JKT to feature in Basketball Africa League Qualifiers
DAR ES SALAAM: THE JKT basketball team is poised to represent Tanzania at the Elite qualifying round for season five of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) tournament.
The Road to BAL Qualifiers 2025 Eastern Zone tournament will take place from October 15th to 20th this year at Filbert Bayi Stadium in Kibaha, Coast Region.
Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) President, Michael Kadebe, confirmed to the ‘Daily News on Saturday’ yesterday that preparations are in full swing ahead of the prestigious tournament tip-off.
JKT, currently competing in the Basketball Dar es Salaam League (BDL) that reaching its quarterfinals this week, has utilized this league as vital preparation for the Kibaha event.
They finish third as eight in the field of 16 men’s teams advancing to the quarterfinal playoff through a competitive two leg round-robin regular season battle.
JKT concluded with 53 points from 30 matches as conceded five matches to finish behind leaders Dar City and UDSM Outsiders on the standing, but expectations are high for their performance at the BAL qualifiers.
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Star player Baraka Sadiki and his teammates are ready to showcase their talents on the continental stage, hoping to represent Tanzania with pride according to Kadebe.
However, Kadebe acknowledged the challenges ahead, as JKT faces a tough field of seven teams, including Urunani BBC from Burundi, Beau Vallo Heat from Seychelles, Nairobi City Thunders from Kenya, GNBC from Madagascar, Ushidzi from Comoros and Hawassa City from Ethiopia.
“Final preparations are underway to ensure Filbert Bayi stadium is ready for the tournament, it is important to host this kind of event to motivate youths and for the development of basketball,” he stated.
JKT aim to emulate the success of last year’s representative, Pazi, who clinched the Group C qualifying title by defeating Burundi’s Dynamo 71-62 at the IST Masaki Indoor Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Pazi advanced to the Elite 16 round of the BAL 2024 Finals without losing a match, marking a historic achievement for a local team.
They have beaten also third placed Kenya Port Authority (KPA) and Elan Cotton of Benin who finished at the bottom.
The victory earned them a slot at the Elite 16 Eastern Zone tournament held in November last year in Johannesburg, South Africa although they eventually found it going tough.
