The AfroBasket women’s tournament one of the most anticipated tournaments on the continent for women and enroute to becoming one of the biggest stages for women in African basketball. The 26^th edition of the tournament is taking place at the  BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda from the 28th of July – 5th of August 2023. 

The biennial championship, brings together the top 12 national teams from across the continent to showcase some of the best basketball that one can expect to see.

The 12 teams will go head to head with the top two finalists/ first place team and runner up securing their spot in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament taking place in February next year.

Women’s basketball may have less coverage, but the rosters are filled with the amazing athletes that have plied their trade playing in the most elite and competitive competitions all over the world. This year’s AfroBasket will feature some of the best basketball players in the world, including WNBA and Euroleague champions, Olympians, and NCAA Division 1 players. The tournament will also showcase a number of generational talents who are poised to shape the game on the continent and beyond.

How the tournament works 

The teams are split up into four pools, comprising three  teams each. 

Group A:Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire & Angola. 

Group B:  Cameroon,Mozambique & Guinea. 

Group C:Mali, Senegal and Uganda & finally group D with Nigeria, DR Congo and Egypt.

The top 2 teams in each group will then go on to the quarter finals where the teams will play in a single game elimination format with the top 4 teams advancing to semi-finals and the championship game set to happen on August 5, 2023. 

Group A

Rwanda

Rwanda has become the epicenter of premiere African basketball in recent years, having hosted the Basketball Africa League as well as the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket, and this year, the women’s national team is getting a slice of the action. This year’s edition of the tournament will be the nation’s third appearance with their last stint being over 10 years ago in 2011 where they placed 9th with a 3-4 record.

The East African side struggled in the Zone 5 qualifiers held in Uganda where they finished last against Egypt, Uganda and Kenya. However, they earned automatic qualification by way of being the hosts of this year’s tournament.

A key player to look out for is the side’s point guard, Odile Tetero. Despite their poor performance during qualifiers, Tetero embodied a resilience that the host side will need as they set out to make their mark on the continent. She had a stellar performance throughout the tournament, averaging 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 28 minutes.

Dr Cheikh Sarr (PhD in sports psychology), was appointed as the Head Coach in 2021 and has also taken up the duties of coaching the men’s national team who he recently led to a 3rd place finish during the 2023 AfroCan. He has experience coaching women at the international level with him helping the 2018 Senegalese National Women’s Team reach the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time in the nation’s history.

In the two appearances that the host nation has had, they’ve fallen short of successfully breaking out of the group stages and into the quarter-finals. Having home-court advantage might be what propels Rwanda to some progress to moving past the 9th spot.

Angola

Angola has been regarded as a force to be reckoned with in basketball on the continent. Coming into their 12th straight AfroBasket appearance, Angola is looking to reclaim their former glory as they have seen a decline in their performance in the past 10 years. The Southern African side went 2-4 in 2021 to finish 8th in the tournament.

They played Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe in the Zone 6 qualifiers where they failed to qualify for the tournament after losing 82-90 to Mozambique in the final. Fortunately, they were one of  two  teams  awarded a wild card and as a result will participate in the 26th edition of the African championship.

A major part of the team is Avelina Peso, who will make her third appearance in the continental competition. In the Zone 6 qualifiers, the 6’1 forward came up big against Zimbabwe recording 10 points and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes. Throughout the qualifiers, she remained a dominant force in the paint, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game.

Another key part of the former champions’ rotation is Italee Lucas. The American-Angolan Lucas was drafted in the 2013 WNBA Draft and was granted her Angolan citizenship in 2015. Lucas has a prolific basketball career, having plied her trade in Hungary, Israel, Romainia, Spain, Angola and Egypt. Lucas is also a three-time FIBA Africa Women’s Clubs Champions Cup Champion and earned MVP honours twice. The guard averaged 13.1 points per game and 2.6 assists per game during Zone 6 Qualifiers.

Oriel Villa was appointed as Angola’s head coach in June. Villa will be stepping in as the first foreign coach to the Angolan team at AfroBasket, taking over from former head coach. Villa has had a successful career coaching youth as well as women’s basketball in Spain. The true test will be whether he can successfully change the downward trajectory of the former African champions.

Côte d’Ivoire

Cote d’Ivoire have punched their 15th ticket to the AfroBasket with hopes of finally clinching a podium finish. The Ivorians went 3-3 in 2021 to finish 7th. The Ivorians have finished in 4th place twice, once in 1977 and again in 2009. In the other 12 times, they suffered a knockout in the quarterfinals.

At the 2023 qualifiers  held in Abidjan, the nation beat Guinea in a two-game series to earn their spot behind an aggregate score of 179-101. A combination of youth and experienced players helped secure the two wins, with standout performances from Djefarima Diawara, Zeinabou Sieza and Bognini Irene.

