Tuesday (Day 1 fixtures) Carey Francis Odhiambo, Head coach of Patriots basketball club, has said that their first game against Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa (JKT), from Tanzania, at The Eastern Division of the second and final round of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers is a must-win for his side. Set to be held at the Kigali Arena, Group H qualifiers will get underway Tuesday afternoon, and will run through December 22. Odhiambo’s men start their group campaign against JKT before taking on UNZA Pacers the following day, and then GNBC on Thursday. “Our target is to win the first game and then build on that momentum for the next match,” said Odhiambo. He added: “We need to be at our best in the first game which will give us an advantage in the next two games in group”. The competition comprises seven teams split into two groups: Pool A comprises Rwandan champions Patriots, alongside JTK (Tanzania), GNBC (Madagascar) and UNZA Pacers (Zambia), while Pool B includes Cobra (South Sudan), City Oilers (Uganda) and Ferroviario de Maputo of Mozambique. On December 20, the tournament will have a rest day, before resuming the next day with the semi-finals. The top team from Pool A will play against the runner-up of Pool B, whereas Group B top team will be up against the runner-up from Pool A. December 22 - Final Day The tournament will come to an end with the final and third-place playoff on December 22, with the two finalists and winner of the third-place playoff all booking their tickets to the 2020 BAL regular season.
