Portrait in action: Assemian Moulare, consistent all the way
At just 19 years, Assemian Moulare is everything that Cote d'Ivoire needed on the court as he played his heart out to the admiration of the appreciative crowd.
ABIDJAN (Cote d’Ivoire) – Game Day 1 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers provided the right atmosphere for many Ivorian fans to enjoy international basketball on the home front.
No doubt, it turned out a worthwhile venture for them given the performance of the four teams in Group C at the Palais des Sports in the Treichville neighbourhood.
In the two games of the day, one youngster, Assemian Moulare was the cynosure of all eyes.
At just 19 years, he is everything that Cote d’ Ivoire needed on the court as he played his heart out to the admiration of the appreciative crowd.
He topped the night draining 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal. He showed great zeal and energy wearing the orange colors of his nation.
In field-goals, Moulare was 8-for-13 (61.5%), near the basket he shot 75 percent, and from deep, the French-born buried 5 of his 9 3pt attempts to finish with a game-high 25 points and an efficiency of 23.
He played an important role in the game daring the more experience Angolan side.
The 1.87m (6ft 2in), who plies his trade Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans in France, has shown that he is a leader in the making for Cote d'Ivoire.
In the first window in Angola, Moulare’s performance was no different from what he exhibited before his home fans.
After averaging just 3.3 points in three matches in the second round of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in February, Moulare seized his chance in the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers in November in Angola.
The finalists of the last continental tournament won their first three games and Moulare, the youngest player in the Ivorian contingent, shone with an average of 12 points and 14.3 rating per game.
Moulare was born in Paris to a Ghanaian-Ivorian father and a Tunisian-Guadeloupean mother, Moulare represented Ivory Coast for the first time at the FIBA U16 Africa Championship 2019 in Praia (Cape Verde), finishing as the tournament's top scorer with an average of 20.8 points per game.
Having such an impact in a squad that includes some of Cote d'Ivoire's most talented star speaks volumes for the young player.
FIBA