4 Omar Abada (TUN)
18/11/2020
Julio Chitunda's African Message
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An A to Z of November's AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers window

LEEDS (Julio Chitunda's African Message) - They say it's not how you start but how you finish that matters, but for these 16 national teams set to battle for a place at FIBA AfroBasket 2021, it's quite the opposite.

For some, a strong start to the tournament could prove vital for the remaining of the two windows of the Qualifiers.

Two cities (Alexandria and Kigali) will host the First Round of groups A, B, D and E from November 25-29.

Here are a few things that you may need to know before the second of four windows of the Qualifiers get underway next week. 

Angola The eleven-time African champions Angola will technically be represented in the First Round of Group B of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers by local reigning champions Petro Atletico de Luanda, one of the few Angolan basketball teams currently in activity in the country.

Bauermann - Appointed head coach of African reigning champions Tunisia early this year, German Dirk Bauermann is set to make his debut in African basketball after coaching national teams of Germany, Iran and Poland. A real highlight on his resume is the second-place finish at FIBA EuroBasket 2005 at the helm of his native Germany.

COVID-19 - It can't be denied that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the normal course of the game on the continent in so many ways. 


Democratic Republic of Congo
- They have demonstrated so much potential in recent FIBA tournaments, and if all goes according to plan, this is a team to watch out for.  

Egypt - While 12 national teams from groups A, B and D are set to compete in Kigali, Egypt's city of Alexandria will be home to Group E, comprising of Cape Verde, Morocco, Uganda and hosts Egypt.

 
Four years - Unlike previous editions of the FIBA AfroBasket, and starting next year, Africa's premier basketball tournament has become a quadrennial event.

Geography - All corners of the continent of Africa are geographically represented in the Qualifiers. 

Hosts - So far, three African cities have hosted the games, with a few more  to come for the remaining two windows of the Qualifiers in February and June 2021.

Internet - Internet has proven a vital tool for AfroBasket followers, and this time won't be any different as FIBA will be covering the Qualifiers via its social media platforms.  

Jose Neto - Recently signed to coach Angolan side Petro Atletico de Luanda, the Brazilian heads to Kigali as head coach of Angola. However, Neto's future as head coach of Angola may not go beyond this month's AfroBasket qualifiers for two reasons: first, he is still in charge of Brazil women's team; second, the Angolan Basketball Federation (FAB) is to hold elections on November 22nd, and it will be up to FAB's new Board to sign the head coach of their men's national team.

Kigali Arena - Inaugurated last year, Kigali Arena is often described as one of a kind. It'll be home to the Final Round of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021. 

As co-hosts of the FIBA AfroBasket with Senegal, Tunisia lifted their second continental title three years ago

Logo -  Recently unveiled, it reflects the Rwandan flag colours and also the country's one thousand hills. 

MVPs - Three former FIBA AfroBasket MVPs are expected to feature in the Kigali's showdown later this month, namely Senegal’s new head coach Boniface Ndong (2005), Angola shooting guard Carlos Morais (2013) and Nigeria’s inspirational leader Ike Diogu (2017).

NBA - The National Basketball Association's influence on the continent of Africa continues to go from strength to strength with national teams inviting former and/or current NBA players. Senegal, for instance, named NBA trio of Gorgui Dieng, Georges Niang and Tacko Fall on their preliminary squad.

Nigeria, on the other hand, will be coached by 2009 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown, who counts three NBA rings as an assistant coach. The Nigerians have pre-selected 2015 NBA champion Festus Ezeli. 

Opportunity - Local coaches' services appear to be on the rise as out 16, eight national teams' head coaches are classed as locals. They are: Ulrich Marida (Central African Republic), Boniface Ndong (Senegal), Milagre Macome (Mozambique), Cliff Owuor (Kenya), Ajou Deng (South Sudan), Naoufai Uariachi (Morocco) and Ahmed Marei (Egypt). 

Party - Anyone attending an AfroBasket tournament inevitably comes across African fans' festivity spirit. However, with matches to be played behind closed doors, there will be no party from the usual colourful fans. 


Qualifiers
- There are 20 national teams involved in this Qualifiers process, but only three from each group plus host Rwanda will advance to the 16-nation Final Round next year.

Ranking -Oof all 16 national teams heading to the November AfroBasket qualifying window, Kenya and Uganda emerge as the only two teams ranked out of the Top-16 according to FIBA World Ranking for Africa.

Slimane - If he makes the final cut, Tunisian Radhouane Slimane will be the oldest player in the competition at the age of 40.

Trovoada - With more and more national teams opting for local coaches in recent times, Cape Verde head coach Emmanuel Trovoada emerges as the only African to coach a national team different to his country of birth. The Angolan, who guided Cape Verde to a third-place at the FIBA AfroBasket 2007, has been in charge of the "Blue Sharks" ever since his return in 2016.

U18 - A significant number of former FIBA Africa U18 stars are expected to feature in the qualifiers, including Ehab Amin and Omar Oraby (Egypt), Childe Dundao (Angola), Thierno Niang (Senegal) and Siriman Kanoute (Mali).

Vladimir - After leading the team in the FIBA Basketball African Qualifiers 2019, hosts Rwanda re-signed Serbian Vladimir Bosnjak as their head coach.

Windows - There will be two more windows of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in January and June before the Final Round in August.  

Xavier - Cape Verde have shocked some by beating Chad and South in a three-nation invitational tournament in Yaounde last month, but they need more offensive weapons to prevail in Group E. And prolific scorer Jeff Xavier may come handy and perhaps make a difference for the islanders.

Yaounde - The Cameroonian capital city hosted the First Round of Group C in February. Cote d'Ivoire beat hosts Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea to stay perfect. Unlike groups A, B, D and E, group C won't return to action until the third window of the qualifiers in February 2021.

Zones - All FIBA Africa zones are represented by at least two nations (except Madagascar's zone 7) at this month's qualifiers.

Julio Chitunda
FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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Julio Chitunda

Julio Chitunda

Julio Chitunda, a University of Sheffield alumni and former semi-professional player, has worked for a number of Portuguese media outlets as well as The Press Association and covered international basketball for over a decade. Through his column, he offers an insight into basketball on the world's second biggest continent.