ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Brancou Badio led the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers First Round Awards and earned the Most Valuable Player honor. The All-Star Five and Rising Star awards were also announced.
These awards, which are being introduced for the first time, recognize the top performers from the first round. To be eligible, players were required to appear in at least four of the six games played.
MVP
27-year-old Brancou Badio played a pivotal role in helping Senegal achieve a 5–1 record across two qualifying windows in February and July.
Badio averaged team highs of 20.2 points, 7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and a 23.8 efficiency rating in five of Senegal’s six games.
After sitting out Senegal's 90-80 loss to Côte d'Ivoire in the first round of Group B play, Badio delivered his best performance in the rematch between the two teams. He shot 8-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, to finish with a game-high 23 points.
He dished out six assists and finished a rebound shy of a double-double as Senegal prevailed, 85-72.
All-Star Five
In addition to winning the MVP award, Badio was named to the All-Star Team alongside Siriman Kanoute (Mali), Childe Dundao (Angola), Assemian Moulare (Côte d'Ivoire), and Jeremiah Hill (Cameroon).
Former U16 and U18 AfroBasket MVP Siriman Kanoute had a terrific first-round campaign. He averaged team highs of 19.2 points, 9.2 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, as well as an efficiency rating of 22. He had his most memorable game when he set a tournament record with 15 assists in Mali's 80-79 win over Angola in the first round of Group D in Alexandria, Egypt.
Reigning AfroBasket MVP Childe Dundao proved his worth time and again throughout the first round. He led Angola in efficiency rating (18), points (17.8), assists (7.8), and steals (3.8) per game. He was also Angola's most vocal player when they needed him most. .
Since making his debut with the Ivorian team five years ago, Assemian Moulare has become a valuable member despite his young age (23). The point guard is widely known for his fast-paced style of play and unique defensive stance. Moulare led the "Elephants" of Côte d'Ivoire with 16 points, 6.3 assists, and an efficiency rating of 18.7 per game. Côte d'Ivoire is headed to the second round with a 5–1 record, and much of their success is due to Moulare's tenacity and aggressiveness on both ends of the floor.
Cameroon's go-to man is Jeremiah Hill. The 30-year-old playmaker excels on both ends of the floor, as evidenced by his team-highs of 15 points, 5.8 assists, 2.3 steals, and an efficiency rating of 15.8 per game. Hill had his best performance in Cameroon's 78-74 win over South Sudan, shooting 8-for-17 from the floor to finish with a game-high 22 points.
Rising Star
Madagascar guard Mathias M'Madi was named the Rising Star of the first round of the African qualifiers.
Although Madagascar saw their campaign come to an end with a 0-6 record, M'Madi made his mark on the competition.
In his best performance in the group stage, the 21-year-old combo guard gave Côte d'Ivoire a hard time, finishing with 22 points, six assists, and six rebounds, though his team fell short, losing 118-102 in the highest-scoring game of the current African Qualifiers campaign.
FIBA