS PDL CTT DBC
1   FUS Rabat 4 3 1 363 295 +68 .750 Advance to playoffs — 86–89 84–78 20–0
2   Petro de Luanda 4 2 2 360 340 +20 .500 73–82 — 100–88 Canc.
3   Cape Town Tigers (H) 4 1 3 305 346 −41 .250 Possibly advance to the playoffs 58–84 84–78 — 73–86
4   Dynamo (D) 0 0 0 0 0 0 — Withdrew Canc. Canc. Canc. —
Source: BAL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(D) Disqualified; (H) Hosts

Nile Conference edit

Main article: 2024 BAL Nile Conference
Pos Team
 Pld W L GF GA GD PCT Qualification ASC AAL BSC COB
1   Al Ahly (H) 4 3 1 99 76 +23 .750 Advance to playoffs — 98–88 99–76
2   Al Ahly Ly 4 2 2 93 71 +22 .500 — 93–71
3   Bangui SC 5 3 2 71 93 −22 .600 Possibly advance to the playoffs 79–85 96–93 — 101–88
4   City Oilers 5 1 4 76 99 −23 .200 82–81 68–79 —
Updated to match(es) played on 25 April 2024. Source: BAL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

Sahara Conference edit

Main article: 2024 BAL Sahara Conference
Pos Team
 Pld W L GF GA GD PCT Qualification ASD APR USM RIV
1   AS Douanes 0 0 0 0 0 0 — Advance to playoffs —
2   APR 0 0 0 0 0 0 — —
3   US Monastir 0 0 0 0 0 0 — Possibly advance to the playoffs —
4   Rivers Hoopers 0 0 0 0 0 0 — —
First match(es) will be played: 4 May 2024. Source: BAL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Ranking of third-placed teams edit

Pos Grp Team
 Pld W L PF PA PD PCT Qualification
1 Kalahari   Cape Town Tigers 4 1 3 305 346 −41 .250 Advance to playoffs
2 Nile Nile Conference third-ranked team 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Sahara Sahara Conference third-ranked team 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
Source: BAL

Seeding games edit

The seeding games between the eight teams that advanced from the group phase, will be held on 24 May in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.[2] This is the first year in which seeding games are played.

Playoffs edit

The playoffs and finals will be held from 24 May to 1 June 2024 in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.[2]

