April 29, 2026

JCA Kings crashing the boards at a record level

The JCA Kings may still be without a win three games into the 2026 Sahara Conference, with only two games remaining, but it cannot be denied that they are dominating the boards at a record level.

Let's look at the Kings' 79–74 overtime loss to the high-flying Club Africain.

In the opening ten minutes, the Ivorian champions out-rebounded Club Africain 17–9 and led 19–10.

By the end of the second quarter, the rebounding disparity had increased to 30–18, and by the start of the fourth, the Kings were still dominating the boards with a 47–30 advantage.

As the forty minutes came to an end and both teams headed to overtime tied at 66–66, the JCA Kings had extended their rebounding lead to an astonishing 60–32. Although the Kings ultimately lost 79-74 to Club Africain and dropped to 0-3, history was made.

Mike Yayo #23 and Chris Junior Echui #33 of the JCA Kings help up Faman Kone #5 of the JCA Kings during the game against the Maktown Flyers on April 25, 2026, at Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco.

These numbers mean that the JCA Kings tied the record for the most rebounds in a game (65), previously set by the Rivers Hoopers in a 78-71 double-overtime win against APR on 11 May 2025. The difference is that the Kings only needed five extra minutes, unlike the Hoopers, who needed ten.

The Kings' rebounding performance is all the more impressive given that they had grabbed 60 boards by the end of regulation.

The only other team to come close to the Kings' rebounding performance this season were the Nigerian champions, the Maktown Flyers, who out-rebounded the Kings 56–46.

The team effort of the Kings was further demonstrated by the fact that four of their players — Chris Crawford, Babatunde William, Chris Echui and Cheikh Diong — finished with 10 rebounds or more each.

The Kings' 23 offensive rebounds were among the highest in the league. The current BAL record for the most offensive rebounds in a game (26) is shared by AS Douanes and the Rivers Hoopers.

Reflecting on the rebounding gulf between Club Africain and the JCA Kings, Club Africain power forward Jamelle Hagins acknowledged: “Their bigs are very active, and tonight they hurt us with their rebounding.”

BAL