7 Moments That Defined the 2022 Sahara Conference

Over the course of 10 ten days, six teams did everything they possibly could in Dakar to secure a place in the 2022 Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs that will take place in May in Kigali, but eventually, two of those teams came up short.

The 2022 BAL Sahara Conference witnessed a bit of everything over the course of 15 games.

From shocking results, new BAL records being established to a surprising champion, this year’s Sahara Conference lived up to expectations.

Here we recall the seven moments that defined the 2022 BAL Sahara Conference:

SLAC upset DUC, advance to the playoffs

As hosts, Dakar Universite Club (DUC) had an enthusiastic home crowd behind them for most of the ten-day competition. They even added sharpshooter Bamba Diallo, who joined DUC from local rivals AS Douanes; DUC brought in Hameed Ali – a terrific point guard with an ability to create shooting opportunities to his teammates; and added Jordan Aboudou, a 6-foot-7 forward who spent over a decade of his career navigating between France’s PRO A and PRO B.

DUC had the pieces to move on to the post-season, but things started terribly wrong when they fell to Seydou Legacy Athletique Club (SLAC) 85-70 in the Sahara Conference opener on March 5. That result would have serious implications as DUC reached the final day of the competition with their backs against the wall and needing to desperately beat AS Salé to advance in the Sahara.

Ahead of their final game in Dakar, DUC Head Coach Parfait Adjivon admitted that they didn’t expect such result as he believed that his team was capable of beating SLAC, Ferroviario da Beira and Rwanda Energy Group (REG).

SLAC advanced to the playoffs on the back of a 2-3 edge while things didn’t work according to plan for DUC who were eliminated with a 1-4 mark.

REG crowned Sahara Conference champions

Against all the odds, REG not only caused the biggest surprise in the Sahara by beating BAL self-proclaimed title contenders US Monastir, but the Rwandan champions were crowned the Sahara Conference champions thanks to their four victories in five games.

Although REG Head Coach Robert Pack, a former NBA player, later admitted that his team’s weaknesses were exposed by DUC in their only defeat (92-86), he made readjustments and REG bounced back in style by coming back from a 12-point down to upset Monastir 77-74, in a triumph that defined the Sahara Conference winner. Both teams finished with a 4-1 each, but REG won the head-to-head clash.

Stoglin breaks own record

After establishing a BAL record for most scored in a game when he scored 40 points in an AS Salé victory over AS Police in May 2021, Terrel Stoglin broke his own record last week by scoring 41 points against Monastir although the Moroccan champions lost 96-90.

Stoglin ended up being AS Salé’s heart and soul thanks to his tournament-high 33.2 points per game.

Mills leaves her BAL mark

Liz Mills became the first female Head Coach in the BAL, and her debut couldn’t have been any better.

Mills, who has held a number of assistant coach positions before and led Kenya at 2021 FIBA AfroBasket to become the first woman to coach in the tournament, inspired AS Salé to the 2022 BAL playoffs.

Even though AS Salé struggled early in the Sahara Conference, closing the tournament with two straights wins was a major achievement not only for Mills, but also for the 2017 FIBA Africa Champions Cup winners, who return to the BAL playoffs for the second straight time.

Nshobozwabyosenmukiza

His surname may be unique, but 23-year-old Jean Jacques Nshobozwabyosenmukiza became one of the highlights in the 2022 Sahara Conference.

Nshobozwabyosenmukiza, a Rwandan international player, made his name resonate around the globe when he rescued REG with a buzzer-beater 3pt shot that gave REG  an 83-81 victory over SLAC.

The win not only helped REG improve to 2-0, but worked out as a morale booster for them for the remaining of the Conference.

Monastir’s rotation and injuries prove costly

US Monastir played attractive offensive basketball, they defended aggressively and cruised to their last game undefeated in four games, but when REG questioned their dominancy, the Tunisian champions struggled to answer.

Playing without injured Souleymane Diabate and having Michael Dixon experiencing discomfort in his right leg proved challenging for the Monastir-based team, but perhaps the biggest challenge they faced was an unproductive bench.

Last playoff berths determined on the last day

With REG, Monastir already qualified after three games, the biggest question heading to the last day was “Who would pick the remaining two playoff slots?”

Both AS Salé and SLAC were the strongest contenders for the remaining two playoff tickets, but Beira and DUC had a word to say.

Eventually SLAC and AS Salé prevailed, and ensured their places in the 2022 BAL post-season that will take place in Kigali, Rwanda from May 21 through to May 28.

Four other 2022 BAL playoff contenders will be decided in the Nile Conference in Cairo from April 9 to 19.