The Basketball Africa League has communicated Tuesday, during a press conference, the key dates of the 3rd season of the BAL. The start is scheduled in Dakar on March 11.
Since November 27, we know the 12 clubs qualified for season 3 of the BAL, which will be held in 3 cities: Dakar, Cairo and Kigali.
These twelve teams will be divided into two Conferences (Sahara and Nile). The Sahara Conference will be held from March 11 to 21, 2023, in Dakar. Cairo will host the teams of the Nile Conference (April 26 - May 6, 2023). The ''Finals'' (quarterfinals, semifinals and finals) will be held from May 21 to 27 in the 10,000-seat Bank Kigali Arena.
Several activities will be held before the start of season 3. The BAL Combine (recruitment window for the 12 clubs) will take place from January 15 to 16 in Paris. The BAL Elevate (draft of NBA Academy youth who will join the 12 qualified clubs) is scheduled for February.
These events will precede the official announcement of the 12 clubs and the composition of the two Conferences. The club rosters will consist of eight domestic players, four foreigners (two African-born) and one BAL Elevate youth, for a total of 13 players. But only 12 will be allowed to take part in the games. However, coaches may rotate players throughout the day.
"Building a sports industry"
On his part, the president of the Basketball, Africa League, Amadou Gallo Fall, recalled the objectives assigned. He is aware of the transformative power of sport to contribute to the economic growth of the continent. "The objective is to continue to push and contribute to the economic growth of Africa. We want to rely on basketball, sports (sports jobs), fashion and others to create a real industry. We want to consolidate the achievements and especially perfect the model. Season 3, I hope, will be played without restriction. We have a lot to do and we've been working on it for a long time," he says.
"The BAL Elevate is the youth program at the NBA Academy in Saly. They took part in the playoffs in South Africa. There is the BAL Combine which is the recruitment window for clubs. We want to allow African excellence to express itself on and off the court. It is true that basketball is the engine of the project but there are many other activities that promote the development of talent on the continent, "adds Amadou Gallo Fall.
Qualified teams for the 3rd edition of the BAL
Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique), City Oilers (Uganda), Seydou Legacy Athletic Club (Guinea), Abidjan Basket Club (Ivory Coast), Stade Malien (Mali), US Monastir (Tunisia), AS Douanes (Senegal), Rwanda Energy Group (Rwanda), Petro Luanda (Angola), Al Ahly (Egypt) and Kwara Falcons (Nigeria).
