Tanzania is set to host one of the tight tournaments in the ongoing Road to BAL, as Group C teams battle for a spot in the Elite 16 leg. Group C brings together East Africa's strongest teams and Southern Africa's Matero Magic of Zambia. Here, we look at how the teams will shape up ahead of the competition slated for October 28. Army Basketball Club (Tanzania) After losing the Tanzanian league championship on Sunday, the Army Club will try and make amends with a good showing in the Road to BAL qualifiers. They will look to shooting guard Baraka Sadick Athumani, who was a top scorer in the 2019 qualifiers with 25.3 points per game while playing for JKT. Athumani can also assume the playmaking role for the host club. What could hinder the Tanzanians is that they have not reinforced the club with outside talent, which could impact their chances of progressing past the preliminary stage. They could rely on their sixth-man, their fans, for a boost in the tournament. City Oilers (Uganda) The Ugandan champions will have a bounce in their step after clinching another national league title in a gruelling seven-game series against Namuwongo Blazers three weeks ago. They are no strangers to the BAL qualifiers, having featured in two preliminary tournaments and have one Elite 16 tournament appearance in 2019. The Oilers have quality players in Uganda international and team captain James Okello, guard Tony Drileba and Nigerian guard and forward Francis Azolibe who provide a good core for the team. The Mandy Juruni-coached Oilers have shown potential and will be favourites to win their preliminary qualifiers group. Urunani (Burundi) The Burundian club will make their debut in the Road to BAL qualifiers. They made appearances in the FIBA club competition scene before, so they are not a team to be underestimated. Urunani have also tooled up for this campaign with experienced forward Landry Ndikumana providing stability in the front court. Explosive point guard Guibert Nijimbere will handle the ball distribution duties for the Burundi club. The addition of well-traveled Spaniard Alvaro Calvo Masa further enhances Urunani's chances of advancing to the Elite 16. Masa will provide a calming presence on the court and is a great scorer in clutch situations. Ivory Coast international Adjehi Baru, who played in the inaugural BAL for Mozambique's Ferroivario De Maputo, will bolster Urunani's front-court. Matero Magic (Zambia) The Zambian club is a tournament of dark-horses. Matero were in this phase of the tournament last year in South Africa and managed only a solitary victory against Mauritian club Roche-Bois Warriors. With a thorough knowledge of what it takes to play continental basketball, the Zambian club will look to step up a notch this year. They will look for American shooting guard Jaylen Leroy back to bolster the team. Leroy can be lethal from the three-point arc. A sign of continuity for Matero is that they have kept the services of guards Chona Chongo, Augustine Kainda and Chansa Mfuawame. Their return to the team will help the team's chemistry and possibly progress to the Elite 16.
