Final Zamalek 76-63 US Monastir Third place Petro de Luanda 97- 68 Patriots Egyptian giants Zamalek are the champions of the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), thanks to a 76-63 victory over Tunisian side US Monastir in the final game of the tournament on Sunday, May 30. The BAL, an NBA-backed showpiece unfolded for three weeks at the Kigali Arena, from May 16 to 30, bringing together 12 clubs from different African countries. By the end of it, Zamalek showed that they are a real force in continental basketball as they went undefeated in all the 6 games the team played, after putting up a display that also saw some of their players clinch individual awards. Zamalek point-guard Walter Hodge was named the Hakeem Olajuwon BAL Most Valuable Player after leading his team to an undefeated 6-0 record with per game averages of 15.5 points, 5.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds. Anas Osama Mahmoud (Zamalek) was named the Dikembe Mutombo BAL Defensive Player of the Year after recording per game averages of 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. Zamalek Head Coach Agustin Julbe Bosch said his side had come into the final with the right approach, “I have always wanted to perform well in my job and to give the best I can, we tried to study the game and tried to be organised in defence,” he said. US Monastir’s Makrem Ben Romdhane received the Manute Bol BAL Sportsmanship Award. In the other game, Angola’s Petro de Luanda defeated Patriots 97-68 to claim the third-place position in the tournament. The Patriots finished fourth, but this can be looked at as no small achievement for them, being one of the young teams that participated in the tournament. The final game was attended by President Paul Kagame and other prominent figures including NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo and Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri. All the 26 games of the tournament were played at the Kigali Arena, and the showpiece came out successful with robust measures for the prevention of Covid-19, among other protocols that aided the competition to be top-notch in terms of basketball.
