Egyptian Amin, Mali trio leading youngsters at AfroBasket

REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - Ehab Amin may be only 20 years old but the point guard does not seem out of place with the Egyptian senior national team at AfroBasket 2015. 

Amin is one of 14 players in Tunisia born in either 1994 or 1995 with the teams of Mali and Central African Republic (CAF) both featuring three players under 21 years of age. 

Of all the youngsters, Amin has clearly had the biggest impact on the African championship through the Group Phase. The Alexandria native collected 11 points and 4 assists in Egypt's first game of the tournament against Gabon and then in the Round of 16 showdown with Zimbabwe, he poured in a game-high 18 points to go with 2 assists and 2 steals as the northern Africans eased into the Quarter-Finals.

All told he is averaging 11 points, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 rebounds through the team's first four games.

The 1.85m playmaker, who just turned 20 on August 1, is the second member of the golden 1995 Egyptian generation to make his way into the senior national team. Anas Mahmoud, who was Amin's teammate at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship, debuted with the senior team at AfroBasket 2013. 

Amin this past spring completed his first season of collegiate basketball in the United States, starting five of 33 games for Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. He averaged 5.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.8 assists. He scored in double digits five times including 22 points versus Stephen F. Austin and he dished out six assists against Jarvis Christian.

Even though the Islanders do not play in a major conference, Amin used the college experience to improve his game and gain confidence. And it is working in Tunisia, where the Egyptians are out to return to the Final, after losing in the 2013 title game against Angola. 

It would be the first time Egypt went to back-to-back AfroBasket Finals since 1987 and 1989 and the country is fighting for their first continental crown since 1983. 

And Amin is playing a major role - with the next step a big game in the Quarter-Finals showdown against Angola. 

Mali, meanwhile, are back in the Final Eight for just the second time since 2005, having come in eighth in 2009. And they are seeing the fruits of their work at the youth levels coming through.

Mali have finished in the top four at the FIBA Africa U18 Championship six times in the last seven editions since 2000. And they have grabbed two second-placed finishes and a third in the four FIBA Africa U16 Championships, including booking their spot in their first FIBA U17 World Championship for next summer.

Mali's 1994-born 20-year-old duo of Boubacar Sidibe and Boubacar Moungoro collected 18 points and 5 rebounds and 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals respectively in the Round of 16 victory win over Cote d’Ivoire.

And Malian center Drissa Ballo - who turns 20 in late November and is the youngest player in the competition - hasn't shied from the spotlight with five points and 10 rebounds against Cote d'Ivoire.

The Ivorians have two players born in 1994 or 1995 and 21-year-old Aboubacar Seydou Hima has been a leader averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds a game. The 19-year-old Kehasson Oulai is a role player who has chipped in 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds a contest. 

The other country with three youngsters on board in Tunisia is the Central African Republic with a trio of 21-year-olds in Johan Roy Stanley Grebongo, Freddy-Glenn Feidanga-Temodea and Philippe Djada Mabada. Grebongo, who is playing with BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque in France, is the only significant contributor, averaging 7.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. 

The second-youngest player at AfroBasket is with Cape Verde in 19-year-old Keven Gomes while Gabon (Gyll Therence Mayimba), Mozambique (Hugo Martins) and Uganda (Samuel Kalwanyi) also have players born in 1995 on their rosters.

The final player is Zimbabwe's Everisto Pasipamire, who is 21 years old and had 10 points and 9 rebounds in the first game and 0 points and 4 rebounds in the following two contests. 

AfroBasket 2015 fans can be certain that they will experience many of these players again down the road.

David Hein

FIBA 

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