What we learnt from the Kalahari Conference so far

Three games and two days of action into the 2024 Kalahari Conference, and there’s been a bit of everything, on and off the court.

From an unexpected defeat of a self-proclaimed Basketball Africa League (BAL) title contender; fans flocking into a sold out opening day at SunBet Arena to exciting social and community events, the launching of the Kalahari Conference has been like no other.

Petro de Luanda, a three-time BAL semi-finalist, were put to the test on the opening day of the Kalahari Conference and fell short to BAL debutants FUS de Rabat 82-73.

FUS Rabat outclassed the Angolan champions right from jump-ball to the final buzzer.

Petro looked helpless for most of the game. They had a short-lived two-point lead.

Although they lost by eight points, the Angolan side found themselves in a hole when they trailed by 20 (81-61) later in fourth quarter.

FUS de Rabat’s win over Petro de Luanda was a clear testament of what lies ahead not only in the Kalahari Conference but also in the BAL Season 4

The Rabat-based team looked solid, confident and dominant. Before going into the break on Monday, March 11th, Said El Bouzidi’s team are comfortably leading the conference standing thanks to a 2-0 start, which included a forfeit win over Burundi’s Dynamo Basketball Club.

The Burundian champions stunned hosts Cape Town Tigers 86-73 in the second game of the conference..

In a statement, the BAL noted: “Dynamo Basketball Club (Burundi) has forfeited its game against FUS Rabat Basketball (Morocco) on Sunday, March 10 at the SunBet Arena for refusing to comply with the league’s rules governing jersey and uniform requirements, it was announced today by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.”

The second day of the conference ended with Petro de Luanda clinching their first win against the home-side, the Cape Town Tigers. At the final whistle the Angolan team beat the Tigers 100-88.

Petro, led by Carlos Morais and Glofate Buiamba, became the first side to score 100 points in the Kalahari Conference.

As the league heads to Gameday 3, this is what the Kalahari Conference looks like:
FUS Rabat (2-0)
Petro de Luanda (1-1)
Dynamo Basketball Club (0-2)
Cape Town Tigers (0-2)

Other highlights of the opening two days:

While Diarra had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win against Petro de Luanda; 19-year-old Otobo finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds in the triumph over Cape Town Tigers.

Another major highlight of the Kalahari Conference were the 6,027 fans who sold-out the SunBet Arena on Saturday.

In addition to all the on-court actions, the BAL welcomed a Special Olympics session, where FUS de Rabat players interacted with youth with intellectual disability; a unified celebrity basketball game took place at the SunBet Arena, and the BAL, in partnership with the NBA Africa, visited Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg, where the BAL4Her ran a basketball clinic with local youth.

The four-team Kalahari Conference resumes on Tuesday when hosts Cape Town Tigers taking on FUS de Rabat.