Diawara was a key part of the Ivorians 2021 campaign where she averaged 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds averaged 26 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists in the two game qualifying series. Zeinabou Sieza averaged a double-double in the series, while Irene made a return after being out for four years due to injury to a dominant 31-point performance.

Zoran Visic is taking up coaching duties. The Serbian coach will be making his debut as a coach of a women’s team on the continent. The lack of teams in their qualifying tournament has left them with a limited sample space to test their readiness for the games but under the guidance of Visic, the Ivorians could possibly make it out of the group stages and back into the semi’s.

Group B

Cameroon

Cameroon, picked up the Bronze medal in the 25th edition of AfroBasket in 2021. They played Senegal in the semis to clinch a podium finish as well as automatic qualification into this year’s AfroBasket. Ranked 4th in Africa, the Central African side has had varying performances in their 13 appearances in the continental championship, with 4 podium finishes in 1983, 1984, 2015 and 2021 respectively. They have unfortunately never lifted the trophy but have hopes of claiming the title in the 26th edition.

Cameroon’s roster has a lot of returning players from the 2021 squad. The key players include Dulcy Fankam and Marguerite Effa. Dulcy is the first Cameroonian player to play in the WNBA, drafted by the Seattle Storm in the 2023 WNBA Draft as the 21st overall pick, where she is slowly becoming a key piece in the rotation and has earned a starting role on the team. The 6’4 center is a threat on the inside and has improved her shooting and footwork as she grows into a knock down shooter.

Marguerite Effia, is a University of Nevada alumni who plays for Iraurgi Saski Baloi Taldea in Spain. The forward was the leading scorer in the Central African side’s 2021 campaign, averaging 11.4 points, 6 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Effa brings athleticism and can finish in the paint which will help the team in their campaign to make Cameroon one of the top teams that come to mind when African Women’s basketball is mentioned.

Ahmed Mbombo Njoya is going to be leading the team for the second time as head coach after being appointed in 2021. Mbombo also serves as the assistant coach to basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration who participates in France’s LFB League.

Mozambique

Mozambique has established themselves as a consistent force in not only Zone 6 but on the continent as well. They are currently ranked 5th in Africa and participated in the 2021 edition of AfroBasket held in Cameroon. Mozambique found themselves just outside the semi-finals in 2021 after losing to Senegal in the quarter finals and  placed 5th after beating Cote d’Ivore in the classification games.

The Southern African nation is no stranger to the competition as they’ve participated 18 times since 1983 with 3 podium finishes in 1986, 2003 and 2013 respectively. Mozambique participated in Zone 6 qualifiers and beat out Zambia, Zimbabwe and Angola to qualify for the tournament.

A key player in their rotation is Leia Dongue. The forward has been named to the AfroBasket All-Star team in every year that she has participated in the continental competition (2013, 2017, 2021). She had a stellar performance during qualifiers averaging 13.1 points and 2.6 assists per game. The Maputo native has also won several FIBA African Women’s Championship titles with De Agost as well as Liga Desportive, which no longer exists.

Another addition to the team is Shelsea Raphael. Having played for Mozambique’s youth side at the international level, the 24 year old is no stranger to competing on this level. Raphael was part of the Costa do Sol team that played in the 2022 FIBA Africa Champions Cup. The Mozambican side advanced to the final where they lost to Egypt’s Alexandria Sporting Club.

Mozambique will be led by their head coach Carlos Aik. Aik has previously coached men’s and women’s Mozambican teams and has led Ferroviário de Maputo to the 2019 FIBA Africa Champions Cup Women’s title in Cairo. He was appointed by the federation in January in signing a four-year year contract and aims to bring the Southern African side closer to winning a title through hard work.

Guinea

One of this year’s wild cards – Guinea has struggled to find their footing in basketball on the continent. The side finished last in 2021 – a year where they also gained entrance via wild card. They suffered huge defeats in the group stages with both of their opponents filling out the scoresheet against them, in a 102-58 loss to Egypt and a 100-31 loss to Senegal. The side went 0-3 in the tournament and finished last.

In the 2023 AfroBasket Qualifiers they lost twice to Cote d’Ivoire in the two-game series.

A key player that the side will look to is Masseny Kaba. Kaba, who led the team during scoring in the qualifiers, will be a huge asset on the inside. The University of Central Florida Alumni currently plays in Italy for Crema where she averages 14.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds. Kaba had a successful college career, becoming the only player in program history with 800 rebounds and 100 blocks. With her experience, the team will depend on her as a guide as they try to find their footing.

The side will be coached by Ousmane Camera who has been the head coach since 2017. Camera served as the assistant coach in 2015, he is making his 6th AfroBasket appearance. Guinea has their work cut out for them and although they may not make a run for the title, any progress from 12th position would be a major improvement.

