PRETORIA, South Africa -- The internal conflict which marred Kriol Star's debut Basketball Africa League (BAL) campaign in Dakar still lingers in the background as the club heads into the playoffs (June 6-14), with three players departed and one temporarily suspended.
Richaud Pack, Patrick McGlynn and Cameron Parker -- all instrumental in their success in Senegal in April and May -- did not travel with the team to Pretoria, while Anderson Correia has been suspended by the BAL for two games, as a result of an altercation with Parker at the team hotel in Dakar.
American guard Jalan McCloud has been signed, while Cape Verdean players Wesley Monteiro Rosa and Helton Correia have been included in the active roster.
Former Maryland guard Pack told ESPN that while he has received his base salary, he is still owed bonuses by the club: "No-one from Kriol Star has made one verbal word to me since the day they sent me a termination letter.
"No flight home. No verbal confirmation that money would be sent. No explanation why I was released. Nothing regarding Cape Verde, the playoffs, nothing."
A former Kriol Star staff member told ESPN the club has yet to resolve claims of non-payment pre-dating the BAL, which could potentially cause legal troubles in Cape Verde if not swiftly attended to.
However, the BAL is satisfied that the club has at least attended to all payments under the competition's jurisdiction. According to the BAL, who say the teams are independently owned and operated organizations, teams that play in the BAL are responsible for fulfilling the terms of their agreements with players.
The NBA-owned tournament also stated that as soon as they became aware of the allegations that Kriol Star had missed player payments, they engaged with the team directly and are happy that Kriol Star have fulfilled all of their financial obligations to players.
Although previous payment issues concerning fellow guards McGlynn and Parker have been addressed, the duo did not travel with the team for playoffs, as their own relationships with the club had already come to a head in Dakar.
McGlynn and Pack's disputes with the club were partially linked to concerns over the accommodation they were provided for pre-season preparations in Cape Verde, which they said did not have reliable water and electricity.
Both said they had been promised accommodation at a beachfront hotel which never materialised. Given that this was before their BAL season itself started, the league had no jurisdiction in this matter.
Parker joined the team later, as their season began in Dakar, but had a similarly tumultuous relationship with management. Additionally, police were called to the scene of an altercation between him and teammate Anderson Correia at the team hotel in Dakar, which sources say Correia instigated on May 5.
However, Parker told ESPN he declined to press charges, as he sought to avoid the strain of legal proceedings in a foreign country.
Kriol Star released a statement on May 12, acknowledging "reports of misconduct and internal conflict within the team". They did not mention any player by name but said that "disciplinary measures are being taken in alignment with our team policies" and that fines and suspension durations would not be disclosed.
From a BAL perspective, every player signs a code of conduct prior to their participation in the BAL that requires them to uphold professional conduct while they're playing in the league.
The tournament confirmed to ESPN that as soon as they became aware of the altercation, their security department immediately provided support on the scene, including de-escalating the situation, assisting to source alternative accommodations, and subsequently facilitating a departing flight for one of the players.
They also stated that they addressed the situation directly with Kriol Star leadership, and given the incident took place at a BAL venue, the league suspended Anderson Correia from the league for two games.
This means that Correia will miss the seeding game against FUS Rabat on Friday, June 6, as the teams compete for the seventh seed at the playoffs. He will also be out for the ensuing quarter-final against one of the top two seeds - Libya's Al Ahli Tripoli and Egypt's Al Ittihad.
Since the trouble in Dakar, team president Joseph Lopez told ESPN that Kriol Star have managed to regroup and get on the same page.
"I'm happy to share that the team's training has gone very well-we're focused, sharp, and fully committed as we prepare for the playoffs. All internal matters have been resolved, and the group is united with a strong sense of purpose," Lopez said.
"As for player and staff payments, we've made significant progress and are on stable footing moving forward. We're fully focused on competing at the highest level and representing Kriol Star with pride."
For the playoffs, teams are allowed to call upon up to three players who were initially listed in the inactive roster for their conference fixtures. However, they are only allowed to bring in one new player who was neither listed on the active nor the inactive roster.
With three players from the original roster gone and one suspended, Kriol Star have their work cut out for them in Pretoria even with McCloud now on board. They can, however, point to their historic 71-69 upset win over defending champions Petro de Luanda as proof that they are capable of rallying together on the court even amid chaos off it.
McGlynn, Parker and Pack were all left out of that game amid conflict with management. However, the second half of that game showed that consistently performing without the trio could prove tricky.
McGlynn was instrumental in Kriol Star's qualification for the BAL, but has left for Burundi to play for Urunani. Parker - brought in from the Santa Cruz Warriors - still leads the BAL in assists per game this season with an average of 7.8. Pack has been one of the team's three most reliable scorers to date - the others being McGlynn and Ivan Almeida.
Kriol Star's soul-searching will likely continue beyond the end of this tournament. Ivan Almeida and his brother, Joel, co-founded the original Kriol Star organisation - which elder brother Joel in particular has played an instrumental role in converting from a social development project into a competitive basketball team since last year's Road to BAL qualifiers.
Their mission to build a professional basketball team that can continue Cape Verdean basketball's recent tradition of punching above their weight has been a roaring success in terms of results.
However, with Joel Almeida's relationships with at least some teammates having been strained this season, it remains to be seen if he can sustain his dual player-owner role. Given that BAL teams are owned independently of the league itself, this is not a matter in which the league itself has any say under the current regulations.
For now, the club's focus will have to shift to defying the odds once again as the team looks to pull together ahead of crunch time in Pretoria.
The BAL playoffs and final air on ESPN's channels in Africa (DStv 218 and 219, Starsat 248) and affiliated local broadcasters.