NAIROBI (Kenya) – Nairobi City Thunder (NCT) are on a mission to become the first Kenyan team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Ahead of their debut in the Elite 16, here’s what you need to know about the club.
Under new management, the Thunder had a good recruiting run for the 2023/24 season, finishing the regular season on top of the 12-team championship and going undefeated.
They continued their momentum through the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of the best-of-three and best-of-five playoffs to win their first Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) championship title.
Before this feat, NCT had only reached the final once, in 2019, losing to Ulinzi Warriors, one of two other teams to have represented Kenya in the Elite 16.
The team led by Bradley Ibs made their debut in Group D of the Road to BAL Eastern Division, finishing second behind Burundians Urunani in the five-team competition held in Kibaha, Tanzania.
The captain’s team Taylor Ongwae won three of four matches against Beau Vallon Heat of Seychelles (89-58), GNBC of Madagascar (96-60) and hosts JKT (86-63), before losing 89-88 to Urunani for the second place.
KEY PLAYERS FROM THE ROAD TO BAL GROUP STAGE
NCT captain Ongwae, who was playing for a Kenyan club for the first time, played a key role in the team’s success.
The Kenyan national team player spent most of his career with the Bakken Bears in Denmark, where he won three titles and the Danish Cup twice.
Before joining the team ahead of the Road to BAL, Ongwae played in Germany for Niners Chemnitz, winning the FIBA Europe Cup.
In terms of numbers, William Sydney Davis II was the leading scorer, averaging 21.5 points in the two games he played before getting injured.
Derrick Ogechiwho was also making his debut in the competition, playing for an African club for the first time, scored an average of 15.5 points.
Garang Diing led the team’s defense, alongside William, averaging 8.3 and 9.5 rebounds respectively.
Furthermore, the American-Nigerian player Uchenna Iroegbu was the best passer ahead of Ongwae, with 6.5 and 4.8 respectively.
THE MAIN COACH
American tactician Ibs has taken the reins of the team in the 2023-24 season after a change in management. The club has retained Sadat Gayahis long-time assistant.
Ibs, who moved to Kenya in 2008, was the head coach of Rosslyn Academy’s U19 and U14 teams.
The Concordia University graduate also partnered with Far East Basketball (FEBA), a community-based youth development program in Nairobi, running several coaching programs, before being appointed to head the NCT for Kenyan title and beyond.
NATIONAL TEAM PLAYERS REPRESENTING THE THUNDER
Ahead of their Road to BAL debut, NCT revealed Ogechi, Ongwae and Eugene Aderathe 2022-23 league MVP, all of whom are national team players. Ongwae had called time on his international career, but has since confirmed that he is ready to don the Kenya Morans jersey again.
The trio joined a team that already included other Morans stalwarts, Ariel Okall, Albert Odero, the reigning league MVP, and Fidel Okoth. James Mwangi et Kennedy has recoveredwho have already played for the national team, are also part of the group.
NEW ELEMENTS
Since qualifying for the Elite 16, the Thunder have welcomed the Nigerien star Abdoulaye Harouna and the Lebanese international born in South Sudan, Ater James Majok.
WHERE THEY PLAY AT HOME
The team plays its home matches at Nyayo Indoor Gymnasium. This facility hosts the Kenyan league and the majority of Nairobi-based teams use it as their competition ground.
YEAR OF CREATION AND TEAM OWNERSHIP
The team was established in 1998, initially as a corporate team under the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and won the championship in 2000.
In 2003, the team changed its name to the International Christian Center, after securing the church as a new sponsor, a deal that lasted seven years, until 2010. The club continued to play as a self-sponsored team until 2023, when Twende Sports bought it.
Former NCT coach, Faustin Mgendi, who has since retired from active sport, founded the team.
FIBA
