MBB's lack of experience exposed in BAL opener in Kigali
South Africa not having a competitive professional basketball league was highlighted by 1986 NBA champion and Johannesburg's Made By Ball (MBB) head coach Sam Vincent as a reason that contributed to their Basketball Africa League opening loss in Rwanda on Saturday.
The Gauteng side put up a decent fight on debut but lost 87-77 to Libya's Al Alhi Tripoli in the Nile Conference at the BK Arena in Kigali.
He said they had not had enough intense preparation together as a group for the competition.
MBB did show character in the third and fourth quarters and managed to reduce a 19-point game to five points. For the majority of the game, they seemed disjointed and lacked fluidity and speed offensively and defensively.
15 points for @RobinsonOpong in MBB's 87-77 defeat to Al Ahli
5-for-7 from 3-point range.
A tough defensive assignment for him against Boissy #BAL5 pic.twitter.com/2JYiGZJjqr
— Franklin Kaweru (@FranklinKaweru) May 17, 2025
Vincent admitted this was due to inexperience at the BAL level and the fact that his team are yet to find each other.
Their international imports Robinson Odoch Opong, Jovan Mooring and Teafale Lenard Jnr did not have many training sessions with the team as they rolled into the team just weeks before.
That trio were the best performers for MBB against Tripoli. Mooring made 26 points, Lenard Jnr finished with 20 and Robinson Odoch Opong managed 15.
'If, like some of the other countries, in South Africa we had a real strong pro league, where a lot of these guys could develop and play a lot of competitive tough games, we could learn how to close down tough situations. It would make a big difference,' Vincent said.
'A lot of the guys did join the team a little bit late, so that's a bit of a disadvantage for us. Guys are still trying to understand who can do what in critical situations. Usually, you learn that somewhere, rather than in a major tournament like the BAL.
🇿🇦 The roar from the South.
The South Africa's champions, locked in and loaded. They're not just here to compete, they're here to conquer. #BAL5 #MBB #SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/GJGDFF0gTH
— Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) May 18, 2025
Another factor for MBB was the inferior contributions made by their bench, which was their downfall in the game.
Their substitutions made 10 points while Tripoli had 32 points with many of those coming from their former NBA Academy Africa student-athlete Jean-Jacques Boissy, who scored 28 points, including 24 from behind the arc, got seven rebounds and three steals.
Vincent said this was an area that needed to improve going deep into the competition.
On Sunday evening, MBB play the home team Armée Patriotique Rwandaise.
APR, who seemed organised in their attack, comfortably beat Kenya's Nairobi City Thunder 92-63.
Their star Aliou Diara did it all for APR, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and four steals, with the team shooting 52.3% from the floor. Former NBA player Chasson Randle added 20 points for APR, who also recorded 28 fast-break points.
Daily Dispatch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
4 hours ago
- The Herald
US Monastir cross River on path to BAL quarters, APR too strong for Petro
Ahmed Doumbia's three-pointer at the buzzer came too late, only narrowing the final score gap to single digits in favour of US Monastir in the Basketball Africa League Playoffs clash at SunBet Arena in Pretoria on Saturday night. Though it looked promising for Hoopers for most of the first half, Monastir had the last laugh, winning 89-81. The Tunisian champions started the 2025 playoffs the same way they did last year, when they beat the eventual champions, Petro de Luanda, in the seeding game. Rivers Hoopers looked unstoppable in the first two quarters and early in the third, exhibiting an entertaining style of play. However, when Coach Vasco Curado called on his bench to find an answer to the Hoopers' dominance, he succeeded. Andrew Edogi, Joackim Haddad, and Babacar Sane proved vital, combining for 39 points off the bench.
eNCA
2 days ago
- eNCA
Eight teams featured in Basketball Africa League play-offs
JOHANNESBURG - The highly anticipated Basketball Africa League is being hosted in South Africa. The BAL playoffs and finals take place between 6 and 14 June at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria. Headlining the halftime performance is SA's very own Casper Nyovest. For more on the tournament, we are joined by NBA Africa Chief Operating Officer, Nakampe Molewa.
