Basketball Africa League, season 3: Key things we've learned so far
AS Douanes celebrates during the game against the US Monastir on March 21, 2023 at the Dakar Arena.
With group play in the Sahara Conference wrapping up on Tuesday, it’s time to take a look back at all the action so far from season 3 of the Basketball Africa League. We’ll also tell you what to look forward to as Nile Conference play rapidly approaches on April 26.
A new king will be crowned
Former champion US Monastir will not be moving on to the BAL playoffs in May. However, they did put up a fight until the final buzzer. Jerome Randle led the way for the squad, leading the league in scoring with 20.4 points per game. It is a rather unique situation for the Tunisian club, who have reached the final the last two seasons, and exit this year’s competition with a winning record.
The reigning champs 3-2 record is a surprisingly exciting scenario. Five of the Sahara Conference’s six teams finished with a 3-2 record, and in this situation, the seeding is determined by a team’s total scoring differential. This is also weighed in with head-to-head results to determine playoff seeding.
This resulted in Stade Malien claiming the 1-seed from the conference. The Mali team has blown expectations out of the water in their first appearance in the BAL. Led by Souleymane Birthe and Aliou Diarra, the team posted 90 points against ABC Fighters in their final game to clinch their spot in the knockout rounds.
It’s hard to talk about host (2-seed AS Douanes) without noting the crowds who continually showed out for their games. The support is much deserved. Not only have AS Douanes advanced, but they’ve done it with high-flying offensive excellence. A prime example of this is Mouhamadou Diagne’s powerful poster dunk, which you have to see for yourself.
AS Douanes crowd goes wild after Mouhamadou Diagne's Poster
Meanwhile, Rwanda Energy Group is no stranger to BAL success. They made it through to the quarterfinals last season, and enter this year’s playoff with hopes of a much deeper run. Along with Stade Malien and AS Douanes, they are the third team in the competition to post a positive scoring differential, which was enough to sit them comfortably as the 3-seed. They are led by guard Cleveland Thomas Jr, whose outstanding play has commanded respect for the formidable Rwandan side as they enter the next stage of play.
ABC Fighters entered as the other Sahara Conference team that is making their first appearance in the BAL, and they have come to play. Outside of the talented roster, their success can be attributed to Head Coach Liz Mills. Mills, an Australian native, has an extensive coaching resumé in Africa dating back to 2011. Last season, she led AS Salé to the playoffs, a team that also saw extensive success on the offensive side of the ball.
While Mills’ former squad was simply an offensive powerhouse, this team is consistently outdueling the competition by creating turnovers, and taking a high volume of 3-pointers, led by guard Amadou Harouna (18.8 PPG). They see steady contributions from the entire group, making it difficult to know where the threat will come from next.
With the conclusion of the Sahara Conference, take a look back at how things looked on and off the court in Dakar.
Sahara Conference’s top performers
Check out the biggest moments from the 2023 BAL season in Dakar, Senegal.
Thus far, three players have stood out as candidates for the Sahara Conference’s most impactful players: Souleymane Berthe, Aliou Diarra, and Cleveland Thomas Jr.
Berthe has been the kindling to a fiery offense. His average of 20.4 PPG is tied for the league lead, and he gets it done from all over the floor. He adds 3.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, while also adding 1.8 steals on average to round out his contributions on both sides of the ball. And as great as he has been for the offense, he may not even be Stade Malien’s most interesting player.
Aliou Diarra slots in next to Berthe at power forward, and he can only be described as a Swiss army knife for the Mali squad. Diarra drops 18 PPG himself (5th in the BAL), at a notably efficient 55.1% clip, which leads the league. He’s a constant presence around the cup by doing everything you would hope a versatile big man can do. His 13.4 rebounds per game and 2 blocks per game are also league highs.
What’s fascinating about Diarra is his ability at only 21 years old. His youth makes him eligible for the NBA draft this summer, making his case to be a player to watch for not only in the BAL playoffs, but as the combine grows closer after the NBA season concludes.
Outside of the Stade Malien team that has continued to excite, Rwanda Energy Group’s star guard Cleveland Thomas Jr. commands respect as a floor general. In his first BAL season, he is leading the league with 6.6 assists per outing. Further, he provides REG with a scoring boost of 16.8 PPG and shoots a respectable 33.3% from deep. His ability to get teammates involved and keep the ball moving is seen in the Rwandan team’s pace of play that has gotten them back to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Nile Conference inches closer
The second half of group play will take place at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo, Egypt, as the Nile Conference is set to tip off April 26. The conference will play through May 6 to fill the second half of the playoff bracket.
Hometown heroes Al Ahly host group play with optimistic aspirations. Recently crowned champions of the Egypt Basketball Super League, they went undefeated domestically, outplaying the likes of former BAL champions Zamalek, among others.
They will face some stiff competition as Petro de Luanda represents Angola in their return to the BAL. The team returns with unfinished business following last year’s loss in the BAL Final to US Monastir.
The remainder of the Nile will be compiled of SLAC, Cape Town Tigers, and City Oilers. The latter hails from Uganda, and is the first Ugandan side to take part in the BAL. Meanwhile, the SLAC and Cape Town Tigers return to the league after facing an early exit from last season’s playoffs.
Make sure to stay tuned for all of the Nile Conference action on NBA.com and the NBA App starting April 26.
