Ibs remains cautious as Thunder chase Elite 16 East Division qualifiers hat-trick

Nairobi City Thunder Captain Tylor Ongwae hands over the 2026 Kenya National Basketball League trophy to I&M Bank Kenya CEO Abdi Mohamed/HANDOUTDespite having conquered the Road to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 East Division twice in succession, Nairobi City Thunder head coach Bradley Ibs is refusing to get carried away ahead of this year’s continental showdown, which tips off on November 23 at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.

The Kenyan champions will be making their third consecutive appearance at the Elite 16 since 2024, having claimed back-to-back titles in the qualifiers.

After clinching their maiden national championship in July 2024, Thunder embarked on their debut continental qualifying campaign on the road to the 2025 BAL Elite 16 in Nairobi, where they produced an unbeaten run through the group stage and knockout rounds.

They sealed a historic 72-62 semi-final victory over Uganda’s City Oilers, to secure automatic qualification for the main BAL tournament, before capping their impressive campaign with a 99-86 triumph over Cape Verde’s Kriol Star in the final to lift the Elite 16 trophy.

In the 2026 Road to BAL East Division Elite 16 qualifiers, Thunder once again proved unstoppable, putting together another unbeaten run in front of their home supporters.

They announced their intentions with a commanding 109-70 semi-final demolition of Mozambique’s Ferroviário da Beira before overcoming South Africa’s Johannesburg Giants 94-84 in the final to complete another successful qualifying campaign.

For the 2027 Road to BAL East Division qualifiers in Nairobi, Thunder have been drawn in Group A alongside South Sudan’s Patriots BC, Zambia’s Munali Suns and Burundi’s Urunani BC.

Group B features Tanzania’s Dar City, Botswana’s Dolphins BC, Uganda’s Nam Blazers and Mozambique’s Ferroviário da Beira.

While Thunder will be chasing a historic hat-trick of East Division titles, Ibs is under no illusion about the challenge awaiting his charges, warning that this year’s edition could be their toughest yet.

“We’ve won the competition each of the last two years. It’ll be the most difficult competition of the three.”

“Teams have really spent a lot of money and bolstered their squads, but we feel really happy and excited about who we have in our locker room as well,” Ibs said.

Thunder have been hard at work at the Kasarani Indoor Arena, fine-tuning their game and building chemistry ahead of the continental qualifiers assignment.

Ibs expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress so far.

“We’re a few days in and we really like what we see. These are unique competitions because you’re blending short-term temporary players with our existing core.”

With slightly over two weeks remaining before the tournament tips off, the coach believes his squad is heading in the right direction.

“We still have a little over two weeks before competition, so we feel like we’re on a really good trajectory,” he added.

Thunder head into the continental assignment on the back of another dominant domestic season in which they clinched a third successive national title.

Ibs admitted that the latest campaign was particularly demanding.

“I think this season, in some ways, felt the most difficult to go undefeated. Some of that was in the middle of the season when it just became very long. But to remain undefeated and beat a very good KPA (Kenya Ports Authority) team at the end of a very gruelling period was difficult,” he said.

Another key boost for Thunder heading into the qualifiers has been their partnership with I&M Bank, which Ibs described as a game changer both on and off the court.

“One of the contributions I&M made was coming on and helping us with some of the Thunder Nights as part of the partnership. When the season got long and there weren’t any league games going on, it gave both our players and fans something to look forward to.”

“I&M also did some financial literacy training for our players. Little things like that, light touches, helped the overall morale of the team stay high,” Ibs added.

Now sitting at 1-2 and fifth on the standings, Thunder’s path to progression hangs in the balance with two decisive fixtures remaining.

The tactician stressed that establishing a solid defensive foundation, developing a clear team identity and cultivating strong relationships within the squad wo