Rwanda avoid big guns in Afrobasket draws

Draws for Afrobasket Libya 2009Group A: Libya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and South AfricaGroup B: Angola, Mozambique, Egypt and MaliGroup C: Cameroon, Senegal, Congo and Central African Republic Group D: Cape Verde, Morocco, Rwanda and Tunisia EVEN after avoiding the likes of Angola, Egypt and Senegal, it remains to be seen if Rwanda has the quality to make it past the group stage of the 25th FIBA Africa championship (Afrobasket competition) slated for August 5-15 in Libya. Rwanda, making a second appearance at the event has been drawn in Group D alongside Cape Verde, Morocco and Tunisia. On paper, Rwanda are outsiders to progress. Firstly, the trio has more experience in the biannual event which dates back in 1962. The teams also have registered superior performances than Rwanda. Morocco lifted the title in 1965 while Tunisia and Cape Verde have also surfaced in the top three. In particular, Rwanda has to contend with Cape Verde, who head into the competition on the back of a third spot finish back in 2007. Benghazi will host Group A and B games while Group C and D games will be staged in Tripoli. Facts about Rwanda’s Group D opponentsMorocco- 15 appearances in the competition. In 1965, won the event but have since struggled to break into the top three. Since 1999, Morocco’s best performance came in 2005 when the North Africans finished 6th. Last year, Morocco finished 10th, two slots better than Rwanda.Tunisia-With 17 appearances, only Senegal, Egypt and Ivory Coast have more outings. However, the North Africans are still chasing for their first title. Their best outing came in 1965 when they finished second after staging the biannual event. Cape Verde- Fairly new in the competition after making only three appearances. Made debut in 1997 where they finished 7th. Dropped to 9th in 1999 but rallied back in 2007 with a well deserved 3rd spot finish behind eventual champions Angola and Cameroon. Ends