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- TimesLIVE
20 players to watch at 2025 Basketball Africa League playoffs in Pretoria
Shortlisting players who can make a difference in the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs is anything but easy, given their potential effect on their teams in the finals in Pretoria. The BAL playoffs take place from Friday to June 14 at the SunBet Arena. Here are the top 20 players to watch at the 2025 BAL playoffs: Jaylen Adams (Al Ahli Tripoli) Born: May 4 1996 Height: 6'1" (1.86m) Position: Point Guard Team: Al Ahli Tripoli Nationality: American The former Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks NBA player made his BAL debut in style during the Nile Conference in Kigali earlier this month, averaging 18.5 points and five assists per game. Adams, the winner and MVP of the 2022 Australian League with the Sydney Kings, was one of the reasons the Libyan champions had a perfect 6-0 record in the regular season. Mohamed Sadi (Al Ahli Tripoli) Born: August 5 1995 Height: 6'4" (1.95m) Position: Guard Team: Al Ahli Tripoli Nationality: Libyan Sadi, who made his BAL debut in 2021 playing for the Senegalese team AS Douanes, is known for his warrior spirit on both ends of the floor. Al Ahli Tripoli head coach Fouad Abou Chacra named him the team's MVP, citing not only his team-high 135 efficiency rating and 14.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, but also his never-die attitude. 🔥🏀 History in the making! 1️⃣2️⃣ African teams. 6️⃣ newcomers. 1️⃣ ultimate champion. BAL Season 5 tips off April 5 in Morocco, who's bringing home the crown? 👀🔥 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) February 28, 2025 George King (Al Ittihad Alexandria) Born: January 15 1994 Height: 6'6" (2.01m) Position: Shooting Guard Nationality: American King, one of three former NBA players in the current BAL season along with George Adams and Chasson Randle, displayed differentiated shooting ability during the Kalahari Conference. He is disciplined defensively, but it's on the offensive end that he causes the most damage to opponents. He averaged 16 points in Al Ittihad's 6-0 regular season run. Patrick Hardy Jnr (US Monastir) Born: April 6 1998 Height: 6'2" (1.89m) Position: Point Guard Nationality: American We learnt that most of US Monastir's offensive plays involved Hardy Jnr in some way, contributing enormously to their 4-2 record in the Sahara Conference. He registered the highest efficiency rating of 107, leading the Tunisian champions with 17.3 points and five assists per game. Patrick Jnr is a decent three-point shooter who sinks three three-pointers per game. Peter Olisemeka (Rivers Hoopers) Born: December 9 1991 Height: 6'9" (2.1m) Position: Centre Nationality: Nigerian Olisemeka's strongest asset is rebounding, so it came as no surprise that he had 68 rebounds in six games, the highest in the BAL regular season. The Nigerian power forward set a season record with 17 rebounds in a game and became the only player to finish with eight offensive rebounds in the 94—77 loss to Al Ittihad Alexandria on April 12 in Rabat, Morocco. Chasson Randle (APR) Born: February 5 1993 Height: 6'1" (1.86m) Position: Point Guard Nationality: American The 2018 EuroLeague champion with Real Madrid made his debut with APR, averaging 16 points and 3.3 assists per game. Randle, who had short stints with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, had the third-highest three-point shooting percentage in the regular season at 48.8%. Yanick Moreira (Petro de Luanda) Born: July 31 1991 Height: 6'10" (2.08m) Position: Centre Nationality: Angolan Before shooting 7-for-8 and scoring 16 points in Petro de Luanda's 103-74 win over Kriol Star, the former G-League champion with the Toronto 905 became the second player this season — after Al Ittihad's Youssef Aboushousha's 6-for-6 — to hit all five of his shots and finish with 11 points in Petro's 65-64 loss to ASC Ville de Dakar. Moreira, A 2009 Basketball Without Border Africa camper, is the only player to have won titles in the G-League, the BAL, and the FIBA Champions League. Nuni Omot (APR) Born: October 3 1994 Height: 6'8" (2.07m) Position: Small Forward Nationality: South Sudanese Omot made his mark in the BAL by leading the Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC to the 2023 title. In the process, he took home the season MVP award. A regular member of the South Sudanese national team, Omot competed in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, averaging 17 points per game. He also wore the Bright Stars uniform at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines. The stage is set for the BAL Playoffs in Pretoria 🇿🇦🏟️ #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 6, 2025 Anas Mahmoud (Al Ittihad Alexandria) Born: September 5, 1995 Height: 7'0" (2.13m) Position: Power Forward/Centre Nationality: Egyptian Mahmoud, who won the 2021 BAL with Zamalek, is known for his shot-blocking and rebounding abilities. These abilities earned him the 2022 BAL Defensive Player of the Year Award. He is a regular member of the Egyptian national team and helped his country finish second at the 2013 AfroBasket when he was 17. He then embarked on a US college basketball career at the University of Louisville. Omar Abada (FUS Rabat) Born: April 20 1993 Height: 6'1" (1.86m) Position: Point Guard Nationality: Tunisian Abada just joined the Moroccan champions for the BAL playoffs after helping Club Africain win the 2025 Tunisian league title earlier this month. He made headlines when he was named to the 2021 BAL First Team in a tournament that helped US