Author name: Sandisiwe Msibi

AFTER 10 days of intense basketball, high-scoring and record-breaking feats characterised the BAL’s Kalahari Conference. The Big Tip Off’s Sandisiwe Msibi highlights the moments which shaped the Conference, which ended on Sunday in Pretoria, South Africa.

RSSB Tigers and Petro de Luanda both finished 4-1 to claim the top two spots, followed by Al Ahly Libya at 3-2 and Dar City at 2-3, securing the final playoff berths, while Nairobi City Thunder (2-3) narrowly missed out on qualification and the Johannesburg Giants (0-5) finished winless in their debut campaign.

Historic moments and broken records

The Kalahari Conference will go down in history for rewriting and creating BAL history. Tigers guard Craig Randall delivered a phenomenal performance, breaking a BAL scoring record of 54 points and 11 assists against Dar City. He finished the conference averaging 36.3 assists, leading the conference in scoring, despite not playing the last game against NCT.

“My teammates and my coaches put more trust in me than I could ask for,” Randall said. “I do not take that for granted. It is easy to come out here and play with confidence and have fun.”

Al Ahly Libya produced a record-breaking offensive performance, scoring 118 points against Dar City, one of the highest team totals in BAL history. In that same game, Damion Baugh registered 18 assists, setting a new league record and surpassing the previous mark of 16.

Baugh also achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first player in BAL history to record a triple-double, posting 11 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds in Al Ahly’s last game against the Johannesburg Giants. He finished the conference as the assist leader with 10.0 assists per game.

RSSB Tigers (Rwanda)

The most remarkable story of the Kalahari Conference was undoubtedly the RSSB Tigers, a team that didn’t even exist in the BAL ecosystem until two weeks before the tournament began.

To finish the conference with four wins, only losing their final game against the fifth-seeded Nairobi City Thunder (in which conference-leading scorer Randall did not play), represents one of the most improbable success stories in BAL history.

When asked about his team’s performance in this conference, head coach Henry Mwinuka summed up by saying, “This is for our country, Rwanda.”

Petro de Luanda (Angola)

The 2024 champs continued to build on their legacy of excellence, securing the second seed with a 4-1 record. Their consistent performance reaffirms their status as one of the premier clubs in African basketball.

Petro’s coach Sergio Moreno was left impressed by the depth of his squad, emphasising their collective strength: “We finished the competition doing well in defence.” In my team, there aren’t only one or two important players. Everyone is important, whether we lose or win.”

Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya)

After starting 0-2 with losses to RSSB Tigers and Petro de Luanda, the Libyan champions were staring at elimination. Then came their dramatic turnaround.

Coach Ahmed Soliman reflected on the challenging start: “Two losses were very hard for us, but everybody put in effort… we had to adjust as a team,” he said.

Forward Lual Acuil echoed that sentiment: “The first two games we did not play well…. We knew as time went on that we were going to have good chemistry.” He continued, praising Baugh for how he has been letting everyone get involved.

What was most notable with Al Ahly’s rotations was the limited minutes of reigning MVP Jean Jacques Boissy. Despite limited playing time, he still concluded the conference with a strong average of 12.2 points per game, shooting 31% from beyond the arc.

Dar City (Tanzania)

The Tanzanian debutants secured the last playoff spot with a 2-3 record. The team started strong with two wins but struggled to maintain momentum in the latter stages of the conference.

“We are a very young team, three years since we have been in existence. It’s our first time playing in the BAL,” said Dar City coach Pabi Gueye.

 When asked about potential adjustments ahead of the playoffs, head coach Mamadou Gueye emphasised the need to strengthen his frontcourt: “It’s too early to say, but we need to reinforce our front court and execute better in that area.”

Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya)

In their second BAL season, the Kenyans finished 5th in the standings, winning two games against the top-seeded RSSB Tigers and the last-seeded Johannesburg Giants.

Forward Josh Nzeakor, reflecting on his second season in the league, noted the increasing competition: “I played in this league five years ago, and the competition increases every single year. We had a lot of guys that were locally based, so it was a learning curve,” said Nzeakor. “Overall, I think we did well, and I think that next year we will be a lot better.”

To the fans, he expressed heartfelt gratitude: “We appreciate everything, we see all the messages, we see all the support and you guys could not have been any better.”

Johannesburg Giants (South Africa)

The odds were stacked against the hosts from the outset, as they finished the conference winless. Despite boasting a South African-first roster construction and coach Florsheim Ngwenya,  who led Cape Town Tigers to the 2024 semifinals, the Giants never quite adjusted to the pace and intensity of BAL competition.

After their fourth loss, a contrite Ngwenya apologised to the home supporters: “I just want to apologise to our fans who came out to support us from day one. They showed up in numbers and paid their money to be here. We are better than what we showed them, there was a lack of fight from our guys, and that’s disappointing. The fans come, they clap, they shout, and they spend their hard-earned money. We didn’t give them what they deserve.”

Yet at the conclusion of the conference, when asked to rate his team out of 10, Ngwenya offered a surprising perspective: “I’d give them 10. I am not saying that they are playing 10 out of 10, but they made it here.”

Ngwenya continued, emphasising the developmental nature of their campaign: “The Johannesburg Giants are still a work in progress,” he said. “Most of these guys got the experience, and we will be a different team next year because of the experience we accumulated.”

Giants captain Pieter Prinsloo offered insight into the broader challenges facing South African basketball: “All these teams are playing in professional leagues that run for 7-9 months. It is hard [for us] to simulate the speed, the execution and the physical toughness when it comes to preparations without leaving the country. As the coach said, we will have to travel and do a training camp outside of the country, where we will be able to face high-level competition and simulate what we will be playing against every single day.”

Raising the bar

The 2026 Kalahari Conference showcased everything that defines the Basketball Africa League: elite competition, emerging stars, passionate fans, and historic performances.

From the RSSB Tigers’ fairy-tale rise to Al Ahly Libya’s record-breaking night, and despite the struggles of the hosts, the tournament delivered compelling stories across the board.

As the focus shifts north to Morocco, one thing is clear: African basketball is evolving rapidly, and the road to Kigali promises even more drama.