ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - The group schedule for Group A and B at the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket concluded on Sunday with hosts Cote d’Ivoire beating Nigeria to keep a clean slate; Chad had a well-crafted win over Egypt; Gabon picked a historic win against Morocco while Mali, through a team effort, edged Madagascar. B.
As group play concluded, there were players that stood out with impressive performances for their teams.
Ngaba Yaya (Chad)
Chad needed a win from their last group game against Egypt to qualify for the quarterfinals of the tournament.
With the stakes so high, captain Ngaba Yaya took up the challenge and erupted for an efficient 33 points, the highest scored by player at the tourney so far.
Along with the superb offence, Yaya switched it up on defense as well. The forward pulled down 19 rebounds, 14 of which came off the defensive glass. His defensive effort also included swatting away 7 shots, the highest number of blocks recorded in a single game.
Nathan Djako (Cote d’Ivoire)
For the majority of the game between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, the Nigerians ably competed but there was one Ivorian who was determined not to lose; Nathan Djako. The shooting guard attacked the basket relentlessly and had a near-perfect shooting night .
Djako scored 23 points, shooting 60% from the field and was perfect on the line. He picked 9 rebounds, assisted four baskets and swiped a couple of steals.
With an efficiency rating of 32, Djako was only bettered by Chad’s Ngaba Yaya on the game day.
Junior Aboubacar Garba Nangha-Ngoualh (Gabon)
As Gabon recorded their first victory at the tournament, leading the superb team effort in the 67-62 win over Morocco was Junior Aboubacar Garba Nangha-Ngoualh.
The forward scored 16 points, shooting 70% from the field, and picked a game-high 13 rebounds.
Defensively, Nangha was a menace in the paint, making 5 blocks.
FIBA