FUS Rabat are making a first appearance in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). In this preview, The Big Tip Off delves into FUS and its journey to the continent’s premier club competition.
Team: FUS Rabat
Country: Morocco
History: FUS Rabat is Morocco’s most successful club, with 18 Division Excellence League titles and nine Moroccan Throne Cup trophies.
Despite their domestic success, they have surprisingly not participated in any continental competition.
Route To BAL: After 19 years without a league trophy, FUS were crowned champions of Morocco last year, earning a spot in the Road To BAL.
The North Africans would go on to make it to the playoffs of the Division West, beating Cameroon’s FAP in the third and fourth place game to guarantee themselves a spot in the BAL.
Coach: Said El Bouzidi has coached in North Africa and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia). The Moroccan coach has a continental title to his name, which he won with AS Sale (2017). His other list of achievements includes four Moroccan Division Excellence titles and two Throne Cup titles, also won with Sale.
As coach of US Monastir (Tunisia), he won a Championnat A title (Tunisia’s premier league) in 2019.
With Bouzidi at the helm, FUS Rabat has a coach who has won at the highest level in club competition. He can help the Moroccan champions navigate the BAL.
Star player: Malian forward Aliou Diarra (22) is a young star playing on the continent, and FUS are reaping the rewards of his talent.
The former Stade Malien player helped lead the Moroccan club to qualify for their maiden BAL competition. Diarra’s scoring (13.3 points per game) and rebounding (9.8 rebounds per game) feats during FUS Rabat’s Road To BAL Division West qualification are a testament to his star quality.
Before moving to Morocco, he had an outstanding BAL Season 3 with Stade Malien, winning the Defensive Player of the Year. He also received the All-BAL First Team and BAL All-Defensive Team honours.
Should Diarra maintain the standard he set at last year’s BAL, the Moroccans can set the BAL on fire.
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