ABIDJAN (Cote D'Ivoire) - The FIBA U18 AfroBasket is around the corner, and teams are getting ready for the tournament scheduled for September (1-14) in South Africa.
FIBA.basketball takes a look at MVPs of the last five competitions and where they are in their playing careers.
MATHIAS M’MADI (Madagascar) - 2022 MVP
Madagascar point guard Mathias M'madi led his country to a surprise final appearance in the 2022 FIBA U18 African Championship, hosted by the island nation.
M'madi's average of 20.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game made justice to his MVP award.
M'madi went on to represent Madagascar at the 2023 FIBA U18 Basketball World Cup, where he upped his production to 24.1 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game and 2.7 assists per game.
After a stint in college in America, the 19-year-old joined CB Starlabs Moron from Spain’s Primera FEB.
BOURAMA COULIBALY (Mali) - 2020 MVP
With only four teams taking part in the 2020 edition of the tournament due to the impact of the COVID pandemic, Mali stepped up when it mattered most thanks, in big part, to point guard Bourama Coulibaly.
After 0-3 to start the competition, Coulibaly's Mali upset hosts Egypt 79-70 in the semis before beating Senegal 82-80 in a thriller for the ages to complete their back-to-back U18 AfroBasket titles.
Coulibaly came up with a team-high of 21 points in the Final Senegal while also registering five assists and five rebounds on the night.
He headlined the All-Tournament alongside Egyptians Moamen Abouzeid and Mohab Abdalatif as well as Utah Jazz new signingmBabacar Sane and his countryman Ibou Badji.
SIRIMAN KANOUTE (Mali) - 2018 MVP
Siriman Kanoute came up the ranks throughout his Mali national team career.
The point guard, now 22, played in two youth continental championships - including the 2018 FIBA U18 African Championships, where he averaged 14.3 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 5.4 assists per game as the West Africans clinched a second continental title on home soil.
After Mali's exploits at the 2019 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Greece, leading to a historic finals appearance, Kanoute graduated to the pros. He played for SLUC Nancy in French LNB Pro B.
The young floor general has already stepped up for the men's senior national team, having played in the 2021 AfroBasket and 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers.
SILVIO DE SOUSA (Angola) - 2016 MVP
Silvio de Sousa had a meteoric youth career. The Angolan power forward won the two FIBA age group continental titles at U16 and U18 level.
The 2.06m (6ft 9in) was a force at the 2016 U18 FIBA Africa Championships in Rwanda. His competition numbers - 17.1 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game - lit the tournament as De Sousa took the MVP crown, and Angola won its first title at U18 level.
After the African Championships and an appearance at the U19 FIBA World Cup in Egypt a year later, the now 25-year-old crossed the Atlantic to pursue his academic and basketball career in the US. His student-athlete career saw him play Kansas University and Chattanooga.
He, eventually, embarked on a professional career in France and Greece.
De Sousa also played for Angola at the 2017 AfroBasket, the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the Spain leg of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in early July.
GERSON DOMINGOS (Angola) - 2014 MVP
Gerson Domingos has been a constant feature in Angolan basketball at international level.
After winning the MVP honours at the 2014 FIBA U18 African Championship in Madagascar, Domingos has gone on to have a career note.
The diminutive playmaker went on to represent Angola in two World Cups (2019 and 2023) and has had a successful club career. He recently won the 2024 Basketball Africa League with Petro de Luanda and will be part of the team to compete in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
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