BAL CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH RECORD FEMALE COACHES AND REFEREES

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) has reached another milestone in its commitment to promote inclusion and gender diversity.

As well as encouraging the inclusion of 12 Under-18 players from the NBA Academy Africa into the BAL teams this season, the BAL has registered a record number of female personnel assigned to key decision-making positions.

And to celebrate the International Women’s Day on March 8th, the BAL emphasizes the importance of integration of women in the diversification of basketball on the continent with referees, a game commissionaire and coaches.

With the Sahara Conference underway in Dakar, numbers speak for themselves.

From two female referees in Season One of the BAL to three officials this season, never a Men’s competition in Africa has seen such a high number of women in key positions.

Referee Sara Gamal (Egypt) – who has officiated at Tokyo 2020 and became the first woman to officiate at FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers last week – has returned for her second BAL experience.

Gamal was part of the crew that officiated the Sahara Conference opening game between hosts DUC against SLAC

Gamal officiated alongside Greg Dandridge (South Africa) and Kalume Banza (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Meanwhile, both Joyce Muchenu (Zimbabwe) and Marcy Williams (USA) have made their BAL debut in games 2 and 3 of the competition.

Muchenu was part of the crew that called the game between Rwanda Energy Group (REG) against AS Salé of Morocco, and Williams was the Crew Chief of the game between US Monastir against Ferroviario da Beira.

Off the court, Joy Ilunga has returned for her second BAL stint as Game Commissionaire.

On the side-lines, Liz Mills, who has a had a number of assistant coach roles and became the first woman to hold a head coach role at AfroBasket while coaching Kenya, has become the first female head coach in the BAL.

Mills currently coaches Morocco champions AS Salé.

Joining Mills is former Senegal internal player and Sydney 2000 Olympian Khardiata Diop currently serves as assistant coach at Dakar Universite Dakar.