Africa - A round of the week's events (Feb-05-2024)

 

ABIJDAN (Cote d’Ivoire) – Things are moving on the continent. In this weekly review,FIBA.basketball aim to bring you trending news from around the African basketball scene.

From Madagascar, Nigeria and Togo, here is what happened during the past week on the continent. 

COTE D'IVOIRE CHAMPIONSHIP TO TIP OFF ON FEBRUARY 17

Teams are gearing up as the Cote d’Ivoire Basketball Federation has announced that the local championship will tip off on February 17. They are being kept active with National Cup, with some very disputed games in the second round.

ABC Fighters have clinched a rare double, with both the men’s and women’s side claiming the title. They both will be keen on keeping the trophy in the country.

KENYA MORANS GRAB CLOSE WIN IN FRIENDLY MATCH

Kenya Morans managed a close 86-83 win against a South Sudan team based in Nairobi in a friendly match played at Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium. The Kenyans used the match to prepare the for the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Window 1 Qualifiers slated for February 23-25.

MADAGASCAR LAUNCH AMBITIOUS PROJECT AHEAD OF 3x3 AFRICAN GAMES

Dreaming of nothing less than gold in the Women’s 3x3 tournament at the African Games, slated for March in Accra, Ghana. The Malagasy Basketball Federation has launched an ambitious project for 3x3 basketball dubbed “From the Street… to Gold”.

It features both men and women U23 players, though only female players will make the trip to the capital city of Ghana. Regional coordinators have been appointed by the Malagasy Federation and will supervise the organization of the tournaments, with the winners heading to the Antananarivo training camp. Till now, five teams have qualified for the grand showdown.

MAURITIUS CHAMPIONSHIP TO TIP IN FEBRUARY

The 2024 Super League in Mauritius is set to kick off in late February, with eight clubs preparing for the competition.

Teams must submit their lists of 17 selected players to the Mauritius Basketball Federation (MBBF) secretariat by February 7. Following the same format as the previous season, the league will feature a two-legged phase, leading to playoffs and a grand final played over best-of-five matches.

The Mauritian Federation is awaiting the submission of rosters for medical tests. In women's competition, Real, Harlems, Roche-Bois Spark, and Storm are joined by potential newcomers Bambous and Union Sportive de Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill.

MFON UDOKA APPOINTED TO FIBA's PLAYERS' COMMISSION

Nigerian legend Mfon Udoka, a two-time African champion with the D'Tigress, has been appointed to the FIBA Players’ Commission, a body that comprises 14 people, who get together to ensure that the players’ best interests are catered for.

During her spell with the Nigerian jersey, Udoka led the D'Tigress to back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket titles in 2003 and 2005.

TOGO BEGINS AFRICA GAMES PREPARATIONS

FNB Togo is pleased to announce the start of preparations at the Lomé Municipal Stadium a week ago for the U23 Women's and Men's national teams for the Accra 2024 African Games.

TUNISIA's U18 TEAM OPEN TRAINING CAMP

Tunisia’s U18 women’s squad will gather in Hammamet for a training camp from February 6-10. The Tunisia Basketball Federation has released a list of 16 players, with at least six who were present in the U16 squad that finished just off the podium at the 2023 FIBA U16 Women’s African Championship in Monastir.

UGANDA APPOINT NEW DIRECTOR FOR 3x3 BASKETBALL

Hamza Nyambogo has been appointed for the role of the new Director of 3x3 Basketball in Uganda by the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA). He takes over from Nicholas Natuhereza with immediate effect.

 

ZAMBIA SAYS NO TO AFROBASKET PRE-QUALIFIERS

Zambia will not be sending their national teams to the FIBA AfroBasket Pre-Qualifiers, choosing to concentrate on their youth teams, said Mazika Phiri, chairman of the Zambian Basketball Federation. If they are to suit up for the national team, the Zambian players will have to undergo a Pre-Qualifying Tournament as a Zone 6 representative. They would have clashed against Mauritius and Comoros in Maputo from February 17-25.

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