The just-concluded Sahara conference of the second edition of Basketball Africa League (BAL) in Dakar Arena, Senegal, was an exciting sporting experience that many fans on the continent savoured. For ten days, 6 teams from various African countries played thrilling basketball as they vied for a ticket to the playoff stage that will take place in Kigali in May. Times Sport was on ground as the action unfolded, and here, we bring you 5 things that stood out at the tournament. Nshobozwa’s buzzer-beater Rwandan point guard Jean-Jacques Nshobozwabyosenumukiza delivered a performance to remember as he bagged a buzzer-beating three pointer with microseconds to go as Rwanda Energy Group (REG) Basketball Club registered an 83-81 slim victory a resilient Seydou Legacy Athletique (SLAC). The 23-year-old had a good tournament altogether just like many of his team mates, but that buzzer beater really stood out for him, and it is one that he may take so long to forget. REG qualify for playoffs as Sahara Conference leaders REG qualified for the playoff stages of the BAL that will take place in Kigali in May on a high note as they topped the Sahara Conference. The team won four of the five matches it played. REG upset US Monastir The team registered a slim but stunning 77-74 victory against Tunisian powerhouse US Monastir at the Dakar Arena in Senegal. The game was the penultimate one for REG in the Sahara Conference, and winning it means they qualified with a game to go. The Rwandan side came as the underdogs in the encounter but played with passion, going toe-to-toe with the Tunisians for the most part of the game, and by the end they walked away triumphant. NBA Academy prospects join BAL rosters The BAL unveiled ‘BAL Elevate’, a new programme that facilitates one NBA Academy Africa prospect to join each of the 12 BAL teams for the league’s 2022 season. The inaugural BAL Elevate cohort features 12 prospects from six African countries who currently attend NBA Academy Africa, an elite basketball training center in Saly, Senegal. The programme provides an opportunity for the next generation of African prospects to participate in the new professional league, showcase their talent on a global stage and help their respective teams compete for the 2022 BAL Championship. Liz Mills makes BAL history Newly-hired AS Salé coach Liz Mills made history when she led the Moroccan champions at the BAL 2022, becoming the first woman to coach a BAL side, and the first to coach a Moroccan mens team. AS Salé coach Liz Mills made history when she led the Moroccan champions at the BAL 2022. / Net The Australian continues to prove her worth against all odds having previously coached the Kenyan National Team as head coach during the 2021 Afrobasket held in Kigali in September last year. AS Salé beat Dakar Universite Club (DUC) 91-86 and clinched one of the last two playoff berths available for the Sahara Conference for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs in May in Kigali.
