NAIROBI (Kenya) - The East Division Elite 16 produced some scintillating action in the Semi-Finals held on Monday, December 2nd at the Kasarani Indoor Arena where newcomers Nairobi City Thunder and Kriol Star emerged victorious to book their tickets to Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2025 season.
Cape Verde's Kriol Star, the youngest team in the competition, formed this year by two professional players, brothers Joel and Ivan Almeida, through the Kriol Star Foundation, stunned Burundi's Urunani 90-82 with just six players in rotation to make history for their country in their first year of existence.
The achievement is even more significant for the Islanders, whose journey to the decider has been one of self-belief.
They made their debut in the Road to BAL group phase and were given a baptism of fire when they lost 100-77 to eventual winners Al Ahly Tripoli and narrowly lost 81-76 to another BAL bound, Stade Malien, in the West Division competition in Libya. But a wild-card a few days before the Elite 16 of the East Division gave them a lifeline.
An 89-58 win over Bravehearts of Malawi, followed by a 104-71 defeat at the hands of Nairobi City Thunder and a 63-58 thriller against South Africa's MBB Blue Soldiers, ensured that the Islanders were involved in one of the division's two play-offs, where they caused the biggest upset.
"This ticket means everything for me as the coach. Can you imagine what it means for the country," Kriols head coach Hugo Da Silva Salgado posed after the feat. "One of the smallest countries in Africa will have a team in the BAL, after having their national team play in the [2023] World Cup. Everyone is talking about us. I know the effort it took Joel [Almeida] to put the team together and it is a historic moment not just for Cape Verde but for African basketball."
Meanwhile, Thunder, who won their first Kenyan title unbeaten this year after several failed attempts as a self-supporting team, are making history in the host country.
The Bradley Ibs-coached side made their debut in the Road to BAL East Division Group D and finished second behind Burundi's Urunani in the five-team competition in Kibaha, Tanzania.
Tylor Ongwae's side won three of their four games against Seychelles' Beau Vallon Heat (89-58), Madagascar's GNBC (96-60) and hosts JKT (86-63) before losing 89-88 to Urunani for second place.
In the Elite 16, Thunder picked up statement wins in their first two games, a 102-59 triumph over MBB Blue Soldiers and a 104-71 victory over Kriol Star before a 91-68 victory over Malawi's Bravehearts to reach the semi-finals.
In the semis, the Oilers tested the hosts in a game of runs, but held on for a 72-62 victory at the 5,000-seater Kasarani Indoor Arena, powered by an enthusiastic sixth man.
"It is an amazing, historic day for us. For the first time a Kenyan team will play BAL. It feels like a huge day for Kenyan basketball which is something we are proud to be a part of. If you turned around at the end of the game and saw all our fans, it was really a special moment," coach Bradley Ibs, who joined the side ahead of the 2023/24 league season, observed.
His sentiments were echoed by skipper Ongwae, who said the last three months had prepared them for this moment and that they would "make some noise" on their way to BAL.
"You saw us celebrating at the end of the game because we have been working hard for the last three months. We are proud to represent Kenya at the BAL," said captain Ongwae. "It means a lot to be the first team from the country to qualify. It feels great because of the work we have put in. This is our chance to grow the game here and improve our league. This is just the beginning, a turning point.
The captain paid tribute to the fans, who turned out in huge numbers for all the matches, with the biggest crowd at the decider. "Credit to the fans, they were amazing. It shows that Kenyans love basketball and it is now our duty to continue to grow the game and attract more people. It also opens up the possibility of mentorship for the young kids.
They join three other teams playing in the BAL for the first time - Al Ahli Tripoli, Al Ittihad of Egypt and ASVC of Senegal.
FIBA