Highlights of African basketball in 2021

ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - It's been a hectic year of African basketball, but an exciting one to say the least. And with the year 2022 just around the corner, we look back at the highlights of African basketball in 2021.

FIBA AFROBASKET 2021

In a year that Nigeria - the No.1 ranked team in Africa finished 12th - and debutant South Sudan reached the Quarter-Finals, the first quadrennial FIBA AfroBasket, which coincided with the competition's 60th anniversary, saw Tunisia retain the continental title after beating Cote d'Ivoire 78-75 at Kigali Arena.

What made this 16-nation tournament a special one wasn't so much the fact that it took place in East Africa for the first time since Kenya hosted it in 1993, but because of the shocking results and the discovery of new talents on the continent.

Few would expect Cote d'Ivoire to reach the Championship  Game, given the Elephants' modest results in the previous two editions of AfroBasket, but the Ivorians, inspired by new recruit Matt Costello, proved to be a force to be reckoned with. 

NIGERIA's THREE-PEAT

The Tigress of Nigeria showed once again in September in Yaounde why they are the best team on the continent, having won the Women's AfroBasket for the third straight time, a feat only achieved by Senegal in 1970's.

After beating Senegal in the previous two finals (2017 and 2019), Nigeria proved too strong for a young and combative Mali team in the final, extending their winning streak to 18-0  dating back to the 2015 Women's AfroBasket Semi-Finals held in Yaounde.

BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE 

After years in the making, the 12-team Basketball Africa League (BAL) took off in May in Kigali, Rwanda with pomp and circumstance.

A professional basketball organised by FIBA and the NBA, the BAL brought a new dimension to Africa's clubs competition, and after ten days of mouthwatering competition, Egypt's Zamalek lifted the BAL trophy after beating star-studded US Monastir in the final 76-63. 

It was Zamalek's first continental trophy since lifting the FIBA Africa Champions Cup in 1998. 

BAL rewarded some of the tournament top performers with  the following awards:

Hakeem Olajuwon BAL MVP - Walter Hodge (Zamalek)

Dikembe Mutombo BAL Defensive Player of the Year - Anas Osama Mahmoud (Zamalek)

Manute Bol BAL Sportsmanship Award - Makrem Ben Romdhane (Monastir)

GUINEA and SOUTH SUDAN

For a team that first featured at AfroBasket (0-3) in 2017 after a 32 year-year hiatus, sensational Guinea shocked the African basketball hierarchy after beating Egypt -a high-ranked team - host Rwanda, before reaching the Quarter-Finals. 

And the man behind Guinea's rise is coach Zeljko Zecevic, who coached Egypt at 2009 AfroBasket in Libya. 

South Sudan, on the other hand, couldn't have had a better debut in the competition. The newest country in Africa returned home with a 3-2 mark and Seventh-Place finish in the bag.

Is it fair to pick Guinea and debutant South Sudan as the 2021 AfroBasket revelations? Probably, yes. 

CAPE VERDE BECOME TOP TEN TEAM IN AFRICA

Cape Verde's 77-71 overtime win over Angola in their Group A opener signalled how tough this team was. And with Real Madrid center Walter Tavares propelling the islanders at both ends of the floor, it came as no surprise Cape Verde would reach the Semi-Finals of the tournament for the first time since 2007.

The biggest win for Cape Verde came two months later after the 2021 AfroBasket with the latest FIBA World Ranking placing Cape Verde in No.10 in Africa. after climbing 26 places overall (from No.100 to 74 in the world).

COTE D'IVOIRE RETURN TO THE PODIUM

They finished the 2021 AfroBasket Qualifiers undefeated in six games, including two wins against Cameroon in Cameroon, and they started the Final Round of the African Championship even stronger with a 88-70 triumph over Kenya, before reaching the Final for the first time since 2009.

After wins over Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Guinea and Senegal, only Tunisia - the best team in Africa - could stop the Elephants in the tournament decider, winning 78-75.

Two months after finishing second at 2021 AfroBasket, Cote d'Ivoire upset host Angola 58-57 in their Group Phase opener of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers.

KENYA STUN ANGOLA

Tyler Ongwae has become the heart and soul of the Kenyan team in recent times. He was crucial in helping Team Morans reach the Final of the 2019 FIBA AfroCan, and continued to make noise thereafter. 

 

With the 2021 AfroBasket qualifiers game against Angola on the line, Ongwae struck buzzer-beater that shocked African basketball fraternity  and reverberated across the globe. 

Despite Kenya's defeat to Mozambique the following day, the win over Angola was good enough to qualify Kenya to the AfroBasket for the first time since 1994.

FIBA