Thunder lock horns with hosts APR in BAL Nile Conference opener

Ater Majok of Nairobi City Thunder in action against Kriol Star of Cape Verde during their Basketball Africa League Elite 16 tournament at Nyayo Gymnasium on November 29, 2024. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Nairobi City Thunder will have everything to play for when they take to the court today in their opening match of the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference against hosts Armee Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) Rwanda at the BK Arena, Kigali.

Trailblazing Thunder, who have become the face of Kenyan basketball, will be out to make yet another milestone by becoming the first team in the country to qualify for the BAL play-offs that are set for June 6 to 14 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.

With six crucial matches lined up for Thunder, a good start will not only boost their confidence but also their chances of advancing to the play-offs.

Each team will play their opponent twice, which will lead to the eventual ranking.

Tomorrow they will take on Libya's Al Ahli Tripoli and play Made by Ball Blue Soldiers (MBB) from South Africa on Tuesday.

In an earlier interview, Thunder head coach Bradley Ibs exuded confidence saying that they had a chance of qualifying for the play-offs.

"All teams at this level are strong, but I believe that we are equal to the task. It will not be easy because APR, which is one of the strongest teams in the competition, is playing at home, which comes with huge support. However, I believe that it is possible and it can be done, we just have to remain focused and keep our eyes on the prize," Ibs said.

He added that they don't expect any easy matches because all their opponents are tough.

"Al Ahli Tripoli won the West Division while MBB got a wild card, which in itself is a motivation to work harder and make the opportunity count. What this means is that we just have to play our best game at all times."

Thunder are eyeing a top-two finish in order to automatically qualify for the SunBet showpiece.

Five teams, namely Al Ittihad Alexandria from Egypt, Rivers Hoopers from Nigeria, US Monastir from Tunia, Petro de Luanda from Angola and Cape Verde's Kriol Star, have already booked their tickets to Pretoria. Al Ittihad and Rivers Hoopers finished first and second from the Kalahari Conference, while former BAL winners US Monastir, reigning champions Petro de Luanda and newbies Kriol Star qualified from the Sahara contest.

The last three slots will be filled after the Nile showdown, with the top two finishers set to qualify automatically, while the eighth team will be the best-ranked third-placed team from the Kalahari and Nile conferences.

Kriol Star, who finished third with three wins and three losses, already snatched the first best losers spot. Morocco champions Fath Union Sport (FUS) Rabat, who finished third at Kalahari, will know their fate after the outcome of the Nile Conference.

Having won two and lost four encounters, if the third team at the Nile has a better win record, then it will be the end of the road for them. FUS Rabat are currently second on the third finishers rankings and must maintain the same position at the end of the Nile Conference to advance to the play-offs.