Notes edit

  1. ^ The qualification rounds began on 3 October 2023 and ended 20 November 2023.
  2. ^ During the 2024 BAL qualification, Al Ahly Ly was officially represented as Al Ahly Benghazi by FIBA.
  3. ^ a b José Neto coached Petro de Luanda during the Kalahari Conference, but was fired on 21 March 2024.[24] Sergio Valdeolmillos was signed as his successor at 28 March 2024.[25]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Basketball Africa League and Rwanda Development Board announce multi-year extension to play BAL games in Kigali". NBA.com: NBA Communications. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "BAL Expands to South Africa for Fourth Season tipping off in March 2024". The BAL. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Basketball Africa League announces host cities, venues and dates for 2024 regular season tipping off March 9 in Pretoria, South Africa". NBA.com. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Schedule and venues confirmed for the 2023 Road to BAL". FIBA.basketball. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b da Silva, Juscelino (20 April 2023). "Petro de Luanda conquista 16º título". Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  6. ^ "الخطيب يهنئ لاعبي السلة وجهازهم الفني والإداري والطبي ببطولة دوري السوبر". Al Ahly (in Arabic). 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  7. ^ "African Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  8. ^ "PHOTOS: Basketball: APR clinch first championship in 14 years". 9 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Championne du Sénégal après son succès sur la JA (64-56), l'AS Douanes retourne à la BAL !". Basketsenegal (in French). 17 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Bangui stun star-studded Benghazi to book first-ever BAL ticket". FIBA.basketball. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  11. ^ "FUS Rabat clinch BAL ticket". FIBA.basketball. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Al Ahly Benghazi pick last ticket from the West Division to the BAL 2024 season". FIBA.basketball. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  13. ^ "City Oilers first team to book 2024 BAL slot in Joburg". FIBA.basketball. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Nkosinathi Sibanyoni powers Cape Town Tigers to 2024 BAL". FIBA.basketball. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  15. ^ Busari, Niyi. "Rivers Hoopers Crowned NBBF Final 4 Champions, Pick BAL Ticket". BSN Sports. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Dynamo outlast COSPN, secure last BAL ticket". FIBA.basketball. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Al Ahly Extend Augustí's Contract For 2 More Years". Al Ahly. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h "Al Ahly Ly vs. Bangui SC". BAL GeniusSports.
  19. ^ a b "LiveStats: Cape Town Tigers vs. Dynamo Basketball Club". geniussports.com. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  20. ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (3 April 2024). "BAL 2024: City Oilers appoint Nesba Karim as new coach". The New Times. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  21. ^ "LiveStats". geniussports.com. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  22. ^ a b @dynamobasketballclub (24 January 2024). "News: @dhieudeng the south Sudanese shooting guard has arrived in Bujumbura after the coach @julienchaignot and the player @thelionkillaa are already here as our recruits for @thebal . Other new recruits are expected to arrive next week to complete our roster. Welcome @dhieudeng 💚🤍" – via Instagram.
  23. ^ a b "LiveStats: FUS de Rabat vs. Petro de Luanda". geniussports.com. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  24. ^ a b "José Neto renova contrato com o Petro de Luanda". Databasket (in Brazilian Portuguese). 6 August 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  25. ^ a b "Sérgio Valdeolmillos substitui José Neto". Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). 28 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Basket : l'USMO a un nouveau coach". Sport News Africa (in French). 8 December 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Top NBA Draft prospects land on new BAL teams". ESPN.com. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Meet the BAL Elevate top prospects for Season 4". The BAL. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  29. ^ Hamid Addasi, Abdul (27 February 2024). "Al Ahly Cairo inks Prince Ali". Afrobasket.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  30. ^ Hamid Addasi, Abdul (27 February 2024). "Tony Mitchell agreed terms with Al Ahly Cairo". Afrobasket.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  31. ^ {{}}
  32. ^ Hamid Addasi, Abdul (22 February 2024). "Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (ex Melbourne) signs at Ahly Benghazi". Afrobasket.com.
  33. ^ Hamid Addasi, Abdul (22 February 2024). "Pierre Jackson (ex Nanjing MK) signs at Ahly Benghazi". Afrobasket.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  34. ^ Hamid Addasi, Abdul (22 February 2024). "Kevin Murphy (ex Ittihad) is a newcomer at Ahly Benghazi". Afrobasket.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  35. ^ Hamid Addasi, Abdul (22 February 2023). "Ahly Benghazi inks Majok Deng". Afrobasket.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  36. ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (4 January 2024). "APR sign American center Dario Hunt ahead of BAL". The New Times. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  37. ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (6 December 2023). "American guard Zion Styles joins APR ahead of BAL 2024". The New Times. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  38. ^ a b Sikubwabo, Damas (19 April 2024). "Basketball: APR signs two G-League players ahead of BAL 2024". The New Times. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  39. ^ "Basketball : L'AS Douanes s'offre l'arrière nigérien Abdoulaye Harouna" (in French). 28 December 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  40. ^ a b @bangui_sporting_club (4 April 2024). "Nous vous présentons officiellement notre équipe et le staff pour la conférence Nil qui débutera du 19 au 27 au Caire en Égypte" – via Instagram.
  41. ^ a b c d "Cape Town Tigers (SOUTH AFRICA)". The BAL. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  42. ^ a b c d "City Oilers (UGANDA)". The BAL. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  43. ^ @dynamobasketballclub (26 January 2024). "@kinyowilliams the British big man has arrived today in Bujumbura. He is our third recruitment for the BAL so far. He plays at the center position and is here to bring his experience in basketball to the team at @thebal" – via Instagram.
  44. ^ @dynamobasketballclub (27 January 2024). "The point guard @iso.hov has arrived in Bujumbura as our fourth recruit for @thebal . Welcome 💚🤍" – via Instagram.
  45. ^ a b "Dynamo BBC (BURUNDI)". The BAL. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  46. ^ "FUS Rabat inks Aliou Diarra". Afrobasket.com. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  47. ^ @fusbasketball (19 January 2024). "Welcome to our new signing. Ken Brown officially in town" – via Instagram.
  48. ^ a b c "FUS de Rabat (MOROCCO)". The BAL. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  49. ^ @petro_de_luanda_oficial (26 February 2024). "Bem-vindo/Welcome Markieth Cummings! @2cummings" – via Instagram.
  50. ^ @petro_de_luanda_oficial (26 February 2024). "Bem-vindo/Welcome Anthony Nelson!" – via Instagram.
  51. ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (24 February 2024). "Patriots star Perry joins Rivers Hoopers ahead of BAL 2024". The New Times. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  52. ^ Hamid Addasi, Abdul (22 February 2024). "Majok comes back to US Monastir, ex Sagesse". Afrobasket.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  53. ^ "What can happen on the last day of the 2023 Sahara Conference?". The BAL. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  54. ^ a b "Burundi's Dynamo exit Basketball Africa League over jersey row". Reuters. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  55. ^ "Burundi's Dynamo BC out of BAL over Visit Rwanda protest". ESPN.com. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  56. ^ "Dynamo Basketball Club forfeits game against FUS Rabat Basketball". The BAL. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  57. ^ "Basketball Africa League President Amadou Gallo Fall Statement regarding Dynamo Basketball Club". The BAL. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  58. ^ Reporter, Times (11 March 2024). "BAL 2024: Gueye slams Burundi's interference amid Dynamo forfeit". The New Times. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2024_BAL_season&oldid=1221311583"