Ulinzi Warriors in final preps as BAL qualifiers near

Basketball Africa League (BAL), the biggest stage any team in the continent would dream of playing on is beckoning for Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) defending champions Ulinzi Warriors and coach William Balozi has his work cut out. 

In the past few weeks, the squad has blown got and cold qualifying for the final round of the BAL qualifiers by a whisker after winning one of two matches in their group D games hosted in Dar es Salaam. 

KPA pick positives in Warriors' loss

In the local league, the soldiers uncharacteristically lost to Nairobi City Thunder who are on a rebuilding mission but last weekend stepped up to beat a strong Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) that came baying for their blood. 

With the dates of the final qualifying round moved to 6 to 11 December, a week late than previously scheduled, coach Balozi is pulling the final strings to ensure a solid squad shows up in Johannesburg for the Eastern Division elite 16 matches. 

Warriors will have to finish in the top three in their eight-team division to qualify for the 2022 BAL championship.

"We have stepped up training and are now holding morning and evening training sessions. We still have league matches and we will be using those as part of our preparations for BAL. This weekend we face Kisumu Lakeside in Nairobi, a side that subjected us to our first of two losses in the regular league,"

"In the past few matches, including against KPA, we have had mixed displays where we are playing perfectly in one period then we lose concentration in the next. We have to be at our best against Lakeside. I will be looking to see the players get box out and balancing the court both on offense and defence right. Those have been our biggest undoing but we are working on that I training," said Balozi. 

Ulinzi Warriors land familiar foes in BAL qualifiers

Lakeside, playing at home beat the soldiers 61-59 fir a shock defeat to the defending champions earlier on in the league. Their second loss was in the hand of Thunder in Nairobi, going down 56-64 to a side struggling to find their 2019 form back. 

Balozi, meanwhile is set to strengthen his squad ahead of the South African tour bringing in a forward who can do duty under the rim. Locally, the soldiers are yet to play against Embakasi Youth (EMYBA) with the match dates yet to be confirmed.