Mali head to FIBA AfroBasket looking to climb up rankings

BAMAKO (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - In the lead-up to the FIBA AfroBasket 2017 to be co-hosted by Senegal and Tunisia, we take a closer look at all 16 participating teams competing in the championship running from September 8-16.

Team: Mali
NIKE FIBA World Ranking: 57th
Last participation at FIBA AfroBasket: 2015 (3 wins, 4 losses) 7th-place 
Best results in the history of FIBA AfroBasket: 3rd in 1972
Qualified for FIBA AfroBasket 2017:  Runner-up to Senegal in the FIBA Africa Zone 2 qualifiers.

History/Qualification: It's been five decades since Mali's men side last climbed on the podium. That was back in 1972, in Dakar (Senegal) where they ended up behind Senegal and Egypt. Then, they tried without much success to go beyond the fourth place. Now, they are looking to at least go further than their 7th place in 2015, in Tunis.

Key player/ Rising star: Ibrahima Djambo
Featuring among the most efficient, the best scorers and in Mali's top 3 in terms of assists, Djambo is seen as the key player and the leader of a team that looks to emulate their younger counterparts.

The 25-year-old player has been on the court for more than 120 minutes in their last campaign in 2015. And he is looking to make it big time this year in Tunis. With his 6ft9'(2.06m), the former Hofstra University star will be on the lookout counter-attack from his half.

Outlook: Mali men's side have never won the FIBA AfroBasket title. The female national teams, and their U16 boys' side, have, though. Which makes it clear that the men's senior team need to rev up the engines in order to right some wrongs in the gallery of trophies.

However, the road to the last four - let alone the finals - might be a bit more difficult. Mali will play Democratic Republic of Congo as their group A opener, before facing Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire.

Possible outcome: It looks clear that Mali will need to surpass themselves in order to get to the Final Round. But first things, they must upset the hierarchy in the Group A, gathering as many points as possible from their head to heads with opponents. Stiff competition awaits Mali, but they will not give up without a good fight.

FIBA