Ganapamo, trio of BAL Coaches Headed to the 2022 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) Season 2 may have finished in May with the coronation of US Monastir as new champions, but for some BAL participants the season continues stateside with the NBA 2K23 Summer League 2022.

This year’s NBA 2K23 Summer League 2022 will run from July 7 to 17 in Las Vegas, where new draftees, undrafted players and others from different leagues will be looking for their NBA opportunities.

Among players looking to showcase their talent in Vegas is prolific scorer Evans Ganapamo who inspired Cape Town Tigers to the BAL playoffs with his 16.2 points per game.

Ganapamo will play in the Las Vegas for the former NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks.

The 6-foot-7 forward grabbed the headlines in April when he hit a 3pt shot with 2.2 seconds that earned the Tigers a 73-70 win over Forces Armées et Police (FAP) in the Nile Conference in Cairo, Egypt.

That Ganapamo winning shot turned out to be one of Cape Town’s passes to the BAL playoffs.

Born in Mandeville, LA, Ganapamo has represented the Central African Republic national team since June 2018 during the World Cup Qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Joining Ganapamo in the Bucks Summer League team is Cameroonian François Enyegue, who head coached FAP during the BAL Season 2.

Assistant Head Coach during the inaugural season of the BAL, Enyegue was promoted as Head Coach during the second season.

His calm and defensive pedigree enabled him to lead his team into the Final in May 4 last in Kigali. He felt short of a third-place win after losing to Zamalek.

Another BAL participant heading to Vegas is BC Espoir Fukash Head Coach Emmanuel Mavomo.

The Congolese has accepted an offer to be part of the Toronto Raptors coaching team in the 2022 Summer League.

Mavomo’s BC Espoir Fukash made history in the Nile Conference after fighting back a 22-point to beat Cape Town Tigers 96-92 in overtime.

BC Espoir Fukash may have not made it to the BAL playoffs, but they earned opponents’ respect for their tenacity and fight back spirit.

Moments boarding a plane to Las Vegas took some time to talk exclusively to the bal.nba.com.

“This represents an incredible opportunity for me as a coach,” Enyegue said.

“Starting from the bottom of the ladder with the Basketball Without Borders, Jr. NBA and the BAL, I think it’s time for African coaches to believe in their work and continue to learn constantly from FIBA and BAL.”

“I think that through this opportunity I have today, African national federations as well as clubs will complement the experience of local coaches.”

Meanwhile, Tunisian Mounir Ben Slimane, who coached US Monastir to the second-place of the inaugural BAL season, is expected to join the Detroit Pistons coaching staff.

Under Ben Slimane, US Monastir reached the Championship Game undefeated in five games, before falling short to Zamalek in the most important BAL game of the 2021 season.

According to BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall, the participation of BAL players and coaches is part of the league’s strategic objective to build capacity and improve on the quality of the product on the court.

“Having this privilege of first participating in the training camp of the best teams in the NBA and then going to Vegas for the Summer League is already a culmination,” the Cameroonian tactician observed before adding: “Seeing the organization of work and the division of tasks carried out this is simply phenomenal.”