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Road to BAL: Nairobi City Thunder face acid test against Urunani
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 18.10.24. | 10:22
The Kenyan champions are chasing their second win of the five-team competition
Coach Bradley Ibs is confident his Nairobi City Thunder side has what it takes to match Burundi's Urunani as the two teams look to continue their winning streaks when they face off on Friday 18 October at Filbert Bayi Schools in Kibaha, Tanzania.
The Kenyan champions are playing their second match of the five-team competition that will see the top two finishers represent Group D of the East Division in the Elite 16, tentatively set to be hosted from Tuesday 12 November in Johannesburg.
Thunder opened their campaign with a 89-53 show against Seychelles' Beau Vallon Heat on Wednesday 16 October and had a rest day on Thursday ahead of their highly-anticipated clash against the star-studded Burundi champions.
"We have watched films and scouted their team well enough to handle their talents. This is a crucial match for us and victory will move us closer to qualifying. We are ready," coach Ibs told Mozzart Sport.
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Against Beau Vallon Heat, the Kenyan champions had a shaky start but the tactician believes his charges suffered from game-one jitters and they will have a better show in their next fixture.
"There is no cause to worry as I am confident all the players will be switched on for this fixture.
The level of concentration when playing against tougher sides automatically improves so some of the shortcomings in the opening match are unlikely to trouble us today," he continued.
Thunder had William Sydney Davis II (Will) lead the charge against Beau Vallon, dropping a game-high 26 points, and adding 11 rebounds while American-Nigerian guard Uchenna Iroegbu posted a rare one with 10 points and 11 rebounds for victory. The duo will hope to keep that momentum going.
On their part, Urunani will rely on AS Douanes and NBA Academy Africa graduate Jean-Jacques Boissy who is driving the side's offense as they look to make it 3-0.
Meanwhile, 32-year-old Marcus Christopher Crawford who has featured for several BAL outfits, his most recent being US Monastir in 2024 adds to the side's depth as does Senegalese forward Mohamed Doumbya who dropped 25 against Beau Vallon Heat in the side's game two.
"We are ready. There is no pressure, we will handle this match like any other, stick to our game plan and execute well for victory," a confident Boissy told Mozzart Sport.
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