Former Patriots Basketball Club’s center Ater Majok has joined Libyan outfit Al Ahly Benghazi ahead of the qualifiers of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Scheduled to take place between October 2 and November 19, the qualifiers will feature 20 teams from African countries, tussling it out across four African cities. ALSO READ: Majok set to sign for Patriots The teams will be divided into five groups, each consisting of four teams. Majok’s Al Ahly Benghazi is in Group A which will play in Benghazi, Libya from October 6 to 10. Through its social media platforms, the Libyan club announced the addition of Majok. “We would like to proudly announce the signing of the star Ater Majok, read the post. ALSO READ: The BAL 2022 All-Defensive team Majok, 36, is a South Sudanese-Lebanese player who boasts great experience playing professional basketball in various countries. During the 2022 season of the BAL, he played a key role as Tunisian heavyweights US Monastir to the trophy. He was named the tournament’s Defensive Player of the Year and was given a place in the league's All-First Team and All-Defensive Team as well. Meanwhile, teams that competed in the previous BAL edition will automatically qualify for the Second Round Elite 16 if they earn the right to represent their respective countries in the qualifiers. Five cities will host the First Round of the Road to BAL qualifiers while the decisive Elite 16 round will take place in two other cities. This year's Road to BAL comprises East and West Divisions, with teams split into five groups. Subsequently, the teams that finish at the top of each group will advance to the Second Round Elite 16. With the tentative dates for the event already released, the teams from all FIBA Africa Zones will now have an opportunity to showcase their talent in an attempt to qualify for the now popular continental basketball premier league, the BAL. From East and West to North and South, preparations are already in high gear for all the clubs that qualified for this year’s competition- some of which are making their maiden appearance. The campaign will start off with Group E matches that will take place in Antananarivo, Madagascar from October 3-8. It will then move to Groups A and B whose matches will simultaneously be held in Benghazi, Libya and Yaoundé, Cameroon, from October 6-10. From October 10-15, the action will then swing to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, hosts of Group C matches, before winding up with Group D matches in Gaborone, Botswana on October 17-22.
