Can AS Douanes protect home-court on opening day of BAL's Sahara Conference?

One thing that AS Douanes are fully aware of is that opening the Basketball African League (BAL) season 3 on the losing side is an outcome they don’t want to embrace, but the Senegalese champions need to be able to overcome a talented and resolute Abidjan Basket Club Fighters on Saturday, March 11 at Dakar Arena.

BAL’s history has shown that home-court advantage is still a debatable subject, especially if recent events are anything go by.

Except for Zamalek, who won all five games of the Nile Conference in Cairo last season, no other team has ever capitalized from home-court advantage.

Even Zamalek needed to step up on several occasions to finish undefeated on home soil.

Rwanda Energy Group (REG) had a terrific Sahara Conference in Dakar last season but were unable to avoid a 66-63 loss against Cameroon’s FAP in the first-round of the playoffs on their home-court in Kigali.

Playing as hosts of the Sahara Conference last year, Dakar Université Club (DUC) had home fans support, they looked highly focused, but Guinea’s Seydou Legacy Athletique Club (SLAC) proved too much for DUC winning 85-70 in the opener of the Sahara Conference.

Can AS Douanes do better than their DUC counterparts and win the opener of the Sahara Conference for the first time?

“We want to reach the BAL playoffs,” said AS Douanes guard Alkaly Ndour.

Ndour has a point about AS Douanes’ ambition in the BAL this season, and this reflected on the team’s new signings.

BAL all-time leading scorer Terrell Stoglin is expected to put his scoring prowess to use for AS Douanes. The Senegalese champions boosted their scoring chances with yet another terrific scorer in Chris Crawford, a BAL champion with Zamalek.

“As crazy as it might sound, that’s happening. Stoglin and I are playing together, and it shows how much this team wants to win,” Crawford told bal.nba.com.

AS Douanes are returning to the BAL for the second time after missing out on the qualification last season, while ABC Fighters are making their debut in the competition.

Since the Abidjan-based club secured one of the six Road to BAL qualifying tickets last November, the historic club has reshaped its squad.

Chris Obekpa, one of the best defenders in the recent history of the BAL; shooting guard Abdoulaye Harouna, who is on his third BAL season with a third team, has also accepted an ABC offer. And, Liz Mills, who inspired AS Salé to the BAL playoffs last season, two months ago, replaced Franck Silva at the helm of the Ivorian champions.

“We are very excited and, obviously, confident to [play the home team],” Harouna said to the bal.nba.com.

According to the Nigerien, who played for AS Salé under Mills last season, ABC are ready for the challenges ahead in the Sahara Conference.

“We had a good preparation last month in Abidjan, by tip off [Saturday, March 11], we’ll be ready to go,” Harouna said, adding: “We won three of our four preparation games [against Stade Malien, Kwara Falcons, and Kadji Sport Academy from Cameroon].”

Harouna knows too well the feeling of playing against Senegalese fans in Dakar.

During the Sahara Conference last season, DUC desperately needed a win to boost their chances of securing one of the four tickets for the playoffs but taking on Harouna’s AS Salé was a challenge for the ages. DUC fell 91-86 to the Moroccan outfit.

“It was fun [playing in Dakar before]. We played against the home team DUC. The atmosphere was great. The home team always has pressure. We don’t,” Harouna insisted.

“Saturday is going to be fun. I am excited to go against him again. Last year, it was always good to compete during practice. It’s going to be the same thing on Saturday,” said Harouna referring to his former AS Salé teammate Terrell Stoglin.

How tough is to defend Stoglin?

“He is averaging 30 [points]. Do I really have the say how hard it is, to guard him?,” Harouna admitted.

This AS Douanes v ABC Fighters is just the beginning of what is expected an exciting Sahara Conference. 14 other games will follow until March 21.