On the sidelines of the press conference held this Thursday, Morocco, January 9 in Rabat, by the Basketball Africa League (BAL) as a prelude to the BAL Combine 2025, which will take place from Friday, January 10 to Sunday, January 12, “L’Opinion Sports” collected statements from Amadou Gallo Fall, president of the BAL, His Excellency Shakilla Umutoni, Rwandan ambassador to Morocco, and Hachem Ouahidi, technical director and representative of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Basketball.
“The fifth season of the BAL is a pivotal season that promises to be exciting. The excitement begins with the Combine and will continue with the group stage of the Kalahari Conference in Rabat, April 5-13,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
“We look forward to capitalizing on the momentum here in Morocco and delivering a world-class basketball and entertainment product that proudly represents Africa on the global stage.”
For her part, Her Excellency Shakilla Umutoni, Ambassador of Rwanda to Morocco, underlined that “thanks to the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, Morocco has become a radiant image of an Africa in action”. And to add that Morocco is an open site for the construction of giant sports, road or other infrastructures.
Fourth BAL Combine and second consecutive edition on the African continent
The three-day event, which will be held at the Ibn Yassine sports hall, will bring together more than 30 promising players from Africa, Europe, the United States and beyond, who will participate in anthropometric and athletic tests, at skill development by position, as well as 5-on-5 matches in front of team leaders, coaches and recruiters. This edition marks the second consecutive Combine organized in Morocco and Africa, after previous editions in New York and Paris.
Meet Sam Vincent?
The Combine 2025 camp director will be Sam Vincent, former 1986 NBA champion and Olympian. During his seven-year NBA career, Vincent played for the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic.
In 1992 he moved towards a coaching career, having managed several national teams in Africa, Asia and Europe with impressive results. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, he led the Nigeria women’s team to a historic victory against South Korea, marking the first success by an African nation in the women’s Olympic basketball competition. Two years later, he led the Nigeria men’s team to the second round of the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
