ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Al Ittihad, JCA Kings, Nadi Basket Staoueli, and Stade Malien will be fighting to grab one of the slots.
Two of the four clubs, the JCA Kings and the Stade Malien, have played in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) before. Will that count for something? Will history be rewritten?
Here are some insights into the most anticipated doubleheader of the 2027 West Division Elite 16.
Al Ittihad Vs Stade Malien - 14 November (16:30 GMT0)
Will Al Ittihad follow in the footsteps of Al Ahli Tripoli and Al Ahly Benghazi?
Under the stewardship of the 2025 BAL-winning coach Fouad Chakra, Al Ittihad are looking to become the third Libyan side to qualify for the BAL.
Al Ittihad boasts two BAL champions – Mohamed Sadi and Antino Jackson Jr – and season campaigner Ivan Almeida on its roster, which gives them an edge.
While Al Ittihad’s roster is stacked with shooters that can cause all sorts of problems around the perimeter for opponents, the biggest test will be on their front court, led by Ismael Romero and Abduqadir Raziq, who will be up against imposing Abdul Karim Coulibaly, Jerry Ngopot and Rolly Fula, who stretches the floor.
Al Ittihad have the ability to run transition through Jackson Jr, Keron DeShields and Ibrahim Madi, which leaves limited room for error for Stade Malien’s backcourt pair of Kelvin Amayo and Makan Keita at the top.
Who holds the key for Stade Malien?
Point guard Kelvin Amayo runs Stade Malien’s offence by harnessing the scoring ability of the team’s front court.
A good passer of the ball, Amayo often finds the open man, but the downside is that sometimes he is not on the same wavelength with teammates, often anticipating motion, leading to turnovers, as was the case against JCA Kings.
Playing against an experienced group, every possession matters, and how Amayo takes care of the ball will be crucial.
JCA Kings vs. Nadi Basket Staoueli - 14 November (19:00 GMT0)
Will JCA Kings return to the grand stage of African Basketball?
The Kings made history in November last year in Praia, Cape Verde, by becoming the second Ivorian team to qualify for BAL after defeating Spintex Knights in the semifinals.
JCA will be looking to replicate that success in front of home fans when they face Algerian side Nadi Basket Staoueli, who are eyeing their first qualification.
Under coach John Douaglin, JCA Kings have played high-intensity basketball built on pace and shooting, coupled with aggressive defense.
Abubakr Gbane, who was part of the team’s historical campaign last year, Mohamed Keita, Samba Fall and Trevon Duval lead the team’s high-octane offence and will have to carry the load against Nadi.
Meanwhile, Sydney Hawmmond, Ben Mohamed Konate and Joseph Kouakou anchor the defence and will be tasked with protecting the paint against a team that mostly scores on the inside.
Can Nadi Basket Staoueli make history?
Since GS Pétroliers played in the inaugural season of the BAL, no other Algerian club has competed in Africa’s premier basketball league. Nadi Basket Staoueli will be looking to become only the second side from Algeria to play in the BAL.
At the Elite 16 stage, Nadi has not shot the ball well beyond the 3-point line and has relied on inside scoring from rising center Mahdi Zaim and power forward Corey Manigualt, as well as Kurt-Curry Wegscheider and Amine Bensalah off the drive, with Hichem Dekakene, Mohammed Boussad and Mohammed Fedala also picking their spots.
Assistant coach Abderrahmane Ziad knows they have to shoot a little more and better.
“It’s going to be a tough game, that’s for sure. So it’s like a clash of the titans. It will be big, strong guys against each other. So we will try to shoot more even if we don’t have a big percentage from the three-point line, but we will shoot more. We will study their way of playing again, and we will for sure find some solutions,” Ziad said ahead of the game.
“We do have a lot of players that can show up. Fortunately, we are not a team of stars; we don’t rely on only one person to score; we are a team of players. So if they trap someone, there is another player who can show up. And for sure, for the next game, some players are going to show up. We trust our team,” he added.
FIBA