HARARE (Zimbabwe) - Four clubs will make their Road To BAL debut their Road To BAL Group E Division in the Zimbabwe capital on Tuesday (23-27 October).
Group E contains six teams, five from Southern Africa and one from East Africa. The teams are all vying for the two tickets to the Elite 16.
Division East Teams
Host club Hounds, Mozambique champions Costa do Sol, Fox Basketball Club of South Sudan and Botswana Defence Force are debuting at the preliminary stage of the Road to BAL.
The four debutantes will compete against established campaigners of this stage, Matero Magic of Zambia and Malawi's Bravehearts.
How to watch the games in Group E
All the games in the group will be streamed live on FIBA's YouTube channel.
Fans wanting to see the action live can head to the City Sports Centre in Harare.
What makes Group E unique
Matero Magic are returning to this stage after missing out last year. Hounds, Costa do Sol, Botswana Defence Force and Fox are unknown quantities, that have the potential to make it to Elite 16.
Bravehearts will also look to do better at this stage.
Players to watch
Ayad Munguambe - The forward has buckets of experience having played in two BAL competitions and three Road To BAL qualifiers. He will provide solid rebounding and scoring for Costa do Sol.
Alvaro Masa - Masa returns to club competition on the continent after last appearing at Urunani at this stage in 2022. He brings veteran experience to Costa do Sol, and at 41 he might still have a gas in the tank.
Innocent Zhomwa - Zhomwa is a star in the Zimbabwe domestic game and will be a key figure for the Hounds. He played for JBC in last year’s Road To BAL, so he knows a thing about continental basketball.
Saul Phiri - Phiri is back to the Road To BAL in the colours of Matero Magic. He knows this terrain well and Matero will bank on him to push for an Elite 16 spot.
FIBA