5 THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON AT THE 'BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE'
5 THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON AT THE 'BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE'
Mai 12, 2021

5 THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON AT THE 'BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE'

Leonardo Risso - Lausanne, CH FOTO: Getty Images, BAL

Beggining on May 16 , BAL, the African league created by the NBA with the aim of developing the game in Africa, will be of great importance for the world of basketball and its ecosystem, in addition to developing a region that lacks job opportunities, infrastructure and business related income. The tournament will be held for two weeks, and it will feature 12 teams from different African countries totaling 26 games. The teams, and everyone directly involved with the league, have been placed in a “bubble” located in Rwanda complying with safety protocols and all games will be hosted at the Kigali Arena.


We, at STREETOPIA, are looking forward to it, so we have separated five points for you to keep an eye on during this inaugural season:




1) COACH JOSÉ NETO

A true representative of Brazil in the league as coach of Petro de Luanda, from Angola, José Neto has had a very successful career being the best coach in the history of NBB winning four championships  for Flamengo, champion of the League of the Americas, Intercontinental Cup, among many other championships like the Pan-American by the Brazilian Women's Team. In the last year, the coach took on the challenge of heading Petro and has already shown results, he just won the Super Cup and the Angolan Championship, and he was crowned coach of the year. Now, the biggest challenge of the year is still ahead: become champion of the Basketball African League.


Petro de Luanda is in group B of BAL and faces off AS Salé of Morocco, AS Police of Mali, and Cameroonian FAP. The teams in each group will play against each other and Petro will be classified in the top 2 to advance to the quarter-finals, which will be played in a single playoff game.


STREETOPIA
is certainly rooting for him and according to an article by Leonard Solms on ESPN, Petro de Luanda is the favorite for grabbing that championship.



2) J. COLE

On the verge of releasing his new album, the rapper has been ”spotted" in Ruanda by The New Times and, according to insider Shams, will be part of the city's team, the Patriots BBC. J.Cole has appeared in several practice sessions with NBA players, he has also returned to intense training last year and had expressed his personal willingness to play professionally in 2021. In addition to that, he signed an endorsement agreement with  Puma, launched his own basketball shoes, and will certainly be a key player to the popularization of BAL.



3) ZAMALEK SC (EGYPT)

The Egyptian Basketball Superleague champion team in 2019, this is one of the most traditional teams on the African continent with 13 national championships, African champion in 1992 and very well rated to reach the BAL finals. The team counts on center Anas Osama Mahmoud who played 4 years in the NCAA, for the Memphis Grizzlies G League team and a lot of experience with the owners Chinemelu Elonu, Souleyman Diabate and Puerto Rican guard Walter Hodge. It’s worth keeping an eye on this team.


4) YOUTH PROSPECTS


Chris Cokley (AS Douane): Having averaged 12 points per game over 4 seasons at the University of Alabama in Birmingham on the NCAA, the young 24-year-old arrives with a star status and ready to make a difference on the Senegalese team.


Cheikh Bamba Diallo (AS Douane): This combo guard is yet another young promise from the Senegalese team. In addition to scoring 33 points on his debut for the team in January, he went on to play in the college category in the United States after his revelation by the SEED Academy project in his homeland.


Taren Sullivan (Rivers Hoopers): 6'6 American forward, played last season for Erie Bayhawks, New Orleans Pelicans affiliated team in the G-League, averaged 7.7 points per game and arrives at the BAL to prove he has game enough for the NBA.


John Nzeakor (AS Police): Former Lamar Cardinals player in the NCAA and who played last season for Asociación Deportiva Atenas in Argentina, John is a natural born scorer and was excited about the new league: “I believe (Africa) has a lot of untapped talent due to lack of opportunity, and this event will be the start of something great. ”.


Anas Osama Mahmoud (Zamalek): Top 100 prospect according to ESPN, with 4 seasons in the NCAA for the Louisville Cardinals, passage by the G-League team of the Memphis Grizzlies and main selection of Egypt, this center is one of the most accurate players in the carboy, besides being a main defensive player for the Egyptian team.


Aboubakar Gakou (Petro de Luanda): He was champion on several occasions for the Angolan league and current MVP, the 23-year-old is one of the main stars of Petro de Luanda and the African continent.


Melvyn Da Silva (Petro de Luanda): Being only 21 years old, the forward is one of the youngest athletes to compete in the BAL, with passages in the French basketball, Angolan nation team and will be an important part in the rotation of the team of José Neto.


5) CONTEÚDO COM PADRÃO NBA

NBA has been very committed since the beginning with the idea of creating a league in Africa and along with that comes all the experience and quality of the product that the league delivers to the WNBA and the G-League. BAL has been covering the main news on its official site, introducing each team via its YouTube channel and revealing all behind the scenes aspects via Instagram.


In addition to that, a series of documentaries with interviews, games and the best stories has been recorded with a cast led by executive producer Richard Brown, South African Tebogo Malope and the current director of Disney Plus “The Greek Freak”, Akin Omotoso.



It is the beginning of a major milestone for international basketball and the president of BAL, Amadou Gallo Fall, sent out the message: “Through the BAL, we will provide a platform for elite players from across the continent to showcase their talents and inspire fans of all ages, use basketball as an economic growth engine across Africa and shine a light on Africa’s vibrant sporting culture”.

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