Does New Kid On the Block Al Ahly Benghazi have enough tools to finish the job?
Al Ahly Benghazi are headed to their first Elite 16 outing having made some of the most impressive signings in the tournament that makes them one of the favourites to move out of the group.
BENGHAZI (Libya) - Al Ahly Benghazi will make their maiden appearance in Group A of the Qualifying round for Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 West Division that throws off in Yaounde, Cameroon from October 31-November 5.
The draw ceremony held in Gaborone, Botswana pit the Libyan Champions against regulars Forces Armees et Police (Cameroon), Stade Malien (Mali) and BC Virunga (DR Congo).
Al Ahly Benghazi are headed to their first Elite 16 outing having made some of the most impressive signings in the tournament that makes them one of the favourites to move out of the group.
Souleyman Diabate (10) and Ater Majok (13) helped US Monastir to the 2022 BAL title
The signings of BAL winners Ater Majok and Souleyman Diabate, two of the continent's standout players, speaks volumes about Al Ahly Benghazi's ambitions in the Road to BAL this year.
In addition to the signings of Majok and Diabate, the arrival of Zach Lofton, Perry Petty, Nick Stover and Chris Crawford - a two-time BAL runner-up with US Monastir and AS Douanes - makes Al Ahly Benghazi one of the most talked about teams in the upcoming Elite 16.
The 2022 BAL Defensive Player of the Year Majok is a tower of power on both ends of the floor and a regular in the tournament.
Ater Majok
The South Sudanese center is not new to Al Ahly Benghazi, having played there before. Diabate, who won the BAL with Zamalek and US Monastir, has also played in Libya too but with a different team.
The question on the lips of the basketball pundits remains - with such an array of talent, will they make enough noise in the tournament this year?
At this point, it's fair to say that the Libyan champions cant't be overlooked.
Former AS Douanes shooting guard Chris Crawford was named to the 2023 All-BAL First Team
Tunisian Mounem Oune is the team's head coach. He led the Benghazi-based team to the Libyan Basketball League title last July.
The new Libyan champions won the local league's Final-Four thanks to their 5-1 record. They beat Ittihad 50-47 on the last day of the competition. Al Ahly Tripoli finished in second place with a 4-2 record.
Besides the singings of import players, Al Ahly, Benghazi will also parade key local based talents and if they find their rhythm and chemistry, they will surprise everyone and show that Libyan basketball has improved considerably over the years.
Al Ahly Benghazi, placed in Group A in the Qualifier together with Moroccan champions FUS Rabat made it to the Road to BAL Elite 16 round after Elan Coton of Benin withdrew (only to surface in a different Group).
But the lack of play time in he competition's group stage will not impact on their performance as they traveled to Egypt to shape up for the show with a series of friendly matches against some strong opposition.
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The team also prides itself in having five members of the Libyan national team led by Idris Zeo, Idmail Aljahmi, Sufian Shuehdi, Gaith Muftah and Anis Almansuri to help their quest for continental honours in heir first bite of the cherry.
Founded in 1947, Al Ahly Benghazi is the second Libyan club - since Al Naser in 2019 - to make an appearance in the qualification round for BAL.
In 2011, they finished 12th overall in then Africa Championship in Benin.
Al Ahly Benghazi are going all out to show their might by sending a strong statement and causing a major surprise can not be ruled out.
FIBA