Nairobi City Thunder coach Brad Ibs has acknowledged his side will face their toughest test yet when they take on Burundian champions Urunani BC in their second East Division qualifier match of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in Tanzania.
Thunder tipped off their campaign with a well-worked 89-53 victory against Seychelles representatives Beau Vallon, but Ibs believes it will be tougher against Urunani, who are on a 2-0 run after victories over hosts JKT and the Seychellois side.
Speaking to Telecomasia.net, the tactician says his team has to be better offensively to collect as many baskets as possible to keep their qualification dreams alive.
We had pretty much a slow start in our first game, but you would expect this after being off competitive basketball for a long time. It will be tougher for sure against Urunani because we have seen them play and seen how good they are. We just need to be very effective offensively and ensure we are efficient in our lay-ups because in such games, every point counts.
Brad Ibs exclusively for Telecom Asia Sport
Thunder are playing in the BAL qualifiers for the first time ever and are keen to make the Elite 16 round. The top two teams from the East Division qualify for the second round, the Elite 16.