The level of African basketball has been on a sharp rise over the past few years, and a big part of it has to do with the quality of players suiting up for their national teams. As Dakar waits to host the World Cup African qualifiers FIBA this Friday, February 25, Times Sport’s Damas Sikubwabo looks at five players to watch out for in the Senegalese capital. Kenny Gasana (Rwanda) At 37, head coach Cheikh Sarr still counts on the veteran who continues to prove that age is just a number. Gasana, who made his international debut for Rwanda in 2009, featured in four of the five times that the country has participated in the Afrobasket competition. He was among the key figures for the Patriots BBC side that reached the semi-finals of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) that took place in Kigali in May. Brancou Badio (Senegal) Ever since Senegal head coach Boniface Ndong - who is unavailable for Window 2 of the Qualifiers – handed Badio a starting role at 2021 AfroBasket, the 22-year-old shooting guard rose to the occasion and did not disappoint. The 1.89m (6ft 3in) looked fearless, confident and abundantly talented, just what Senegal needed at the guard position. His numbers? Well, the former Barcelona Basketball team player, who has recently joined German Basketball Bundesliga side Skyliners Frankfurt, averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 assists and a 17.3 efficiency rate per game as Senegal claimed a third-place finish in the African Championships in Kigali back in September last year. Joel Ntambwe (DR Congo) Defensively strong and ferocious offensively, the 23-year-old continues to find his spot in the talent-ridden DR Congo squad. You might wonder what Ntambwe has been up since his debut with the Leopards at 2021 AfroBasket! He averaged 4.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. As an example of his passion for his national team, the 2.03m (6ft 8in), who recently joined the NBA G-League Delaware Blue Coasts, accepted a call up to suit up for the Congolese in Dakar. Mourad El Mabrouk (Tunisia) When it comes to analysing Tunisia’s potential, the likes of Salah Mejri, Makram Ben Romdhane, Michael Roll and Omar Abada, often comes atop. However, three-point specialist El Mabrouk is the team’s silent killer who often comes up with lethal three-point shots. Perhaps El Mabrouk’s most memorable shot happened against Morocco when he rescued host Tunisia from an imminent elimination in the Classification Round to the Quarter-Finals of the 2015 FIBA AfroBasket. The 35-year-old, who has been key to Tunisia’s three AfroBasket titles, is the type of player that can’t be left unguarded for a second. Landry Nnoko (Cameroon) Fresh from 2022 FIBA Intercontinental Cup with San Pablo Burgos, the 27-year-old has become a massive asset for his native Cameroon. Last week, the 2018 G League Defensive Player of the Year was huge for the Spanish outfit, contributing a team-high 7.3 rebounds and an efficiency rate of 10.7 per game, the team’s second highest. The 2.07m (6ft 9in) made his Cameroon debut at 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers and has not stopped to show his class.
