Can US Monastir make the biggest comeback in BAL history?

No team in the history of the BAL has ever qualified to the playoffs after a 0-3 start to the season, but US Monastir are trying to defy the odds.
 
The 2022 BAL season winners started their 2024 Sahara Conference campaign with three straight losses to APR, AS Douanes and Rivers Hoopers, prompting observers to rule them out from the three playoffs spots that are up for grabs.
 
What makes US Monastir’s comeback more interesting is that they have become  the first former BAL champion to have lost four games in a row, dating back to their last game of the 2023 season where they saw their season cut short after a 76-60 loss to AS Douanes on the last day of the Sahara Conference.

ROTATIONS AND NEW SCHEMES START TO PAY OFF
 
In between their three-game losing streak this season, US Monastir head coach Mohamed Kierdani has made several adjustments rotations to get his team back on track.
 
From dropping established players from their starting line-up to applying a  number of new defensive and offensive schemes, the Egyptian play-caller has tried everything he possibly could to reverse his team’s struggles.
 
Things started to look promising for Monastir in their first game of the second round of the conference where they trounced APR, a team they’d lost to in the first round.
 
IS US MONASTIR'S 83-70 WIN OVER APR THE START OF A COMEBACK?
 
Kierdani says winning their next game – against hosts AS Douanes – on Saturday, May 11, is even more important.
 
“We are still in a very difficult situation [1-3]. Hopefully we can keep the momentum that our players need,” Kierdani admitted.
 
The former Egyptian national team player shared a deep reflection on where his team stands and revealed that they are fighting tooth and nail to avoid missing out on the playoffs for the second season in a row.

Kierdani said: “My speech to my players hasn’t changed. I’ve always trusted them. Tonight’s game [against APR] was a win-or-go-home. It was a very critical situation. Had we lost that game we would be out. We fought for our chances.”
 
“Last year we fell short of the playoffs. Hopefully, we can qualify for Kigali. We just won one game, but we need to win our next two games, inshallah.”
 
“We are not looking at our opponents. We’re only concerned about ourselves. For now, we are treating it game by game. “Our focus is on our next game [against AS Douanes],” Kierdani pointed out.

IT'S ANYONE'S GAME

Eight games into the 2024 Sahara Conference any of the four teams can grab one of the three tickets still on offer to the playoffs.
 
Rivers Hooper lead the rankings with a 3-1 mark before taking on APR (2-2).
 
If US Monastir (1-3) overcome hosts AS Douanes (2-2) on Saturday they will relaunch their playoffs aspirations.