Khalil Fofana's upbeat about SLAC's BAL chances
The last few months have remained memorable for Ibrahima Khalil Fofana and his SLAC teammates. In fact, the team from Guinea has gone beyond their dreams in this year's Basketball African League.
CONAKRY (Guinea) - The last few months have remained memorable for Ibrahima Khalil Fofana and his SLAC teammates.
In fact, the Guinean champions have gone beyond their dreams in this year's Basketball African League (BAL).
But having reached the BAL Quarter-Finals through their dint of hard work, Fofana says that they intend to dream even bigger.
After a historic qualification from the Sahara Conference, SLAC advanced to the playoffs on the back of a 2-3 record which Fofana describes as a success that is the result of a gigantic effort and sacrifice on the part of all SLAC actors.
"Although we encountered a lot of difficulties, everyone gave themselves body and soul to be able to reach this stage of the competition."
The 1.92m (6ft 3in) point guard and member of the Guinea men's national team told FIBA.basketball ahead of the next round of the BAL that SLAC has grown because of a succession of positive events, which were identified and the opportunities taken especially knowing how to seize them.
Having come this far, Fofana says the objective is to make it to the Semi-Finals.
"There are only warriors in the SLAC team and we know that we have nothing to lose. So, we will give everything because it is a single straight line for all teams where we have to follow it or leave it and we intend to get to the end because everything is possible."
The 2022 BAL playoffs will take place at Kigali Arena in Rwanda from Saturday, May 21 to Saturday, May 28.
The top eight teams from the league’s Sahara and Nile Conferences will compete in a single-elimination playoffs and finals, with the winner crowned the second BAL champion.
May 21 is a date that Fofana is looking forward to because it will define their team's status when they face defending BAL champions Zamalek of Egypt but he says there is nothing to be scared about.
"The SLAC has the army it needs and especially the general it needs. This step is essential for us and whatever the result, at this level we meet the cream of the cream on the continent so we could only benefit better from it. The SLAC will try to continue the story that the national team has begun to write, the trails must be cleared for future generations. The dream must be a logical continuation."
Though, Fofana admits that the BAL defending champions remains the team that is feared the most but he insists that Zamalek is no longer a cause of worry. "It's a win or lose for both of us. With this elimination format we have a 50 percent chance against Zamalek," he says.
Is Fofana taken aback by the level of SLAC's success so far? His response is: "A little surprising because as it stands we are among the teams with the least experience on the international scene but this is the result of a process that began a long time ago."
The 23-year-old three-time winner of the Guinean national league did not fail to acknowledge the Guinea Basketball Federation's support for the SLAC team noting that both are united like the fingers of a leper's hand.
FIBA