Kriol Star
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| Kriol Star | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | CBL BAL |
| Established | 2024 |
| History | Kriol Star (2024–present) |
| Arena | Gimnodesportivo Vavá Duarte |
| Capacity | 7,000 |
| Location | Praia, Cape Verde |
| Head coach | Hugo Da Silva Salgado |
| Ownership | Kriol Star Foundation |
Kriol Star is a Cape Verdean professional basketball team based in Praia. They compete in the Capeverdean Basketball League (CBL) and the Basketball Africa League (BAL), as the first Cape Verdean team in league history, having advanced through the qualifiers.
The home games of the team are usually played at the 7,000-seater arena Gimnodesportivo Vavá Duarte.[1]
Although the social organization had been established for around 10 years,[2] the basketball team Kriol Star was established in 2024 by the two professional players and brothers Joel and Ivan Almeida,[3] through the holding Kriol Star Foundation, they played in the Road to BAL 2025, becoming the first club from Cape Verde to play in FIBA's continental qualifying tournaments.[4][5]
Led by head coach Hugo Da Silva Salgado, they were allocated in Group A.[6] The first roster was revealed in October 2024, and included national team players Ali Lahrichi, Joel Almeida, Dieudonné Ndizeye and Oumar Barry, among others.[7] Kriol Star lost its both games against hosts Al Ahli Tripoli and Stade Malien and was eliminated in the first round.[8] In November, however, FIBA announced that the team received a wild card for the East Division's Elite 16 round.[9] On December 2, they defeated the favored Urunani from Burundi in the semifinal to qualify for the 2025 BAL season.[10]
They began their BAL campaign in April, as they were allocated in the Sahara Conference. On the last game day, they defeated the defending champions Petro de Luanda in overtime, to clinch a playoff berth.[11] As the seventh seed, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Al Ahli Tripoli.[12]
In the following 2025–26 season, they were unable to qualify for the BAL again, after going winless in the Elite 16.[13]
2025 roster
The following was Kriol Star's roster in the 2025 BAL qualification:Note: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
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