AS DOUANES LOOKING TO SET THE TONE FOR SENEGAL BASKETBALL - BOISSY

First they eliminated reigning champions US Monastir on the last day of the Sahara Conference; On Wednesday AS Douanes shocked Petro de Luanda – one of the title contenders – in the Semi-Finals to book a Final encounter against Africa giants Al Ahly, on Saturday, May 27th.

How come a team that started the season with a 0-2 mark have now become a potential BAL winner?

Team talk, roster readjustments - after the abrupt departure of Terrell Stoglin – and a lot of self-belief turned AS Douanes’ fortunes around.

The Senegalese champions are currently on a five-game winning streak and continue to dream of going all the way and take the 2023 BAL trophy to Dakar.

If they beat Al Alhy on Saturday, they will become the first Senegalese men’s team [club or national team] to win a continental trophy in more than two decades when Jeanne d’Arc won the FIBA Africa Champions Cup in 1991 in Dakar.

One of the key players steering AS Douanes’ astonishing BAL campaign is Jean Jacques Boissy, a 23-year-old guard who wasn’t even born when Senegal last won the FIBA AfroBasket in 1997 in Dakar.

Boissy and teammate Chris Crawford have become opponents’ worst nightmares.

In their historical Semi-Finals win against Petro de Luanda, Boissy and Crawford finished with 28 and 26 points, respectively.

“We are really confident but we are also very humble because our goal is to win the Championship. We are trying to avoid distractions,” Boissy said in an exclusive interview with the bal.nba.com.

After early losses to Abidjan Basket Club (ABC) and Rwanda Engergy Group (REG) in the Sahara Conference, Boissy said that a sincere and real talk was like a rebirth moment for the team.

“Coach said we had to play more aggressive defensively,” he recalled.

“Our defense is what gave us three wins in the Conference and two more in the Playoffs. We score a lot of fast-break points thanks to our aggressive defense.”

Boissy has - since an early age – been trying to follow in the footsteps of his father Elysee Boissy who represented Senegal at the 2003 edition of the FIBA AfroBasket.

In the early days of his career, coaches and scouts discovered something special in the young Boissy, who shared his talent at the NBA Academy Africa for a year before receiving his first call up to represent Senegal at the 2018 FIBA U18African Championship in Mali where they finished second.

In 2019 Boissy featured at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Crete, Greece.

His international exposure led him to sign with CB Cornellia of Spain’s LEB Plata before signing for AS Douanes.

Reflecting on the importance of beating Petro de Luanda, Boissy said it was a long-waited triumph for Senegal basketball.

“The whole country is really happy because everybody remember that [Carlos] Morais hurt us many times. In the past, Morais made many people cry in our country,” he emphasized, adding that: “If we win the [BAL] title, it’s for the whole country.”

Boissy has represented Senegal at different categories.

But beating a star-studded Petro de Luanda was a dream for Boissy.

“It was a big win for us because I played against my childhood idols. As a young boy I appreciated Solo [Diabate] and [ Carlos] Morais. For me to be able to play against them it was a dream come true.”

Diabate and Morais finished with seven and six points, respectively, against AS Douanes.

Boissy went on saying: “Our country hasn’t won anything in men’s competitions in Africa since 1997. This position we are in now proves that we can compete for titles in Africa. We are still Senegal.”

“With this win [against Petro de Luanda] we want to set the tone for Senegal clubs and national teams. Hopefully, we can win the BAL,” he observed.