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S. GitahiFormer Kenya Morans coach on course to making 2023 BAL Finals
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Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 20.03.23. | 17:43
Mills has previously coached in Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda and Morocco
Former Kenya Morans head coach Liz Mills is games away from securing yet another milestone-making back to back Basketball Africa League appearances as she did a year ago, but with potentially a different touch this time.
Signing a new deal with the Ivorian champions - ABC Fighters in December last year, Mills kicked off another big journey in Africa, and her promise could come true as the BAL debutantes play two crucial games in two days that could wrap up their qualification from the ongoing BAL Sahara Conference group games.
After starting the third edition of BAL on a good start - when they defeated the hosts- Association Sportive des Douanes 76-70, ABC stumbled to the Rwandese champions REG before nicking their second win against the championship’s defending champions US Monastir.
“Credit to the team that did a good job executing the game plan,” Liz Mills told BAL.com after breaking Monastir’s five-game unbeaten run. “They did their homework, they did their scouting, especially after that REG game when we felt that we really lost that game rather than they beat us.
“We know that on any given day if we play like that, we’ll beat any single team in the BAL.”
Abdoulaye Harouna's 4th quarter takeover (12 PTS) sends the @ABC_Fighters faithful into a frenzy here at the Dakar Arena #theBAL pic.twitter.com/uHux5p6tqE
— Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) March 17, 2023
One of the key pieces for Mills at her new club is Nigerian star man Abdoulaye Harouna, who scored 33 points with teammates Mike Fofana and Stephane Konate adding 18 and 15 points respectively.
Mills in 2022 led Moroccan club AS Sale to the BAL Finals in Kigali, Rwanda before losing to Petro de Luanda in the first round. At the time, she was the first woman to coach a Moroccan team in the BAL and it does appear as if she will be making another big stage appearance when this year’s finals also take place in Kigali later this year.
ABC Fighters take on winless Nigerian side Kwara Falcons before finishing up the group stages with Malian side Stade Malien on Tuesday night. ABC (2-1) only trails REG (3-1) in the Sahara Conference standings.
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