JOEL Almeida has entered a phase of his life and career where legacy has become paramount, and making a meaningful contribution to Cape Verde’s basketball ecosystem has become a part of that mission.
Almeida, 39, is an influential figure in Cape Verdean basketball, and he has used that virtue to effect change for the island’s youth.
In addressing the future needs of basketball in his country, Joel and his younger Ivan founded the now 10-year-old Kriol Star, a development foundation that evolved into a club just last year. Since then, it (Kriol Star) added another first for Cape Verde’s basketball reputation – qualifying for the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Another pioneering effort by Joel was starting the Cape Verde Basketball League (CBL), which began in 2023. These are significant milestones, but Almeida sees Kriol Star and the CBL as his way of contributing to the game’s growth and ensuring an outlet exists for talent to develop.
Speaking to the Big Tip Off, Almeida cited Cape Verde’s debut at the 2023 World Cup and Kriol Star’s qualification to the BAL as signs that he should invest more in his country of birth.
“I wouldn’t say they are milestones. It’s giving back to the country and setting up a legacy for the next generation,” said Almeida. There is a great amount of talent in Cape Verde and it needed a platform to showcase it.
“We are able to prove that we belong on the world stage by qualifying for the World Cup. We have also proven it at the club level with Kriol Star qualifying for the BAL. So that’s why it was important I implemented those two projects.”
Looking back at Kriol Star’s BAL qualification, a stroke of fortune would play its hand after they faltered in the preliminary phase of the Road to BAL Division West and finished winless in the group phase in Tripoli, Libya, last year.
Almeida felt the initial Road to BAL experience was a reality check for a club formed a few months before the qualifying tournament for Africa’s elite league.
“We learnt lessons… Tough ones. Kriol Star is a team that was formed in less than two months and went to compete,” said Almeida. “For us to be there was good. We didn’t have bad games, but the process of having experience and playing together counts a lot.”
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His focus turned to Kriol Star’s wild card entry to the Elite 16 Division East in Nairobi, Kenya, which led to its historic qualification to BAL Season 5.
“The second time around, we were like ‘Yes, this is our chance to prove what we are really about’ and to show that we belong on this stage,” said Almeida, a semi-finalist with Cape Verde in the 2021 AfroBasket. “We took this with a great sense of responsibility. There was also a sense of relief that we got a second chance.
“We fought tooth and nail to build the roster and to create the logistics to be there. All we had to do was go out there and proving it on the court and we did that.”
Having played in Season 2 of the BAL with Cameroon’s FAP, Almeida, who averaged 8.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1.8 apg at the Road to BAL, described getting to qualify for the tournament with a club from his country as “special”.
“It feels special… So special. I am extremely proud of what we achieved. A club from Cape Verde has never competed at the Road to BAL. Last year was the first time. A club from Cape Verde has never qualified for the BAL. Last year was the first time it happened,” said Almeida. “I feel a sense of pride… To be part of this big stage in African club basketball and putting my country on the map. Great things are coming, but this is just the first step. We are hungry for more.”
The accomplished Almeida elaborated on his desire for more from CBL and Kriol Star.
“I see Kriol Star as a permanent participant in the BAL and achieving great success at the highest level. I want to see more growth for the CBL… To see it developing Cape Verdean talent and seeing more African talent in the league,” said Almeida. It can be a point of reference for Africa on what is possible when you invest resources, knuckle down and work. The CBL is something the African continent can duplicate to help elevate talent. I believe in it because I see Africa as the next frontier… Many entities come to the continent to extract talent. So why not have a platform where that talent can grow.”
