History made as DR Congo qualify for FIBA AfroBasket 2017

BANGUI (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - Almost ten years on, and the Democratic Republic of Congo sealed their ticket to the FIBA AfroBasket on Monday thanks to a successful FIBA Africa Zone 4 Group E campaign against the Republic Central Africa (CAF).

Despite Monday's 80-76 loss to CAF, the Congolese advanced to this year’s FIBA AfroBasket in Brazzaville thanks to an 85-64 win on Sunday, ending a 10-year absence from the biggest basketball tournament on the African continent.

The Congolese, who last appeared at FIBA AfroBasket in 2007,  closed the two-game series with a 161-144 triumph on aggregate. 

As a result of the loss, former African champions CAF will miss out the tournament for the very first time since 1999. The result also means a disappointment for CAF who hosted the qualifier and have been looking relaunch basketball in the country.

Meanwhile, the DR Congo's win draws a new chapter in their basketball history. This is a country often described as having some of the most talented players in the continent but who have continually failed to join the best basketball nations.

With the win, the DR Congo join African champions Nigeria, FIBA AfroBasket 2017 hosts Congo-Brazzaville, Egypt, Uganda, and Mozambique.

FIBA