BAMAKO (Mali) - A quick look at the last four Women's AfroBasket tournaments shows that Mali has consistently finished second or third.
Can the new generation of stars end Mali's 18-year drought in the Women's AfroBasket?
Despite their dominance in the Women's U16 and U18 AfroBaskets, Mali has not won a Women's AfroBasket title in 18 years. They have been unable to replicate their junior-level success at the senior level.
Ahead of the 29th edition set for Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from Saturday, 26 July to Sunday, 3 August, a star-studded provisional squad has been named as the reigning bronze medalists look to challenge the best in the continent for a title their country last won in 2007.
Back then, the tournament, named FIBA Africa Championship for Women was played at the Marius Ndiaye Stadium in Dakar and at the Stade Maniang Soumaré in Thiès. Mali won their first and only title, defeating the hosts 65-58, to secure a spot at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Two years later, Senegal would exact revenge, reclaiming the title they had last won at the turn of the century, with Nigeria winning back-to-back (2003,2005). They defeated Mali 72-57. Since then, Mali have reached the podium four more times, taking bronze, including in the last edition held in Kigali, back in 2023.
There's more at stake in this year's edition.
All 2025 Women's AfroBasket semifinalists will qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women' Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.
Next year's Women's World Cup will take place in Berlin, Germany, from September 4-13.
Mali has won the U16 Women's title every year since its inception in 2009, as well as nine of the last 17 U18 tournaments. Only Egypt has disrupted this run in the last six editions.
The current squad is stacked with junior-level stars, including five Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winners, four of whom are from the U18 tournament.
The overseas contingent is headlined by Sika Kone, the 2021 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup All-Star 5, who averaged 17.3 points and 14.4 rebounds per game across the 2019 and 2021 tournaments. She was pivotal in her country's historic fourth-place finish in the latter tournament.
She brings immense experience from the 2023 Kigali AfroBasket, the FIBA World Cup, and the WNBA, where she plays for the Washington Mystics. The 22-year-old EuroLeague Women Young Player of the Year carries basketball wisdom beyond her years.
Vying for a spot on the final roster of 12, selected from an initial group of 24, are Djeneba N'Diaye, the 2014 MVP; Rokia Doumbia, the 2015 U16 MVP; and Assetou Sissoko, the 2018 MVP.
Another star, Maimouna Haidara, the 2022 MVP, has walked Kone's path and is expected to be even more lethal in Abidjan.
In 2023, in her second appearance at the U19 World Cup, she set the record for most steals in a junior global event with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 steals against Chinese Taipei.
This marked the third triple-double in the competition, following Steph Talbot's performance in 2013 (16 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists against Japan) and Meiling Zeng's in 2007 (14 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists against Lithuania).
She was part of the senior team in the 2021 and 2023 Women’s AfroBasket tournaments, helping the team earn silver and bronze medals, respectively.
She also brings experience from the 2022 Women's World Cup and last year's World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Mexico.
Reigning U18 MVP Oummou Koumare will add depth. She played a crucial role in Mali's 2024 title win in Pretoria, earning the MVP, leading scorer, and best three-point shooter awards. She averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
The squad also features Elisabeth Dabou, who was named to the All-Star Five at last year's Women's Basketball Africa League (WBAL) after leading the host team, ASC Ville de Dakar, to fourth place.
It will certainly be a challenge for the Malian technical staff, but it's a good problem to have.
FIBA