PRETORIA (South Africa) - To record his sixth straight double-double in the title game was the culmination of a stellar FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 campaign for Mali's Youssouf Mamba Traore.
He was joined in the All-Tournament by some of Africa's promising stars.
Here's how the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 All-Star Team came about.
Youssouf Mamby Traore - MALI
When Mali needed the 17-year-old most, Traore handed his country's third African title dating back to 2018 when hosted the competition. Mali's 60-51 win over Cameroon saw them crowned the U18 AfroBasket 2024 champions.
In the tightly-contested title game against a resilient Cameroon team, Traore recorded a 4-8 shooting to finish with 15 points, while grabbing 14 rebounds and contribute 4 assists. He averaged 12.8 points and 16.2 rebounds in six games.
Amadou Seini - CAMEROON
The seven-footer center was one of the reasons why Cameroon had an admirable campaign.
His 11 points, 13 rebounds and 4 block shots in the Championship Game against Mali, were a clear illustration of his consistent display over the six games.
Bar his performance against Côte d'Ivoire (9 points and 16 rebounds), Seini finished with 5 double-doubles in six games. He averaged led Cameroon with averages of 12 points, 16 rebounds while registering a tournament-high of 4 blocks per game.
Sekou Bagayoko - MALI
The other Mali player to score in double digits (12 points) in the final versus Cameroon, Bagayoko averaged 15 points per game while being Mali's primary playmaker.
Rayane Solhi - MOROCCO
The second leading scorer in the tournament with 18 points per game, Solhi was Morocco's go-to throughout the tournament. In addition to his 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, Solhi recorded a tournament-high 35.8 minutes per game alongside Rwanda's Dylan Kayijuka.
Aginaldo Neto - ANGOLA
Angola's Neto said farewell to the Championship with a 72-69 loss to Egypt, but Neto reminded everyone why he is a player worth watching. The NBA Academy Africa top prospect averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Other awards
In addition to the All-Tournament team and MVP award, Rwanda's Sean William won the awards for best scorer and three-point shooter. He averaged 20.7 points per game.
Mali's Youssouf Traore was the tournament's best rebounders with 16.2 rebounds per contest.
FIBA