NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 10 – Ahead of their second appearance in the prestigious Basketball Africa League (BAL), Kenyan champions Nairobi City Thunder have completed the signing of Nigerian-American power forward Josh Nzeakor.
Nzeakor, acquired from the Kosovo-based club KB Bashkimi, brings his pace and explosive style of play, hoping to help Thunder navigate the Kalahari BAL Conference, which is slated to tip off from March 27 to April 5 in Pretoria, South Africa.
Nzeakor joins the squad that also includes power forwards Ariel Okall and Bramwel Muchina, shooting guards Albert ‘Kenya Airways’ Odero and Derrick Ogechi, point guards Eugene Adera and Powell Hargos, as well as small forward Faheem Juma.
Thunder are warming up for BAL with games in the Kenya Basketball Federation League, where they are set to continue with their unbeaten run.
The selected Team BAL squad will play a friendly game on Thursday, March 11, at the Nyayo gymnasium from 8pm against their counterparts who did not make it into the travelling party, combined with the best picked players in the league.
On Friday, Thunder will resume the League three-peat title hunt with a game against KPA in their fourth game in what will be a repeat of last year’s final at 8pm in Nyayo before winding up with a fixture against UON Terror at 6pm on Sunday at the same venue.
Last year on their debut, they finished fourth in the group after losses to Rwanda’s APR, South Africa’s Made By Basketball (MBB), and Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya — before beating MBB 85-76 in their penultimate fixture.
The Kenyan champions will open their campaign with a clash against debutants Tanzania’s Dar City on Friday, March 27, before facing hosts Johannesburg Giants, Angola’s Petro de Luanda, Libya’s Al Ahly Ly, and Rwanda’s APR.
To reach the playoffs, Thunder will first need to finish in the top eight of the Kalahari Conference.
The league’s sixth season will feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing a total of 42 games across the Kalahari Conference group phase, the Sahara Conference group phase from Friday, April 24 – Sunday, May 3 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco, and the Playoffs and Finals from Friday, May 22 – Sunday, May 31 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Each conference will play a 15-game group phase during which each team will face the other five teams in its conference once.
