YAOUNDE (Cameroon)- When the West Division of the 'Elite 16' gets into action, all eight outfits that have converged on Cameroon for the tournament will be rivalling for the top three spots to punch their ticket for the maiden Basketball African League.

But for one player Timothy Kwaor, competing at the Yaounde event and getting to play basketball means more-it’s the reason grief and depression didn’t get the best of him.

The AS Nigelec point guard who’s been scintillating in the qualifiers has had to deal with depression, an unenviable lifestyle and a dip in performances triggered by the death of his mentor-his father.

"BASKETBALL SAVED ME BECAUSE I NEVER IMAGINED I COULD BOUNCE BACK FROM THAT DARK SPOT I FOUND MYSELF."- Kwaor

"In August 2017, I lost my father in the most surreal circumstances. He was my mentor and my best friend. He stood by me when I decided to become a basketballer and he kept challenging me to be a better person," Kwaor told FIBA.Basketball.

"Two days before my father passed away, he called me twice while I was training. I saw his missed calls but I forgot to call back. I didn’t believe anything could be wrong with him. 48 hours later, my sister called to tell me our father had died."

"I was shattered and fed up with life. Nothing made sense anymore and I just wanted to die. I slumped into a depression and became alcoholic. I didn’t have the best lifestyle and things were almost spiralling out of control," he added.

"One day I looked in the mirror and wondered if my father would be proud of the person I had become. I remembered he groomed me with a never give up mentality and I decided to turn to the thing that made me most happy- basketball."

"Basketball saved me because I never imagined I could bounce back from that dark spot I found myself in. Nothing made sense anymore but GOD used basketball to redeem me," the 23-year old explained. 

Kwaor’s restoration clicked with AS Nigelec’s desperate quest for a playmaker prior to the Group B Road to BAL 2020 Qualifiers.

The Niger outfit lured the former Kanu Pillars sensation with an appealing blueprint that culminates with a qualification for the maiden Basketball Africa League, a tournament jointly organized by FIBA and the NBA.

"I had not played basketball for almost two years and I had this urge in me to get back to the court and get my life back on the rails," Kwaor mentioned to FIBA.basketball before elaborating that :"When officials of AS Nigelec reached out to me, they presented an impressive project. It was a no-brainer and since then playing basketball has been life changing. That’s why in every game I want to be better than the last."

The 1.82m (6ft) Point guard has been the driving force behind AS Nigelec’s captivating results contributing 20.5 points a game as the Niger side wormed their way to the 'Elite 16'.

Kwaor who also featured for Nigerian side Gombe Bulls is keen on replicating his streak of beguiling acts as AS Nigelec match up host FAP, GSP of Algeria and Al Naser of Libya in the first hurdle of the 'Elite 16.'

"All of our group stage opponents are very good teams and we’re in a truly tough pool. We are in Yaounde to secure the most wins but most especially we want to learn and garner experience.”

"Our goal is to sail through to the Basketball Africa League 2020 regular season and we’ll work hard to achieve it. I feel great and I’m having the time of my life now, being blessed to ball again," he stated.

"Every game is an opportunity to do the thing that makes me feel complete and obviously I’ll want to play on my best level, get the most points and contribute to AS Nigelec’s success," Kwaor concluded.

 FIBA