Ibs: City Thunder keen to impress at home in BAL elite tourney

Nairobi City Thunder coach Brad Ibs has expressed excitement over the announcement that Kenya will host the BAL Elite 16 tournament, scheduled to take place from November 28 to December 3 at the Kasarani Indoor Arena and Nyayo Stadium.

City Thunder, who are the reigning Kenyan champions have been strengthening their squad since winning the Premier League last season, clearly showing intentions to take their dominance beyond the borders.

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is the premier professional basketball league on the continent, a result of an innovative collaboration between the NBA and FIBA.

Ibs is keen to exploit the home-court advantage, when the tournament kicks off in Nairobi.

"There was a lot of uncertainty about where and when the event would take place, but now we’re thrilled to have it here, in front of our fans," Ibs said.

"We’ve been trying to send a clear message to the world for a while: beware of Kenyan basketball," added a confident Ibs.

The tournament will bring together elite teams from across Africa, among them City Oilers (Uganda), NBA Academy, Urunani BBC (Burundi), M.B.B (South Africa), Bravehearts Basketball (Zambia), Matero Magic (Malawi), and Fox Basketball Club (South Sudan).

Nairobi City Thunder player Tylor Ongwae, 33, believes the team is well prepared to face the top rivals.

"After the last round of qualifiers, we came back home and worked on the mistakes we made. I think we’re confident heading into next week and ready to deliver strong results," said Ongwae.

The tournament promises an electrifying display of basketball, and with the home crowd behind them, the Nairobi City Thunder hope to make a powerful statement on the continental stage.