The President of the Ghana Basketball Federation (GBF), Mr Alex Kukula, has congratulated Spintex Knights on their qualification to the Elite 16 stage of the Road to Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Qualification was sealed after winning all three games in the Division West group phase of qualifiers in Tripoli, Libya over the weekend.
The Knights recorded a 92-71 victory over Benin’s Energie Basketball Club to finish top of Group B and maintained their unbeaten record in the competition after seeing off fellow group members, Nabaya Sofa, of Guinea 98-90 and NPA Pythons of Liberia 88-66.
Welcoming the team at the Accra International Airport (AIA) on Monday, Mr Kukula, accompanied by the club president, Dr Eric Opoku Antwi, and some executives of the club, praised the players and technical team for their determination and commitment in representing Ghana on the international stage.
The GBF president described the feat as a significant achievement for the club and Ghana basketball, expressing confidence that the Knights could continue their impressive run in the next phase of the competition.
“The team’s unbeaten run in the Division West group phase highlights its readiness to compete against some of Africa’s leading basketball clubs, while the qualification also offers another opportunity to raise Ghana’s profile in the sport,” he stated.
He also acknowledged the financial challenges facing basketball development in the country, citing that limited funding remains a major obstacle to providing clubs like Spintex Knights with the support they need to compete at the highest level.
The GBF boss explained that his outfit was exploring alternative funding opportunities to support its activities, leagues and clubs participating in international competitions.
“We are looking at ways to generate funding to support the federation, the leagues and clubs in competitions like this. The Ministry’s financial challenges are well known, so we must also find ways to support ourselves. Any assistance from the Ministry will, of course, be welcomed,” he added.
On his part, Dr Opoku Antwi applauded the coaching staff and players for the success chalked, which he pointed out was due to the team’s right recruitment strategy which was designed to address areas in which they had struggled in previous campaigns.
The Head coach of the team, Selorm Thomas, attributed the team’s success to the experience gained from previous appearances, committed coaching staff and the players’ willingness to execute the game plan.
Attention will now turn to preparations for the Abidjan tournament from November 10-15, where Spintex Knights will aim to sustain their momentum, make another strong statement and continue their quest to reach the main 2027 BAL season.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
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