CAIRO (Egypt) - The FIBA U18 AfroBasket Zone 5 Qualifiers concluded on Wednesday, July 29, in Cairo with Rwanda defeating Egypt in the final, but both teams advanced to the continental championship that starts next week in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Six teams: Rwanda (3-1), Egypt (3-1), South Sudan (2-2), Uganda (2-2), Kenya (1-2) and Tanzania (0-3) took part in the tournament played at Cairo Stadium Indoor Hall 2.
Below are the takeaways from the Zone 5 Qualifiers.
South Sudan is here
Over the past few years, South Sudan has established itself as a continental powerhouse at the senior level, playing at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 2024 Olympics. That journey started at the zonal pre-qualifiers in Nairobi, Kenya, nearly six years ago, launching South Sudan onto the competitive international basketball scene.
However, at the junior level, the country had not yet embraced international competition. But that has changed over the past week as South Sudan competed in the FIBA U18 AfroBasket Zone 5 Qualifiers, playing four games and winning two.
Playing their first zonal qualifiers, South Sudan improved with every game, and the victory over Uganda in the third-place playoff could launch a strong youth program to match the senior side.
The strength of Rwanda’s patience
After the group phase of the qualifiers, Egypt and Uganda were favourites to advance to the finals as they did not lose a group game.
There were similarities in how Egypt and Uganda played offensively, particularly the pace. The two teams favoured transition as well as quick ball and player movement even in their halfcourt sets.
Then, there was Rwanda who did the complete opposite. While they took fast-break opportunities when presented, Rwanda walked the ball down the court and ran sets at their will and pace.
Rwanda played offense with the patience of a well-coached, seasoned and fundamentally sound team that recognises the importance of spacing and court balance.
Dictating the pace at which the semifinals and finals were played gave Rwanda the edge as it allowed them not only to play to their strength but also to limit opponents in aspects of the game they are good at.
The Key Statistics
- With 126 points against Tanzania, Egypt scored the most points in a single game at the tournament.
- Egypt’s Ramy Magdy scored the most points by a player with 26 points in the 77-55 win over South Sudan.
- Belal Sohaib of Egypt picked the most rebounds in a single game when he pulled down 23 rebounds in the final against Rwanda.
- South Sudan’s Josh Galario Louis made 10 assists in the 75-59 win over Kenya, the highest recorded in a single game.
- Uganda’s guard Shane Kwizera recorded the highest number of steals in a single game with 12 in the 52-40 win over South Sudan during the group phase.
- Egypt’s Belal Sohaib made the most blocks in a single game with 9 during the group phase 80-71 win over Rwanda.
FIBA