JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - South Africa will again be a central meeting point for teams hoping to punch their ticket for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) tournament.

Following Johannesburg's successful hosting of the Group F Division East qualifiers in October, the city of gold will host one leg of the Elite 16, taking place at Wembley Stadium from  Tuesday, December 7-11.

The finalists in the Johannesburg showdown and the team that wins the Third-Place game will advance to the second edition of the BAL while three other teams will qualify from the West Division Elite 16 scheduled for Yaounde, Cameroon (December 11-16).

The champions of Angola, Egypt, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia have qualified automatically to the BAL Final Round.

With the final hurdle of the Elite 16 standing in the way, host club Cape Town Tigers, who finished their Group F East Division unbeaten (3-0), are now in Group H1 and will face Burundi's New Star and Zambia's Matero Magic.

The Tigers will be without star Nigerian point guard Ben Uzoh, who joined his national team's campaign for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers last month in Benguela, Angola. Uzoh could not enter South Africa after his visa to stay in that country had expired.

While the loss of Uzoh will be huge for the Tigers, the addition of guard Lebesa Selepe of Jozi Nuggets will cushion the blow. Selepe is a seasoned campaigner, having competed for South Africa at the 2017 AfroBasket.

Lebesa Selepe averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds at AfroBasket 2017 

He also played in the regional qualifiers of the BAL tournament in 2019 for Nuggets.

The Cape-side also acquired Basketball National League South Africa final MVP Nkosinathi Sibanyoni, a proven shot blocker, rebounder and scorer.

New Star were also unbeaten in their Group D Division East qualifiers and will arrive in South Africa with that experience in their roster. The addition of Rwanda's Kenneth Gasana and Spain's Alvaro Masa will improve the fortunes of the Burundians. Gasana and Masa played in the inaugural BAL tournament for Patriots Basketball Club (Rwanda) and Feroviarrio de Maputo (Mozambique). In addition, Gasana brings an intimate knowledge of continental basketball, as he competes internationally for Rwanda and will help guide his New Star teammates through complex situations on the court.

Matero Magic, who received a wild card entry to the Elite 16, will bring grit and grind to the tournament. They will look to improve on their display in South Africa after leaving their Group F Division East in October with a 1-3 record.

Mozambique's Ferroviario da Beira will headline Group H2. Beira faces East African clubs Ulinzi Warriors (Kenya) and Cobra Sports (South Sudan).

Mozambique champions Ferroviario da Beira closed the first round of BAL qualifiers 2-1

Beira, who qualified with a 2-1 record in Group F Division East, will be favourites to come out of their group. The Mozambicans will rely on the facilitating and scoring American point guard William Perry. Canadian forward Jermel Kennedy will bring his impressive IQ and shot selection to the table.

Ulinzi Warriors, who qualified second in their Group D Division East, will depend on their Kenya Morans players like Situma Khaemba, Victor Bosire, Erick Mutoro and Valentine Nyakinda to help pull an upset in the group.

Cobra Sports, who gained entry via the wild card, will be tournament dark horses. Dieudonne Ndizeye and Tom Wamukota of the Patriots Basketball Club will bring experience to their ranks.

*Uganda's City Oilers will not participate in the Elite 16 due to Omicron, the latest Covid-19 variant discovered by South African scientists.

*It is to be determined if Kurasini Heat will make the journey to South Africa or not.

FIBA