Latest news with #RobinsonOdochOpong
TimesLIVE
18-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
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 — 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 — 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
The Herald
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
MBB's lack of experience exposed in BAL opener in Kigali
SA 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. 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 Jr 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 Jr finished with 20 and Robinson Odoch Opong managed 15. 'If, like some of the other countries, in SA 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. 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 percent from the floor. Former NBA player Chasson Randle added 20 points for APR, who also recorded 28 fast-break points. Daily Dispatch
