Harouna Chases BAL glory after five straight seasons

Abdoulaye Harouna’s name has become synonymous with the Basketball Africa League. One of the few players to appear in all five editions of the tournament, the Nigerien forward is now a household name on the continent — a remarkable journey from relative anonymity just a few years ago.

“In Africa, before the BAL, I wasn’t known,” Harouna says. “Yet I spent most of my career in the United States. Unfortunately, since I didn’t have a national team back home to play AfroBasket or AfroCan, people didn’t know me. But thanks to the BAL, now I’m truly known across Africa.”

At 33, the former Miami Redhawks player brings veteran leadership, fierce defense, and a reliable scoring touch to ASC Ville de Dakar. His presence is a stabilizing force, according to head coach Libasse Faye.

“He’s a player with a lot of experience,” says Faye. “That’s why we recruited him — to bring that added experience to the team. We’re aware of what he’s capable of. He can turn the game around at any moment.”

Despite his decorated career — packed with individual awards and stat lines to match — Harouna still hasn’t secured the one thing he wants most: a BAL championship title.

“All the stats, all the individual awards — I can say I already have those,” he reflects. “There’s not much left for me to prove. What I still want to achieve is winning the title, which I haven’t had the chance to do yet. I hope this year will be the one. That’s my motivation. That’s it. And well, it also feels good to stay and play on your own continent.”

But his team faces steep competition in the Sahara Conference, going up against continental heavyweights like 2022 champions US Monastir and reigning titleholders Petro Luanda.

For Harouna, though, the dream remains alive — and so does his drive to finish what he started five seasons ago.