Coach Brad Ibs says ambitious Thunder have eyes trained on FIBA 2025

Nairobi City Thunder basketball team head coach Brad Ibs is optimistic of qualifying for the 2025 FIBA Basketball Africa League (BAL) despite landing in a tough pool ahead of the last round of qualifiers.

The Elite 16 East Division will tip off Thursday 28th November to 3rd December at Kasarani Indoor Arena.

“We like the draw that we have, we have been busy doing homework on those teams and we are eager to play,” he said.

“It’s been a number of weeks of preparations and I think our guys are extremely hungry to compete against other teams.”

Thunder who are reigning Kenyan league champions are pooled in Group  ‘A’ alongside formidable teams such as M.B.B from South Africa, Bravehearts Basketball from Malawi and the Kriol Stars from Cape Verde.

Group ‘B’ will see City Oilers from Uganda battling it out with Urunani BBC from Burundi, Matero Magic from Zambia and Fox Basketball Club from South Sudan.

In this last round of qualifying; the 16 teams have been divided into two groups of eight teams each.

The eight teams in the qualifying tournament have been further divided in two groups of four teams.

The top two teams in the four groups in each division will meet in the semi-finals with finalists qualifying for the 2025 BAL championship where they will meet the Elite eight to make it 12.

No Kenyan team has ever made it to the BAL championship with Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and Ulinzi Warriors all making it to the Elite 16 and Thunder will be looking forward to breaking the jinx and qualifying for Africa's biggest club championship.