2024 BAL Kalahari Conference

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2024 Kalahari Conference
SunBet Arena 2024 BAL season.png
Interior of the SunBet Arena during the games
Tournament details
CountrySouth Africa
City Pretoria
Venue(s) SunBet Arena
Dates9 – 17 March 2024
Teams4
Final positions
Champions Flag of Morocco.svg FUS Rabat (1st title)
Tournament statistics
Matches played7
Attendance26,214 (3,745 per match)
Top scorer Samkelo Cele, Cape Town Tigers (20.5)
2025 →

The 2024 BAL Kalahari Conference is the inaugural season of the Kalahari Conference, one of the three conferences of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The composition of the conference and the schedule were announced on 15 February 2024. [1] The conference games began on 9 March and will end on 17 March 2024.

Contents

FUS Rabat were the inaugural Kalahari Conference champions, after finishing ahead of Petro de Luanda and the Cape Town Tigers. [2] Dynamo had withdrawn after the first game day.

Withdrawal of Dynamo BBC

In the opening day game between Burundi's Dynamo and South Africa's Cape Town Tigers, the Burundian side taped off the logo of league sponsor Visit Rwanda. Political tensions between the two border nations Burundi and Rwanda had been rising, as Burundi has accused Rwanda of supporting the RED-Tabara rebel militia in the country. [3] [4] Dynamo forfeited their second game against FUS Rabat on 10 March, with the BAL citing "refusing to comply with the league’s rules governing jersey and uniform requirements" as the reason why. [5] Following Dynamo's second forfeit on 12 March, the team was automatically withdrawn from the group as per FIBA rules. [6] Dynamo players Bryton Hobbs and Makhtar Gueye stated that the Burundian government had prohibited the team to wear the logo and ordered the club to forfeit its games if necessary. [3] [7]

Following the withdrawal of Dynamo, the BAL scheduled three games involving the NBA Academy Africa and local South African teams to fill up the holes in the schedule. [4]

Standings

PosTeam
PldWLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Flag of Morocco.svg FUS Rabat 431363295+687Advance to playoffs
2 Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda 422360340+206
3 Flag of South Africa.svg Cape Town Tigers (H)413305346−415Possibly advance to the playoffs
4 Flag of Burundi.svg Dynamo (D)0000000Withdrew
First match(es) will be played: complete. Source: BAL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(D) Disqualified; (H) Hosts

Games

All times are in Central Africa Time.

Gameday 1

9 March 2024
12:00 PM (4:00 PM PST)
Petro de Luanda Flag of Angola.svg 73–82 Flag of Morocco.svg FUS Rabat
Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 14–18, 24–25, 18–16
Pts: Morais 19
Rebs: Gakou 7
Asts: Dundão 4		Pts: Jordan 20
Rebs: Diarra 10
Asts:Four players 3
SunBet Arena, Pretoria
Attendance: 2,727
Referees: Gerda Gatling, Arnold Moseya, Didier Gaga
9 March 2024
3:00 PM (7:00 PM PST)
Cape Town Tigers Flag of South Africa.svg 73–86 Flag of Burundi.svg Dynamo
Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 14–23, 24–22, 20–20
Pts: Cele 26
Rebs: Sibanyoni, Preston 7
Asts: Sibanyoni 5		Pts: Otobo 21
Rebs: Otobo 13
Asts: Hobbs 8
SunBet Arena, Pretoria
Attendance: 5,749
Referees: Kevin Fahy, Wael Ibrahim Mostafa, Monicca Nassuuna

Gameday 2

10 March 2024
12:00 PM (4:00 PM PST)
Dynamo Flag of Burundi.svg 0–20 Flag of Morocco.svg FUS Rabat
10 March 2024
3:00 PM (7:00 PM PST)
Petro de Luanda Flag of Angola.svg 100–88 Flag of South Africa.svg Cape Town Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 31–14, 16–28, 30–19, 23–27
Pts: Buiamba, Morais 17
Rebs: Morais, Moreira 8
Asts: Dundão 5		Pts: Manyang 20
Rebs: Sibanyoni 9
Asts: Cele 4
SunBet Arena, Pretoria
Attendance: 3,576
Referees: Omar Bermudez, Haytham Ihaqaf, Mahamadou Diallo

Gameday 3

12 March 2024
12:00 PM (4:00 PM PST)
Dynamo Flag of Burundi.svg 0–20 Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda
12 March 2024
3:00 PM (7:00 PM PST)
Cape Town Tigers Flag of South Africa.svg 58–84 Flag of Morocco.svg FUS Rabat
Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 16–20, 10–27, 14–13
Pts: Cele 22
Rebs: Sibanyoni 8
Asts: Diarra 3		Pts: Diarra 21
Rebs: Azouga, Najah 7
Asts: Jordan 7
SunBet Arena, Pretoria
Attendance: 1,050
Referees: Jason Alabanza, Erick Otieno, Dorothy Okatch

Gameday 4

14 March 2024
3:00 PM (7:00 PM PST)
FUS Rabat Flag of Morocco.svg 86–89 Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda
Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 9–21, 23–29, 29–24
Pts: Jordan 18
Rebs: Diarra 7
Asts:Three players 4		Pts: Dundão 25
Rebs: Gakou 10
Asts:Three players 4
SunBet Arena, Pretoria
Attendance: 1,551
Referees: Kevin Fahy, Arnold Moseya, Monicca Nassuuna

Gameday 5

16 March 2024
3:00 PM (7:00 PM PST)
Cape Town Tigers Flag of South Africa.svg 84–78 Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 24–20, 17–19, 20–18
Pts: Preston 20
Rebs: Preston 11
Asts: Diarra 9		Pts: Moreira 20
Rebs: Moreira 10
Asts: Morais 7
SunBet Arena, Pretoria
Attendance: 5,734
Referees: Jason Alabanza, Wael Ibrahim Mostafa, Dorothy Okatch

Gameday 6

17 March 2024
3:00 PM (7:00 PM PST)
FUS Rabat Flag of Morocco.svg 84–78 Flag of South Africa.svg Cape Town Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 15–33, 22–21, 22–25, 25–16
Pts: Jordan 19
Rebs: Diarra 11
Asts: Nouhi 5		Pts: Cele 24
Rebs: Preston, Sibanyoni 7
Asts: Preston 5
SunBet Arena, Pretoria
Attendance: 5,827
Referees: Gerda Gatling, Erick Otieno, Didier Gaga

Individual statistics

[8]

CategoryPlayerTeam(s)Statistic
Points per game Samkelo Cele Cape Town Tigers 20.5
Rebounds per game Aliou Diarra FUS Rabat 8.5
Assists per game John Jordan 4.5
Steals per gameSamkelo CeleCape Town Tigers2.3
Blocks per gameAliou DiarraFUS Rabat2.3

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References

  1. ↑ "Five New Teams, Three New Countries to Compete in 2024 BAL season Tipping Off on March 9th in South Africa". The BAL. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "FUS Rabat are the 2024 Kalahari Conference champions". The BAL. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Burundi's Dynamo exit Basketball Africa League over jersey row". Reuters . 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Burundi's Dynamo BC out of BAL over Visit Rwanda protest". ESPN.com. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Dynamo Basketball Club forfeits game against FUS Rabat Basketball". The BAL. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Basketball Africa League President Amadou Gallo Fall Statement regarding Dynamo Basketball Club". The BAL. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Reporter, Times (11 March 2024). "BAL 2024: Gueye slams Burundi's interference amid Dynamo forfeit". The New Times. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "Statistics". The BAL. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
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