PRETORIA (South Africa) - Stars emerged and etched their names in the history of the concluded FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 and FIBA.Basketball looks at individual players who put up big numbers in the tournament.
Points Per Game
Rwanda's Sean Williams stepped up for the East African nation in their fourth Quarter-Final run, averaging 20.7 points. Still only 16, Williams has a lot to offer at the U18 level for Rwanda, and given his level play in South Africa, fans in Rwanda and the rest of the continent can expect a lot from the guard.
His game highs, 30 points vs Angola and 29 points vs Nigeria in classification fixtures, indicate that Williams is a potent scorer.
Rebounds Per Game
Malian Youssouf Mamby Traore was a walking double-double, averaging 12.8 points and 16.2 rebounds per game for his country from the start of the tournament to when they (Mali) were crowned champions for the third time.
Traore also led the way in the art of crashing boards in the tournament. The tournament MVP was dominant in Mali's second group match against Cameroon, where he posted 20 rebounds.
The 17-year-old would also play a pivotal role for the Sahel nation - crashing 18 boards in the Semi-Final against neighbours Senegal. The Spain-based Traore was dominant at both ends of the court, averaging 8.5 offensive and 7.7 defensive rebounds.
Assists Per Game
Egypt's playmaker Mohammad Hussin was a delight to watch throughout the biennial event. He created countless shooting opportunities for others while contributing with his scoring prowess. He led all players - who featured in games - averaging a tournament-high 4.5 assists per game.
Steals Per Game
Nigeria's Azeez Sulaimon was a master of steals in the tournament. His penchant for nicking the ball away from attacking players was huge for the J'Tigers team that bowed out at the Last Eight of the U18 AfroBasket.
The quick-footed point guard had game-highs of 10 steals vs Angola and eight steals against Uganda in the Group Phase.
Blocks Per Game
Cameroon's Amadou Seini was colossal for the Central African nation's epic journey to the final of the U18 AfroBasket. Seini's presence in the paint was a deterrent for the opposition.
The 17-year-old provided four blocks per game, while his best was six against Cote d'Ivoire in the Group Phase.
Efficiency Per Game
Seini also had the highest Efficiency Per Game (25.7), and tournament MVP Traore followed with an average (22.3).
The seven-footer center had a plus-minus of 43 for Cameroon and 7.2 plus-minus per game, showing his impact for his country in the tournament.
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