Group C

Mali

Mali is a team that has slowly been inching closer towards lifting the AfroBasket trophy for the past 20 years. The West African side fell to Nigeria’s D’Tigress 70-59 in the 2021 AfroBasket Final. This earned them automatic qualification into this year’s edition of the competition.

The team’s biggest strength is their consistency in all major competitions such as the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup as well as the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. This allowed them to compete against the best of the best a lot more than many other African nations have.

One of the side’s key players is Sika Koné. The Malien was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2022 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty and was later acquired by the Chicago Sky via a trade. Koné perfected her trade in Spain and has received high praise for her ability to contribute on both ends of the court in many different ways. She has also received many compliments regarding her work ethic, where she is said to be the first one in the gym, last out kind of player.

In the 2021 u19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, Koné led all players with 19.7ppg and 14.8 rebounds where she was named to the all-tournament team alongside the USA’s college basketball phenom Caitlin Clark. She recently joined CB Perfurmarias Avenida in Spain’s Liga.

The nation will be led by head coach Oumarou Sidiya, who will be assisted by Hamachetou Maiga.

Sidiya has coached a number of players on the roster at the development level which will be to the side’s benefit as he will be more familiar with each player’s strengths and how to best utilize them.

Maiga, a former national player and 2005 WNBA Champion brings with her a wealth of international experience and success, as well as the knowledge of what it takes to win on the African continent. She was the captain and MVP of the 2007 FIBA African Championship for women.

The side has been inching towards lifting the championship trophy over the last 6 years and maybe this will be the year where the Maliens reach their goal.  

Senegal

Senegal has seen the most success in women’s basketball on the continent. The Lionesses have 11 continental basketball championships under their belt and have not missed AfroBasket in the last 20 years, while also making 8 appearances in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and featuring in the Olympics three times. The last time that the West African side lifted the AfroBasket trophy was in 2015 and since then they have finished second twice, 2017 and 2019, as well as a fourth place finish in 2021 where they went 2-4 and lost to Cameroon in the losers finals.

Senegal gained automatic qualification into this year’s edition of the competition but they have dutifully prepared for the task of returning to the top. There are some returning faces in their 12-man roster but also some new faces that will be making their debut for the Lionesses.

Yacine Diop, who led Senegal’s scoring in 2021 with 13.6 points is making a return but she will be without Marie Sy Diop who was a huge contributor to the team’s success. Yacine has experience playing for Senegal on the international level as she was a part of the National team that participated in the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup, where Senegal captured their first ever victory. Yacine has a high motor which means that she is able to run the floor pretty well, averaging 1.8 assists and 2.6 steals in 2021.

Another key piece to the team is Cierra Dillard. US-born Dillard, recently received her Senegalese citizenship with a subsequent call-up to the national team. In December, Dillard was a part of the Sporting Alexandria team which won the 2022 FIBA African Women’s Champions Cup in Maputo, Mozambique. She recorded a team-high of 19.2 points, 4 assists with the team holding a 5-1 record.

The West African side will be coached by Moustapha Gaye, who has led the Lionesses to two African championships, in 2009 and 2015 respectively. Gueye has his work cut out for him as the Lionessess look to get back to the podium and reclaim the title. It has also been reported that the team began their training camp earlier than a number of their opponents, which gives the team more time to get the correct combinations in place as well as get the synergy that the team will need to ensure that they do not miss out on lifting the trophy at the end of the championship.

Uganda

The east African Gazelles have yet to find their stride in continental basketball. Having only appeared in AfroBasket twice, in 1997 and in 2015. In 2015 they placed 10th, only winning their games against South Africa 55-43 and Algeria 75-73.  In their debut appearance they lost all their games by huge margins and thereafter spent some time away from the continental biannual competition before returning in 2015.

Having only ever recorded two wins in continental play, the East African side has hopes of finding their stride and rhythm in continental play. A number of American-Ugandan players will be assisting the Gazelles achieve this goal, with a number of the players on their roster having played in the NCAA. The Zone 5 qualifiers set the tone for what could be the Gazelle’s best outing. Although they lost the opener against Kenya 61-53. They reached the finals where they eventually fell 74-56 to Egypt.

One of the players that will help turn the ship around is Jannon Otto. Otto, a California native, gained citizenship in February which was just in time for her to participate in the Zone 5 qualifiers with the Gazelles. Otto hit the ground running, averaging 18.3 points per game in 36 minutes and gave the Gazelles an edge on both ends of the floor making them a true offensive threat. Before joining the Gazelles, Otto played for the Musel Pikes where she averaged 20.6 points per game, 7.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. With the right pieces around her, Otto could be the answer to how Uganda can become a consistent competitive fixture on the continent.

