Afrobasket 2021, will definitely go down as one of the exciting and evenly contested competitions in recent memory. Tunisia defeated Cote d’Ivoire 78-75 in the 2021 Afrobasket men’s final, to secure their second straight continental contest and their third in the space of a decade, following their maiden title in 2011. The Carthage Eagles, who ended the tournament undefeated at 6-0, had their toughest match in tournament and required a 22 point performance from Salah Mejri to get them past Les Elephants. Mejri’s who shot an outstanding 69% from the field was complemented by Micheal Roll’s 18 point, 9 assist effort to get past a pesky Ivorian squad led by 2021 Basketball Africa League (BAL) champion Souleyman Diabate, who finished with 20 points. Although, they were dominated for most of the game, the Ivorians who were also undefeated heading into the finals, made a spirited comeback in the fourth quarter. However, the key to Tunisia’s success was their ability to contain Ivorian scoring machine Matt Costello. Costello, who finished Afrobasket averaging 16.5 points per game (ppg) was held to 9 points and 8 rebounds during the finals, his lowest scoring total for the tournament. With Tunisia’s victory, the team which was coached by Dirk Bauermann consolidated its status as Africa’s most dominant men’s national team over the last 10 year’s.

FIBA Africa Names Tournament All-Stars

As per tradition, at the end of the tournament, FIBA Africa named the five players who the organisation felt performed the best throughout the course of the tournament.

Makram Ben Romdhane was named Afrobasket player of the tournament. Ben Romdhane, who will play for Portuguese side SL Benefica, after finishing runner-up for Tunisian side US Monastir in the 2021 BAL finals, did not have eye popping stats, averaging 12 ppg and 7.6 rebounds per game( rpg). Nevertheless, Ben Romdhane was “Mr. Reliable” for Tunisia and his overall impact on the game, beyond what the stats show, played a big factor in him achieving this accolade.

Gorgui Dieng: The Atlanta Hawks big man was named to his third straight Afrobasket All-Star side in as many appearances at the competition. Senegal surprisingly failed to reach the Afrobasket finals, but on the back of a tournament best 20 ppg alongside 10.5 rpg, Dieng propelled Senegal to a consolation third place finish. Dieng’s Afrobasket 2021 performance has cemented his position as one of Africa’s basketball legends and hopefully at the next Afrobasket, he can lead Senegal to the title which has eluded them since 1997.

Walter Tavares: The Real Madrid big man made his presence felt at his first Afrobasket participation since 2013, averaged 16.8 ppg and a tournament leading 14.2 rpg, 4 blocks per game (bpg) and shooting 69.7% from the field. Tavares, who in addition to having an illustrious Euroleague career, has had noteworthy experience in the NBA, helped propel Cape Verde to their first semi-finals appearance since 2007. He also made his presence felt in his teams opening fixture against Angola, by breaking the backboard on a putback dunk. Tavares All-Star selection was a no brainer and is another demonstration of the amount of basketball talent which exists on every corner of the continent.

Matt Costello: The former San Antonio Spurs man came into this tournament relatively unknown, but in his first outing with Les Elephants will definitely be one to remember. Despite a disappointing performance in the finals the former Michigan State University and San Antonio Spurs player ended Afrobasket 2021 averaging 16.2 ppg and 9.2 rbg. With a player like Costello on their squad, Cote d’Ivoire will remain a force on the continent, heading into the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.

Omar Abada: The Tunisian guard who plays for US Monastir was instrumental in Tunisia’s title success. Averaging 12.4 ppg and 4.8 assists per contest, Abada provided energy and scoring as well as the ability to control the pace of the game for the Carthage Eagles. The 28 year old is one of the best guards on the continent and seems to be hitting his prime at a stage where several of his teammates might experience a decline in performance due to their age.