The third edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) conference group phase gets underway on March 11-21 in Dakar, Senegal. Rwanda’s representatives REG BBC were placed in the Sahara Conference group phasealongside Tunisian giants US Monastir, who are the defending champions of the previous edition. The pair are joined by Kwara Falcons (Nigeria), Abidjan Basket Club (Côte d'Ivoire) AS Douanes (Senegal) and Stade Malien (Mali). ALSO READ: BAL 2023: REG, champions Monastir drawn in Sahara Conference Times Sport looks at what each team has in store ahead of the tournament in Dakar. REG (Rwanda) Local powerhouse REG defended the league title by beating fierce rivals Patriots. Established in 2016, they quickly became one of the dominant forces in the country's rapidly developing basketball sport. After winning the league title in 2017, they played second fiddle to the Patriots for three years. The REG-powered club eventually ended their rivals’ dominance in 2021 after beating them in the finals to clinch a second national title in 2021 and then a third in 2022. At the 2022 BAL, REG looked set to be one of the main contenders for the title after impressing in the group stage. They were the only team in the tournament to beat eventual champions US Monastir, but they slumped to a shock quarter-final defeat to Cameroon's FAP. They were one of the best teams at the BAL in 2022 and will surely be looking to learn from their quarter-final upset before thousands of hoe supporters. ALSO READ: Murray agrees to coach REG at the BAL It is also notable that the team has signed American tactician Dean Murray, to be at its helm going into the competition. In Murray, the club is confident they have put themselves in a position to finally with the coveted continental club basketball silverware. Star man: Cleveland Thomas Jr ABC Fighters (Ivory Coast) They are winners of the Road to BAL West Division Elite 16 qualifying tournament. ABC [Abidjan Basketball Club] Fighters were founded 25 years ago and have dominated Ivorian basketball ever since. Their proudest moment came when they won the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup in 2005. Since then, they have been unable to repeat their continental triumph, but have seldom been toppled in the national championship, which they have won 20 times. The Ivorian side has one of the most accomplished coaches in Africa in Liz Mills, the Australian coach who has decades of experience with African men's teams - at both club and national level. At BAL 2022, she coached AS Sale, and was the first woman to coach a Moroccan professional sports team. Ivorian basketball is on a high with the national team having performed superbly in recent years. As the winners of their qualifying tournament, they have wind in their sails already. There is a healthy mix of veterans and young players within the team and on paper, they are one of the best-prepared teams to have come through the Elite 16. ABC's grip over Ivorian basketball has loosened in recent years. They had to win back their title in 2022 after losing it to Société Omnisports de l'Armée the previous year. Star man: Mike Fofana AS Douanes (Senegal) AS Douanes dethroned DUC Dakar in the Senegalese Nationale 1, beating them 2-0 in the finals. AS Douanes was founded in 1980 as the basketball division of a Senegalese customs organisation. The team only won its first Nationale 1 title in 1998, but became increasingly dominant in Senegalese basketball as the years passed. The Dakar-based side appeared at the 2004 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup, finishing seventh with a record of 0-3. They then featured at the 2021 BAL, where they lost 86-62 to current champions US Monastir in the quarter-finals. Having reached the BAL playoffs before, Douanes will be confident that they can repeat the feat. Samba Dali Fall was terrific in the Nationale 1 finals, clinching the MVP award, and the team has since signed all-time BAL top scorer Terrell Stoglin from AS Sale, and fellow experienced head Chris Crawford not forgetting British-Ghanaian Matthew Bryan-Amaning. At the Sahara Conference in Dakar, they will be fighting on home soil knowing that a ticket to the finals will be theirs to lose. Having been away from the BAL for a year, Douanes will have to show up a better side compared to the 2021 season and then DUC Dakar were last year. No Senegalese side has made the semi-finals, despite the national league champions having automatic entry into the tournament. Star man: Terrell Stoglin Kwara Falcons (Nigeria) Based in Ilorin, Kwara, the team has emerged as a force to reckon with in the Nigerian basketball over the last four years. They finished second nationally in 2018 and third in 2019 before finally clinching their first league title in 2022. Nigeria produces arguably the best basketball talent in Africa despite their men's national team struggling in recent years. This fresh-faced team has breathed new life into their local league, winning their first ever title, and they have grown used to playing as underdogs. The chaos that has engulfed the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) in recent years is always one step away from imploding. They did not have a representative at the 2022 BAL as a result, and even before that in 2021, when Rivers Hoopers went to the BAL with Ben Uzoh as their marquee signing, they were unable to progress beyond the group stage. It remains to be seen if Kwara Falcons have the capabilities for them to be able to become the first Nigerian team to make the playoffs at the tournament. Their star player Samuel Dada was a first-timer in the domestic league and should he appear at the BAL, the youngster's game-changing ability will be put to the test against tougher opponents. Star man: Samuel Dada Stade Malien (Mali) Stade Malien is a multi-sports club which also plays football and rugby. Formed in 1960, they have a rich basketball history, as the team made the final of the FIBA Africa Club Champions Cup in 1972 and 1989, though losing on both occasions. They went eight years without a national championship before beating AS Mandé in the 2022 finals. Overall, the Malian side had an impressive qualifying campaign. Their only defeat in the Elite 16 was to ABC Fighters in the semi-finals. The manner in which Stade Malien were overrun by ABC Fighters suggests there is plenty of work to do, particularly in the offensive department. They may have had enough firepower in qualifying, but they do not, as of now, have any notable star players that are likely to help them stand up against the best teams in Africa. Star man: Aliou Fadiala Diarra US Monastir (Tunisia) The BAL defending champions will be looking to maintain their dominance in the BAL having won the 2022 edition a year after losing the final against Zamalek. When the Tunisians start their journey of defending the title, star man Radhouane Slimane is expected to play an important role as he has done in the two previous editions. This year, Monastir added 26-year-old Australian-South Sudan professional basketball player Deng Acuoth to play for them at both Championnat National A and the BAL. Their usual players like Firas Lahyani, a Tunisian international, is also among those expected to feature for the team in Dakar. Star man: Radhouane Slimane.
