CONAKRY (Guinea) – In recent years, Guinea has emerged as one of Africa’s most improved teams. They even had the honor of being crowned champions of the 2023 FIBA Africa U16 Championship in Monastir, Tunisia.
However, winning the title at the youth level has yet to translate to the senior team, though they continue to build on their youth development gains and have shown remarkable improvement in recent years.
This growth has been acknowledged by the world governing body, which has further boosted their development.
FIBA World Ranking Presented by NIKE
11th (Africa), 75th (World)
Since their first appearance in the AfroBasket tournament since 1985 in 2017, Guinea has become a regular at FIBA Africa's flagship event, having competed in the 2021 tournament. They are heading to Angola for the 2025 tournament, which will take place from August 12-24.
The team had strong showings in the 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers.
They defeated Angola and Kenya, but fell to the reigning champions, Tunisia, at the buzzer.
Road to Angola 2025
Guinea finished third in the AfroBasket 2025 qualifiers behind Tunisia and Angola, with a 2–4 record.
What stood out was their wins against Angola and Kenya, which paved their way to Angola with a total of eight points.
After losing all three matches in the February 2024 window, Guinea turned their campaign around by beating Kenya 57-44 in a Group E decider clash, securing their spot in the 2025 AfroBasket.
Guinea received a lifeline in the chase for a 2025 AfroBasket ticket when they stunned favorites Angola 66-65, registering their first victory in Group E.
Despite being ranked 74th and having gone winless in the first window in February 2024, Guinea dominated the clash against all odds.
The match came down to the wire, with Childe Dundao missing a match-tying free throw with 00:05 seconds left.
Guinea, led by the sensational duo of Shannon Evans and Ousmane Drame, took Kenya by surprise with a quick 15-8 opening quarter. The East Africans had to play catch-up for the rest of the match.
Drame scored back-to-back threes in the opening two minutes of the final quarter to pull Guinea ahead as they avenged their 80-74 loss to Kenya in the first window last year.
AfroBasket History
From the onset of the AfroBasket in 1972, Guinea made their presence known, finishing in fourth place after losing to Morocco 44–41 in the third-place game.
However, they did not make it to the final round again until 1980 in Morocco, 1983 in Egypt, and 1985 in Côte d'Ivoire, where they finished 10th, 10th and 11th, respectively.
After that, Guinea experienced a dry spell until the 2017 AfroBasket held in Senegal and Tunisia, when they returned to the competition, finishing 16th.
Since then, they have maintained a strong presence on the African continent..
Key Players
Shannon Evans (19 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 Assists) per game
Since making his debut with the Guinean national team in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, playmaker Evans has become Guinea's go-to guy.
During Zeljko Cecevic's tenure as head coach, Evans averaged over 39 minutes per game and contributed significantly to the team's success.
As the team prepares for the Angola 2025 tournament, Evans is expected to maintain his pivotal role.
During the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers, Evans led Guinea with averages of 19 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, showcasing his exceptional scoring and passing skills.
Ousmane Drame (14 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4 assists) per game
Ousmane Dramé was the star for Guinea, securing the defensive rebound that earned his team a spot in Angola this month.
Not only did Ousmane Dramé save Guinea from the agony of overtime, but his ninth rebound also secured his team a spot in this year's AfroBasket tournament.
He finished with a team-high 17 points, four assists, and an efficiency rating of 18.
Outlook
Guinea will be basking in the euphoria of their narrow victory in Tripoli, which secured their spot in the Final Round.
As a steadily rising team, Guinea is not leaving anything to chance in its quest for an improved performance in the AfroBasket tournament.
It remains to be seen how things will turn out for them when they face South Sudan in their opening game.
FIBA