Highlights from the 2024 Sahara Conference

The 2024 Sahara Conference ended on Sunday in Dakar with three out of four teams securing their tickets to the Playoffs and Finals in Kigali from May 24 - June 1.

Here are the highlights from the 2024 Sahara Conference played for nine days in the Senegalese capital.

RIVERS HOOPERS WIN THE 2024 SAHARA CONFERENCE

Rivers Hoopers won the 2024 Sahara Conference with a 4-2 mark, becoming the first Nigerian side to advance to the postseason.

In their BAL debut in 2021, The King Men finished with a 1-2 record, but this time around the Port Harcourt-based team outclassed their opponents with an impressive style of play.

OVERTIME GAMES

The race for the three playoffs spots was so intense that only four of the twelve conference games registered double-digit winning margins.

And the four team’s tenacity to extend their season beyond May 12 was better illustrated in the conference opener when APR overcame US Monastir 89-84 in the first overtime game since 2022.

A week later, on May 11, Rivers Hoopers beat APR 78-71 in the first double-overtime game in BAL history.

US MONASTIR’S COMEBACK

The 2022 BAL season winners lost their first three games of the conference, but in a turn of events, US Monastir won the last three games to advance to the playoffs.

No other team in the history of the BAL has ever fought a 0-3 deficit to finish 3-3 and move on to the postseason.

FANS AND HEADS OF STATE IN ATTENDANCE

Senegal fans turned out in large numbers for most of AS Douanes games, with nearly 9000 fans in the stands during the ‘Le Gabelous’ 77-68 loss to Rivers Hoopers.

For the first time in the league history, two African Heads of States attended a BAL game together. Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye hosted Rwanda’s Paul Kagame during the AS Douanes vs APR game.

NO RWANDA TEAMS IN THE PLAYOFFS

Rwanda's APR, who saw two of their pivotal players Adonis Filer and Obadiah Noel, miss their two decisive games due to injury, closed their Sahara Conference with a 2-4 mark.

This is the first time in the league history that Rwanda won’t have a team in the playoffs. Patriots BC and Rwanda Energy Groups (REG) carried the Rwandan flag in the first three editions of the pan-African basketball league.

TOP PERFORMERS

There were a number of top individual performances throughout the nine-day event, but some were so impactful that their names will forever be associated with the 2024 Sahara Conference.

Noel may have been side-lined for the last two games of the conference with a hamstring injury but his buzzer beater three-pointer that saw APR upset US Monastir 89-84 in overtime is undeniably a moment to remember.

Athletically gifted, Rivers Hoopers’ Devine Eke came out balling from the first to the last game of the Sahara Conference. Eke finished as the only player to record three double-doubles in six conference games.

QUALIFIED TEAMS

AS Douanes (3-3), Rivers Hoopers (4-2) and US Monastir (3-3) advanced to the Playoffs while APR (2-4) were eliminated.