JUBA (South Sudan) – Fox Basketball Club has already made history by defeating defending champions Cobra Sports in the semi-final of the South Sudan Championship.
They added a new chapter to their young history by defeating their rivals Nile Giants in a thrilling final (61-60), finishing the tournament, comprising eight teams, undefeated.
With their ticket to the Road to BAL 2025 in their pocket, they flew to Zimbabwe, where they finished with a 3-2 series, which was far from enough to qualify for the Elite 16. But the fate would have it otherwise and put them among the 16 best teams in the East division.
Can they become the first South Sudanese team to qualify for the BAL final? Let’s wait and see.
FIBA.basketball has compiled some information on South Sudan’s representative in the Elite 16.
Fox Basketball Club qualified for the group stage of the Road to BAL by winning the South Sudan championship.
They beat defending champions Cobra Sports 72-49 in the semifinals and finished the job by defeating the Nile Giants in a thriller match (61-60).
They finished the FIFA World Cup group stage with a series of 3 wins and 2 losses.
They started their campaign in Harare with a 76-67 victory over Bostwana Defense Force, then followed up with another victory over the Mozambicans of Costa do Sol (71-66).
Matero Magic slowed their progress, the Zambians winning 67-63. Fox then failed against the Bravehearts Basketball Club (60-65), before winning 89-60 against the Hounds Basketball Club.
These results allowed them to finish in third place in Group A of the Eastern Division. FIBA Africa rewarded them by granting them a Wild Card for the Elite 16.
KEY PLAYERS FROM THE ROAD TO BAL GROUP STAGE
Stephen Garbah’s 21 points against Basketball Hounds are still remembered, as are Aluk Lual Adub’s 17 points and Gob GOB’s 18 points.
Earlier in the tournament, GOB scored 20 points against Costa do Sol, cementing their place among the South Sudanese side’s top performers.
Peter Marial (34 rebounds) and Adub (16 rebounds) were very active on both ends of the court during the group stage of the Road to BAL.
HEAD TRAINER
Mandy Juruni led the City Oilers in the 2023 Road to BAL.
Mandy Juruni took charge of Fox Basketball Club two months ago when the team was in contention for a place in the Elite 16 in Zimbabwe, taking over from then-head coach Madut Ayuel.
Coach Juruni is known for spending 10 years with the City Oilers in his native Uganda and for having held a position with Rwanda’s Kepler Basketball Club. As a player, he played for the Charging Rhinos and the City Oilers.
NATIONAL TEAM PLAYERS REPRESENTING THE CLUB
Mareng Gatkuoth wore the colors of South Sudan during the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 and the qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup 2023. He finished with an average of 6 points and 2.8 rebounds during the competition in Rwanda and 7.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in World Cup qualifying.
Uganda native Peter Obleng also suited up for the Silverbacks during the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in 2021, averaging 4.3 points and 2 rebounds per game.
YEAR OF CREATION AND OWNER
Fox Basketball is the youngest team in the Road to BAL 2025. The club was created on January 24, 2024. Its president is Manut Tong Atak.
LOCATION OF HOME MATCHES
The team plays its home matches at the Nimititalata Basketball Stadium in Juba. The stadium can accommodate 2000 people and can operate day or night.
FIBA
