Basketball Africa League Men’s and Women’s Select Teams to Compete in GLOBL JAM in Toronto, Canada July 12-16

24 Men’s and Women’s Players Ages 23 and Under from Across Africa to Compete on BAL Select Teams at International Basketball Showcase in Toronto

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) and Canada Basketball today announced that two BAL Select Teams comprised of 24 male and female players ages 23 and under (U-23) from across Africa will participate in GLOBL JAM (https://apo-opa.info/3PNyJBm), an international basketball showcase at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Canada from Wednesday, July 12 – Sunday, July 16. GLOBL JAM will feature four U-23 women’s teams and four U-23 men’s teams from around the world and will air in Canada across Sportsnet platforms.

The women’s division will be comprised of teams representing Africa (BAL Select Team), Canada (U-23 National Team), the U.S. (University of Louisville) and Puerto Rico (U-23 National Team), while the men’s division will be comprised of teams representing Africa (BAL Select Team), Canada (U-23 National Team), Germany (U-23 National Team) and the U.S. (University of Kentucky).  The BAL Select Team players were identified by the BAL in collaboration with FIBA Africa and national federations across the continent. 

The GLOBL JAM teams will compete in round-robin play from July 12-15, culminating with the top two teams in each division advancing to the men’s and women’s gold medal championship games on July 16.  In collaboration with the NBA, Saturday evening (July 15) will be “Jr. NBA Youth Basketball Night,” which will allow youth players, families and teams from local Jr. NBA Youth Basketball programs to purchase group tickets at a discounted rate to Saturday night’s double-header featuring Canada vs. Puerto Rico (women’s) followed by Canada vs. Germany (men’s).

“We are thrilled to have the BAL join GLOBL JAM this summer,” said Michael Bartlett, Canada Basketball President & CEO.  “Having BAL included in this year’s international showcase not only provides a platform to showcase the tremendous level of African basketball talent on a global stage, but their participation in the event solidifies the deepest field of competition we’ve had in just two short years.”

“Participating in international showcases like GLOBL JAM is part of our larger efforts to showcase the excitement of the Basketball Africa League to fans around the world, particularly from across the African Diaspora,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.  “We thank Canada Basketball for the opportunity to have BAL Select Teams represent our league, and we look forward to engaging the passionate basketball fans in Toronto and across Canada.”

The participation of the women’s BAL Select Team continues the league’s commitment to advancing gender equality in the African sports ecosystem.  During the 2023 BAL season, more than 60 young women from local universities, basketball organizations and surrounding communities in Dakar, Senegal; Cairo, Egypt and Kigali, Rwanda took part in BAL4HER career development workshops alongside female mentors from the sports industry.  Egypt’s Yara Hussein, who took part in the BAL4HER U-23 camp in Cairo last April, was selected to participate in this year’s GLOBL JAM.  BAL women’s Select Team head coach Liz Mills (Australia) led Abidjan Basketball Club (Cote d’Ivoire) to the quarterfinals of the 2023 BAL season last May.  In 2022, she became the first woman to coach a BAL team and the first to coach a Moroccan men’s team. 

Fans can secure their seats today via Ticketmaster (https://apo-opa.info/3riVp2q) starting at less than $20 per session for two games.  For more information on GLOBL JAM, visit GLOBLJAM.Ca or click here (https://apo-opa.info/3PNyJBm).

Below are the rosters of the BAL Select Teams:

BAL Women’s Select Team

Name	Position	Country	Current team
Awa Fane	Guard	Senegal	Life Prep Academy
Jane Asinde	Forward	Uganda	University of Texas El Paso
Yara Hussein**	Power Forward	Egypt	Al Ahly
Jana Abdullah**	Forward	Egypt	Basketball Academie Limburg- Netherlands
Carla Budane*	Forward	Mozambique	Wichita State University
Rokia Doumbia	Guard	Mali	University of Southern California
Lojain Elfatairy*	Guard	Egypt	Shaw University
Aicha Dia	Guard	Senegal	University of Cincinnati
Fatou Diakite	Forward	Cote d’Ivoire	University of North Carolina Charlotte
Sauda Issa Ntaconayigize	Shooting Guard	Burundi	Lafayette College
Abimbola Adewumi	Shooting Guard	Nigeria	University of Maryland Baltimore
Divine Dibula	Forward	Congo	Monmouth University

*Participated in NBA Academy Africa Women’s camp

** Participated in Basketball Without Borders Africa and NBA Academy Africa Women’s camp

Coaching Staff

Name	Position	Country	Current Team
Liz Mills	Head Coach	Australia	Abidjan Basketball Club
Ndeye Mareme Ba	Assistant Coach	Senegal	SEED Academy

BAL Men’s Select Team

Name	Position	Country	Current team
Abdallah Ahmed	Power Forward	Egypt	Al Ahly
Jean Jacques Boissy*	Guard	Senegal	AS Douanes
Emmanuel Okorafor*	Power Forward/ Center	Nigeria	University of Louisville
Aly Khalifa**	Power Forward/ Center	Egypt	BYU University
Souleymane Berthe	Guard	Mali	Stade Malien
Nelly Joseph*	Center	Nigeria	University of New Mexico
Amr Zahran	Shooting Guard	Egypt	Al Ahly
Victor Ezeh*	Shooting Guard	Nigeria	Kwara Falcons
Majok Deng	Power Forward	South Sudan	Wilfrid Laurier University
Dhieu Deing	Point Guard	South Soudan	Cape Town Tigers
Babacar Faye*	Forward	Senegal	Western Kentucky University
Mathias M’madi	Guard	Madagascar	Elan Chalon

*Attended NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal and participated in Basketball Without Borders Africa

**Attended NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia and participated in Basketball Without Borders Africa

Coaching Staff

Name	Position	Country	Current Team
Sidy Sall	Head Coach	Senegal	NBA Academy Africa
Justin Tchounou Serresse	Assistant Coach	Cameroon	Wilfrid Laurier University

*Rosters are subject to change

July 10, 2023