The inaugural Basketball Africa league (BAL) Kalahari Conference ended Sunday, March 17th with several positives that marked the started of the BAL Season 4.
In this article, the bal.nba.com breaks down the highlights from the 2024 Kalahari Conference played at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa (March) 9-17:
PRETORIA, TSHWANE - MARCH 17: An overall view of the court during the game between the Fath Union Sports de Rabat and the Cape Town Tigers during the Kalahari Conference Group play for the 2024 Basketball Africa League season on March 17, 2024 at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, Tshwane. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Nacer Talel/NBAE via Getty Images)
GAMES - The three participating teams (Cape Town Tigers, FUS Rabat and Petro de Luanda) played a total of 6 games.
ATTENDANCE - Thousands of fans flocked to the SunBet Arena to witness the BAL action live. On two occasions, the venue recorded soldout crowds of over 6,000 fans.
CONFERENCE WINNER - Morocco's FUS Rabat finished with a 3-1 mark to finish top of the 2024 Kalahari Conference. The wins means the Moroccan champions - along with Petro de Luanda (2-2) - have qualified to the BAL Playoffs in May in Kigali, Rwanda.
MUSIC, FASHION, SPORTS - Celebrities from the fashion, music and sports industry made their presence felt throughout the Kalahari Conference to witness a new era of basketball in South Africa.
PRETORIA, TSHWANE - MARCH 17: Aliou Diarra #10 and Abdelhakim Zouita #24 of Fath Union Sports de Rabat look on during the game against the Cape Town Tigers during the Kalahari Conference Group play for the 2024 Basketball Africa League season on March 17, 2024 at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, Tshwane. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Julien Bacot/NBAE via Getty Images)
LARGEST WINNING MARGIN - By beating Cape Town Tigers 84-58 in their first meeting, FUS Rabat recorded the largest winning margin in the conference.
MOST POINTS SCORED IN A GAME - Petro de Luanda was the only team to hit the 100-point mark in conference thanks to their 100-88 win over Cape Town Tigers.
BAL ELEVATE PLAYERS - With averages of 6 points, 4.5 rebounds in 11 minutes per game, FUS Rabat's Mohamed Sylla recorded the highest production of a BAL Elevate program player in the conference.
BIGGEST UPSET - Cape Town Tigers beat Petro de Luanda 84-78 to record their first-ever win against the Angolan champions.
OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS RECORD - Cape Town Tigers set a record for most offensive rebounds (25) in the Kalahari Conference in the win against Petro de Luanda.
LEADING SCORER - Cape Town Tigers guard Samkelo Cele averaged a conference-high 20.5 points per game.
BAL DAILY - The BAL added the BAL Daily show to its coverage of the league.
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