The Gazelles will be coached by Spanish coach, Alberto Antuna who has experience coaching in Germany. Although the qualifiers were his first time coaching an African team, he is confident that his tactical expertise will serve him well in the African game which is more physical than the European game. His preferred style of play is an up-tempo game that prioritises good defense. With the additions of college players who were not available during qualifiers, Uganda could be on the cusp of a new era of basketball in the nation.

Group D

Nigeria

D’Tigress are the number one team in Africa as well as the reigning FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Champions, having defeated Mali 70-59 in the 2021 finals. The West African side has established themselves as a dominant force on the continent having not lost a game since 2017 in the tournament. They have won three straight AfroBasket championships and they are a favourite to win again which would put them neck-and-neck with Angola in the number of consecutive titles won. The D’Tigress earned automatic qualification into this year’s competition.

Nigeria’s strength has been players from the diaspora which have had the opportunity to ply their trade in Europe as well as the WNBA and NCAA who bring a different edge to the West African side.

A few weeks before the competition commenced, the roster was yet to be finalized with the federation choosing to hold open try-outs in the United States and Nigeria. This is much different to the team sending out invites to a training camp before finalizing the squad which will compete in the tournament. The team has since finalized their roster as they set their eyes on clinching their 4th straight title.

Amy Okonkwo is one of the players from the 2021 team who is returning for D’Tigress. She averaged 9.4 points per game and 4.2 rebounds. Okonkwo, who is of Nigerian-American descent also was also a part of the team that represented Nigeria in the 2020 Summer Olympics. She is a Texas Christian University Alumni and played in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball, in France, averaging 12.2 points and 6 rebounds.

The D’Tigress will be led by Rena Wakama, who is currently the assistant coach at Stony Brooks University. Wakama, who is the youngest and first female national head coach in Nigerian history, was a national team player in 2015 with D’Tigress. She was a part of the team that took part in qualifiers – but did not manage to crack one of the 12 spots in the tournament. She thereafter shifted her focus to her coaching career which has led her back to D’Tigress. Wakama is keen to lead a new squad that will keep the green & white flag flying high.

Egypt

The Egyptians return to Afrobasket with ambitions of getting to the semi-finals. The North African side won AfroBasket in 1966 as well as in 1968, after that they came close on two more occasions when they finished second in 1970 and 1977 respectively. This year will be their 12th appearance in the tournament. In their past 5 appearances, the Egyptians reached the quarter finals but cannot seem to move past that.

The team earned qualification after defeating Uganda 74-65 in the finals of the Zone 5 qualifiers  in Uganda earlier this year behind a standout performance by Raneem Elgedawy. Elgedawy who is a Western Kentucky University alumni earned MVP honours after recording 98 points in 5 games, averaging 19.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Elgedawy is not alone as she forms part of a strong looking core which includes Nadine Mohamed and shooting guard Soraia Degheidy. With these three players, Egypt has a high chance of having a special run in Rwanda.

Ehab Elalfy will return  as the head coach for the North African side. He has had an improved performance in every AfroBasket appearance that he has made with a debut 7th place performance in 2019, which improved to a 6th place performance in 2021. This year could see Elalfy improving on his 5-7 record at AfroBasket as well as finally cracking the semi-finals

Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is making their return to AfroBasket after their last appearance  in 2019 in Senegal where they went 2-4 to finish 6th. Ranked 10th in Africa, DR Congo have won three AfroBasket championships in 1983, 1986 and 1994 respectively, but have since struggled with not only making it back to the podium but also gaining qualification into the games.

DR Congo booked their spot in this year’s AfroBasket after winning the two game qualifying series against Gabon behind a dominant performance. They had an aggregate score of 111-43, with a huge performance by Marlene Ngobeleza who led the team with 21 points per game. This is a huge improvement from her last AfroBasket appearance where she averaged only 8 points. In addition to Ngobeleza’s performance, Deborah Mayimona averaged 19 points per game, while Cecile Nyoka averaged 15 points per game.

Bellar Thisbangu will be at the helm of the Central African side as they have high ambitions to move past the group stages. Their chances of winning a fourth title are slim, due to the inconsistencies in their performance in the past 20 years but individual performances during qualifiers could be an indication that DR Congo is ready to get back onto the road towards becoming a championship pedigree team.

Conclusion

The AfroBasket women’s basketball tournament is a great opportunity to promote the sport in Africa, inspire young girls to play, showcase African talent on the world stage, and celebrate the diversity of the continent’s basketball culture. The tournament is sure to be a close and competitive affair, with many of the teams evenly matched. Fans from all over the world can watch the games as they will be streamed live, so everyone can be a part of the action and excitement.