Monastir secure second place. Abada is in his third BAL season and is a two-time FIBA AfroBasket champion with Tunisia (2017 and 2021). Jean Jacques Boissy (Al Ahli Tripoli) Born: January 28 2000 Height: 6'2" (1.88m) Position: Guard Nationality: Senegalese Earlier this month Boissy put on a spectacular display in the Nile Conference. The Senegalese guard came off the bench for all six of Al Ahli Tripoli's games, yet he still finished with a regular season high of 23.8 points per game. In his debut with the Libyan champions, Boissy shot 8-for-13 from deep, finishing just short of the BAL record set by Will Perry, who shot 9-for-14 and led Ferroviario da Beira to a 102-92 win over SLAC on April 30, 2023. Kyle Vinales (Al Ittihad Alexandria) Born: June 18 1992 Height: 6'2" (1.88m) Position: Point Guard Nationality: American Vinales is a typical point guard who creates shooting opportunities for his teammates and demonstrates defensive leadership. The American guard had the second-highest efficiency on Al Ittihad Alexandria, behind only Majok Deng, while averaging 12 points and 5.3 assists per game. Madut Akec (Rivers Hoopers) Born: January 1 1999 Height: 6'8" (2.03m) Position: Shooting Guard Nationality: South Sudanese In his second BAL season, after playing for AS Douanes in 2024, Madut played a huge role in helping the Rivers Hoopers finish with the second-best record (4—2) in the 2025 Kalahari Conference in Rabat in April. Madut excelled on both ends of the floor, averaging 17.8 points and 7.7 rebounds, and registering the third-highest efficiency rating (129) in the regular season. Madut also had the highest three-point shooting percentage (58.6%). Jo Lual Acuil (Al Ittihad Alexandria) Born: April 26 1994 Height: 7'0" (2.13m) Position: Centre Nationality: South Sudanese Acuil had a nearly perfect BAL debut last season. He was named the league's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-BAL First Team. However, his Al Ahly team lost to Petro de Luanda in the 2025 BAL Final. Acuil is a member of the South Sudanese national team. Let the show begin in Pretoria! 🤩🇿🇦 ⏰ 4PM: Kriol Star vs FUS de Rabat ⏰ 7PM: Alahli SC vs AL Ittihad 🎟 👀 Watch the games live on: 📺 The BAL YouTube: 📲 / NBA App — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 6, 2025 Majok Deng (Al Ittihad Alexandria) Born: January 3 1993 Height: 6'9" (2.05m) Position: Power Forward Nationality: South Sudanese Deng was a highly productive substitute; that's the only way to describe his impact on Al Ittihad Alexandria's rotation. The 2024 Paris Olympian from South Sudan recorded the highest efficiency (93) for the Egyptian giants, contributing 14.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Deng was on the Al Ahly Ly team that came in second last year. Jonathan Jordan (FUS Rabat) Born: October 7 1992 Height: 5'10" (1.77m) Position: Point Guard Nationality: American Imagine a relatively short player with unparalleled jumping ability. Now picture a player who can shoot from every corner of the floor. That player is Jonathan Jordan. A 2017 NBA G-League champion with the Toronto 905, he has been one of FUS Rabat's most productive players, averaging 13 points and five assists per game. Ivan Almeida (Kriol Star) Born: May 10 1989 Height: 6'6" (2.01m) Position: Guard/Small Forward Nationality: Cape Verdean Throughout the Sahara Conference, where the Creoles finished 3-3, Almeida emerged as Kriol Star's do-it-all and go-to guy. A regular member of the Cape Verdean national team, Almeida recorded the sixth-highest efficiency rating (116) in the regular season, averaging 17.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He had four double-doubles in six games. MBB miss out on Pretoria playoffs after BAL conference elimination Johannesburg's Made by Ball's (MBB) dream of reaching the Basketball Africa League playoffs in their debut season was torpedoed when they were beaten ... Sport 1 week ago Aliou Diarra (APR) Born: December 12 2001 Height: 6'10" (2.08m) Position: Power Forward/Centre Nationality: Malian During the Nile Conference, Diarra was APR's most impactful player, averaging 19.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks per game. He had the fifth-highest efficiency rating (118) in the regular season. He set a BAL record with eight blocks in APR's 77-74 win over the Nairobi City Thunder, surpassing the previous record of seven set by Anas Mahmoud and Khaman Maluach in the 2022 and 2024 seasons, respectively. Firas Lahyani (US Monastir) Born: July 16 1991 Height: 6'7" (2.0m) Position: Power Forward Nationality: Tunisian Lahyani is colloquially known as 'Air Tunisia' because of his ability to easily dunk and jump. He recorded the second-highest efficiency (101) for US Monastir while averaging nine points and nine rebounds at the Sahara Conference in Dakar last month. A regular member of the Tunisian national team, Lahyani helped his country win the 2017 FIBA AfroBasket tournament. Patrick Gardner (Petro de Luanda) Born: June 16 1999 Height: 6'11" (2.11m) Position: Power Forward/Centre Nationality: Egyptian Gardner is a big man who can shoot from deep, which is one of the attributes that makes him a menace to opponents. He had the highest efficiency rating (96) for Petro de Luanda in the Sahara Conference in Dakar, where the reigning BAL champions finished 3—3. He contributed 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Gardner, who is left-handed, is in his second BAL season, having played for Al Ahly SC last season. He played for Egypt at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and played two seasons in the NBA G League, averaging six points per game.
