ALEXANDRIA (Egypt) - Siriman Kanoute, Mali's point guard, has always been destined for greatness, even if his potential was not widely recognised.
As a teenager, he wrote himself into the history books of FIBA youth competitions while wearing the colours of Mali.
The burning question now is whether he can do the same with Mali's senior national team at the ongoing FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, as his career blossoms.
Kanouté has always risen to the occasion in important games.
Perfect examples of this was his outstanding performance in Mali's 86-77 victory against Egypt, followed by a stellar display against Uganda in the first two FIBA Basketball World Cup Africa Qualifier Group D games on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
En route to a 22-point, nine-rebound and 10-assist performance, he carved his way past the Pharaohs' defence, either finishing at the rim in style or offloading to a teammate for an alley-oop dunk.
It was vintage Kanouté, who has proven his star quality throughout his career.
The 24-year-old's scoring ability, ball distribution and ability to compete for rebounds in the paint against bigger players continue to be the hallmarks of his game.
Even before he became the extraordinary point guard we see today, there were signs that Kanoute's talent was waiting to explode.
And when he got his chance, he did not disappoint. In fact, he consistently lit up the court at the FIBA continental and global youth tournaments.
Still in his teens, he proved his talent by helping Mali win the 2017 U16 and 2018 U17 FIBA AfroBasket titles.
He lit up both tournaments, averaging 24.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 2017 and 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in 2018. This led to him being crowned MVP in consecutive years.
At the 2019 FIBA Basketball U19 Basketball World Cup, where Mali lost to the USA in the final, Kanoute's performance (15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists) earned him a place in the All-Star Five alongside his teammate, Oumar Ballo.
Seven years ago, at the youth World Cup, Kanoute proved that he was destined for a prosperous career in basketball.
Last year, he played in his second senior AfroBasket tournament and showed that he is only improving in the prime years of his career.
At that tournament, where Mali narrowly made it out of the group stages and then found a second wind that propelled them to the final, where they fell short against the host nation, Kanouté was one of the standout players for the Eagles.
His impressive statistics (12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists) in Angola demonstrate the development of his game and highlight his talent, proving that he is one of the most promising players to emerge from Mali's abundant talent pool.
The only criticism of his game could be his tendency to turn the ball over.
At last year's AfroBasket tournament, he averaged 5.1 turnovers per game, yet Mali still made it to the final.
During Thursday's World Cup qualifying win over Egypt, Kanouté turned the ball over five times, yet the Eagles still secured victory.
While his game has a red flag, Mali has found a way to live with it.
In Sunday's closing game of the World Cup Qualifier Group D clash against familiar foes Angola, they will need Kanouté's attacking explosiveness and defensive effort, as well as his ability to cope with his erratic ball-handling.
Kanouté will need to pay extra attention when he has the ball on Sunday against Angola, as 2025 AfroBasket MVP Childe Dundao has a proven knack for stealing the ball, as demonstrated in Thursday's match against Uganda, in which he equalled the record for steals (eight).
Rather than focusing on revenge for the AfroBasket final loss, Kanoute looked at the bigger picture ahead of the game against Angola.
"It's not just about competing against Angola; we're here to show our best selves and beat everyone," said Kanoute.
"Our goal is to qualify for the 2027 World Cup, and we want to replicate our success in the 2019 U19 tournament. We won't back down from anyone."
Mali will need this level of confidence on Sunday and for the rest of the qualifiers if they are to make their mark on the world of basketball.
As for Kanouté, if he continues to play as he has been for his country, his star power will be impossible to ignore.
FIBA