The top 10 African players of the last decade - continued

ABIDJAN(Cote d'Ivoire) - For everything they achieved on the basketball court over the last ten years, these five players' performances couldn't have gone unnoticed, and therefore, they join five others to complete the 2010-2020 Top 10 players from Africa. 

Click here for Part 1 of this article. 

The top 10 players of the last decade (Part 2):

Abdelali Lahrichi, 27, Morocco 

Never heard of him? Well, he has been one of the most regular members of the Moroccan team in recent times, and he has been great, both at club and national team level.

In just seven years, Lahrichi reinvented his game at the speed of light.

From a 20-year-old who barely played in Morocco's Eighth-Place finish at FIBA AfroBasket 2013 in Abidjan to becoming one of the team leaders - along with Abdelhakim Zouita, Abderrahim Najah and Soufiane Kourdou - Lahrichi has been fundamental for Morocco. 

Abdelali Lahrichi made his debut with Morocco men's team at FIBA AfroBasket 2013

In the absence of team leader Zouita, who didn't travel to Dakar and Tunis (the two host cities of FIBA AfroBasket 2017 ), and when few believed in the Moroccans' chances, the 1.92m (6ft 2in) point guard stepped up, powering his country to the Fourth-Place finish at FIBA AfroBasket 2017, which was their best result since 1980 when they claimed a bronze medal as host of the African Championship.  

Chamberlain Oguchi, 34, Nigeria 

One of the biggest storylines at FIBA AfroBasket 2015 was the way Oguchi carried Nigeria to glory.

Perhaps motivated by the last-minute decision that prevented him from playing at FIBA AfroBasket 2013, Oguchi arrived in Tunisia ready for revenge, and Nigerians thanked him for his masterclass performance as they won their first ever African title.

Chamberlain Oguchi is seen here in action at 2016 Rio Olympics

And although the 1.96m (6ft 5in) shooting guard finished with a game-high 19 points in the final against Angola, it was his display in the semifinal against Senegal that epitomised his desperation to make history for Nigeria. 

In all honesty, who dares to shoot 13 times from beyond the arc and make eight of them in a such critical semifinal game? Oguchi did it. He was simply on fire. 

Even though Oguchi has had some eye-catching displays with the D'Tigers uniform on - ( for instance a game-high 35 points against France at the 2012 London Olympics and he grabbed the headlines after burying seven of his twelve three-point attempts in a 96-87 defeat to Spain at Rio Olympics) - Oguchi's FIBA AfroBasket 2015 performance was one for the ages. So much so, that he was named the tournament Most Valuable Player.

Gorgui Dieng, 30, Senegal

Dieng's dedication to his national team over the last decade has been special. He has literally done everything he could to help Senegal succeed not only at continental level, but also on the world stage. 

Gorgui Dieng (Senegal)

Ever since the 2.09m (6ft 10in) forward made his debut with the Senegalese team at FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 - after three years at Louisville University - the Memphis Grizzlies forward has become Senegal's most influential player.

Although Senegal fell to the FIBA AfroBasket 2015 hosts Tunisia in the Third-Place Game, Dieng led all players in scoring and rebounding with 23 points and 15 rebounds per game. 

He returned two years later, powering Senegal to their second Third-Place finish since 2013, and in the process, he was named to the All-Tournament team for the second time in a row. 

Makram Ben Romdhane, 31, Tunisia 

While Salah Mejri has been Tunisia's key man over the last ten years, Ben Romdhane has been his right-hand-man.

It all started at FIBA Basketball World Cup 2010 in Turkey when - at the age of 21 and as the youngest player on the Tunisian team - the 2.05m (6ft 9in) power forward perfected his scoring ability, finishing as Tunisian leading scorer with 12 points per game.

Makram Ben Romdhane (Tunisia)

A year later, Ben Romdhane not only played a major role helping his country win their first-ever African title in Antananarivo, but he was also named to the All-Tournament team.

Later in 2011, he inspired Etoile Sportive du Sahel to their first-ever FIBA Africa Champions Cup title after beating Africa's most successful team Primeiro D'Agosto in the Final in the Moroccan region of Sale. 

In recognition to his impactful performance, the then 22-year-old was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.

A regular member of the Tunisian team, Ben Romdhane lifted his second FIBA AfroBasket title in 2017, before being named to the All-Star team. 

Eduardo Mingas, 41, Angola

An undersized center with a heart of a warrior, that's what Mingas has been over the last decade.

At 1.99m (6ft 6in), four-time FIBA AfroBasket champion Mingas has witnessed Angola's success as well as their decline.

Eduardo Mingas (Angola)

Named Most Valuable Player of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup 2014 after helping Recreativo do Libolo to their first continental trophy, Mingas, who featured at five FIBA Basketball World Cups, has been fundamental for the Angolans.

As recently as 2019, at the age of 40, Mingas powered Primeiro D'Agosto to the crown of the FIBA Africa Basketball League, and guess what? He was named MVP of the tournament.

Honourable Mention

As we mentioned in the FIBA Africa - The top 10 players of the last decade (Part 1), a number of players were so great that they could feature in this list, and here are some of them:

Armando Costa (Angola): An experienced point guard who helped his club Primeiro D'Agosto to five FIBA Africa Champions Cup title.

Omar Abada (Tunisia): After starring at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2011 in Lithuania and making his debut with the senior team at FIBA AfroBasket 2015, Abada has become Tunisia's number one point guard with a bright future ahead of him.

Jeremy Nzeulie (Cameroon): An aggressive defender and a fearless offensive player, Nzeulie has been Cameroon's key man. WHAT IF he was joined by his fellow NBA Cameroonians Pascal Siakam and Joel Embiid, that's one of the most answered questions in African basketball.

Abdelhakim Zouita (Morocco): Versatile, and highly-athletic, Zouita has been phenomenal for Morocco. So much so that powered his Association Sportive de Sale to their maiden continental title in 2017 as he grabbed the MVP award.

Others include Maurice Ndour (Senegal), Mourad El Mabrouk (Tunisia), Placide Nakidjim (Chad), Max Kouguere (Central African Republic), Ivan Almeida (Cape Verde), Ibrahim Djambo (Mali), Assem Marei and Ibrahim El Gammal (both from Egypt), Herve Kabasele (DR Congo), Pio Matos (Mozambique), Kenneth Gasana (Rwanda), Robinson Opong and Stanley Ocitti (both from Uganda)  and Pieter Prinsloo (South Africa).

FIBA