Zouita and FUS Rabat ready for Road to BAL experience

 

RABAT (Morocco) – The 2022-23 Moroccan champions FUS Rabat are gearing up for their inaugural trip to the Road to BAL 2024, and Abdelhakim Zouita, who has been one of the club's pivotal players this season, is ready to dive into the excitement stirred by an appearance at Africa's men’s flagship competition for clubs.

The 2.01m (6ft 7in) (2.00m) forward has already felt the joy of winning an African club title.

In 2017, Zouita inspired AS Sale's to the title of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup while being named the tournament's MVP.

Zouita was named MVP of the 2017 FIBA Africa Champions Cup

"I’ve played the previous version of the clubs championship and I won it with AS Sale.  I've also played in the 2019 ABL . So, I know how it goes up there. And I'm more than ready to play the Road to BAL and progress to the next round with FUS Rabat," he noted.

With the idea of getting as far as they possibly can, FUS Rabat have set the wheels in motion during the off-season to prepare for their maiden appearance. The arrival of high-caliber players, are all part of a mission they do not want to fail.

"We're aiming big and we're giving ourselves the means to reach our targets," adds Zouita. "The club is calling in people with experience and that will make a difference."

For the Moroccan club, making it past the Road to BAL will be a strong signal to the African basketball community. "It would mean that basketball in Morocco is finding a new impulse. When we won the FIBA AfroCan earlier this year, we laid the founding stones of a new era," he noted.

Along with veterans Mohamed Choua, Soufiane Kourdou and Soufiane Benhmine, who have suited up for Morocco in the past decade, Zouita has helped the Northern Africans claim their first major title in years.

"These players have a long-lasting presence in the national squad, but we're still young and we have so much to give."

Zouita captained Morocco to a maiden AfroCan title

Zouita and FUS Rabat will enter this year's Road to BAL with the firm intention of proving that they belong there and that basketball is a thing in Morocco. 

"Winning the AfroCan in Angola meant that Moroccan basketball is back to business, especially since our last appearance as a country goes back to 2017. Now that the national team has won a continental title, we'd like to follow their footsteps and progress as far as we can in the biggest competition for clubs in Africa," he notes.

As a competitor, he won't be satisfied with a mere appearance at the Road to BAL. Zouita and FUS Rabat are carrying the hopes of a whole nation as they get ready for their inaugural game, later in October.

"It’s all about representing Morocco and sending the right message , the one that says that Moroccan basketball is still alive. I truly believe that we can be among the best teams on the continent," he concluded.

FIBA