Basketball
OLD IS GOLD: A REVIEW OF PAST EIGHT AFROBASKETWOMEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The life span of a female athlete is often considered short but not for these select five women that are defying the odds and playing basketball at the highest level in Africa and at the world stage for close to two decades.
From an environment that is slowly but steadily adjusting to women being full time athletes to cultural and religious stereotypes about women playing basketball or sport in general, these heroines stand out for their commitment and continued excellence at the top.
Age is just a number. For them, hard work and humility amidst success is what keeps them going but most importantly the support of key stakeholders in their lives like family, team officials, Governments and passionate fans that have committed to supporting women’s basketball along with its success stories and failures in hand.
Ngiendula Filipe (Angola)
A two-time FIBA Women’s AfroBasket winner with Angola in 2011 and 2013, Felipe is one of a kind. Having also won the FIBA Africa Women’s Champions Cup an impressive four times with Inter Clube between 2010-2016, she is Africa’s most decorated player at both country and club level since the turn of the century.
Filipe is playing at her eighth straight FIBA Women’s AfroBasket and to say that this record is absolutely amazing is an understatement.
Her shyness on and off the court means that it is easy not to
pay attention to her but she is one to let all her work do the talking on
court. She casts a lone figure visibly most of the time – a woman of a few
words but those inside the paint have a different perspective of her
works.
At 37, she belongs to the upper class of older and wiser players at the ongoing FIBA Women’s AfroBasket in Senegal and is averaging 7.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists. Her performance has inspired Angola to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics pre-qualifying tournament that will be played in November.
Filipe also played for Angola at the London 2012 Olympics as well as the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2014 in Turkey.
Astou Traore (Senegal)
At 38, Traore is featuring in her seventh edition of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket and befittingly so at home where she hopes to win her second African title.
Standing at 1.83m (6ft), Senegal’s poster girl made her debut in 2005 guiding her side to second place finish in Abuja, Nigeria. She was her side’s best performer averaging 13.3 points and six rebounds per game in six matches.
This is the moment a star was born – a memorable one indeed. This performance earned her a place in the Tournament Five.
However, Senegal lost the 2007 Final to Mali and Traore was not part of the Senegal side that won the 2009 title in Madagascar. Another heartbreak for Traore in 2011 as Senegal lost the final to Angola before finishing third two years later.
She was on the smiling end in 2015, finally winning her first African crown but these failures did not in any way halt her individual performances nevertheless.
She finally achieved her dream in 2015 when Senegal defeated hosts Cameroon 81-66 to win their record 12th FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title but it was Traore’s first and she will never forget the feeling. Defending this title became a nightmare when they lost to Nigeria 65-48 two years ago in Mali.
However, the 2019 edition presents an opportunity to correct all past mistakes and give the home fans their first home title at home since 1993 when Traore was only 12.
Traore, who won the Most Valuable Player award in 2017, is still Senegal’s best player averaging 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds at this competition.
Leia Dongue (Mozambique)
Dongue is Mozambique’s best player over the past one decade and the numbers are there to tell half of the story and affirm her commitment to her nation.
The other half of the story is that her drive on court and ability to scare off opponents is what continuously has her name in the best players of every edition and the 2019 one is not any different.
Dongue made her FIBA Women’s AfroBasket debut as a teenager at
18 in 2009 and averaged 9.4 points as Mozambique finished sixth at the biennial
competition to firmly introduce herself onto the African continent.
She has since played in four editions since her debut in 2011 and 2013 even though she missed out on the 2015 event in Yaounde, Cameroon before bouncing back in 2017 and 2019 where she led Mozambique to the Semi-Finals
She also was part of the Mozambique side that played at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2012 for Women in Ankara, Turkey but her side did not make it to the London 2012 Olympics.
Two years down the road, Dongue attained her dream of playing at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2014 in Turkey – a feat that will always be memorable to her playing at the world’s biggest stage.
Dongue is averaging 14.3 points and 7.8 rebounds at the ongoing edition in Dakar. She scored an incredible 25 points and picked nine rebounds to inspire Mozambique past Egypt 80-66 in the Quarter-Finals before inspiring her side to a near win over the hosts Senegal in a tightly contested Semi-Final that saw Senegal win 60-57 on Friday night.
Kani Kouyate (Cote d’Ivoire)
A shining star in a team that has earned its place among the
best on the African continent, Kouyate has always given everything she has at
the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket.
Kouyate, who is a sister to Mariama Kouyate that also features for Cote d’Ivoire, is the heart of the West African side. Her leadership on court brings the team together and like they say, experience cannot be bought but rather earned and with it comes experience.
This can visibly be seen when players from other teams meet her in the corridors of the magnificent Dakar Arena. Even where there is a language barrier be it Portuguese speaking players or Anglophones, respect is shown to one of a kind.
Her speed on the floor and great decision making speaks of a very experienced player that is playing a very key role as this youthful Cote d’Ivoire side continues to find a balance between the veteran and upcoming young players like Safietou Kolga, Mariam Gnanou, Irene Bognini and Hana Mabelle Amani.
Kouyate is averaging 10.6 points and seven rebounds so far at the tournament and even though Cote d’Ivoire have never won the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, to feature at six editions missing out on the 2015 edition when her side failed to qualify at the hands of Nigeria.
Nevertheless, Kouyate has established her name among the greats that are playing high level basketball in Africa. When asked about retirement, Kouyate said she is far from it at the moment and still has a lot to offer.
– FIBA
Basketball
God wins with Godwin Enakhena as MFM are crowned NBBF-Zenith Women’s Basketball Champions
Godwin Enakhena, a multi-tasked journalist and sports administrator has expressed great happiness as one of his pet tasks has yielded fruits.
He is the man behind the scenes as the MFM Women’s basketball team again emerged as the NBBF-Zenith women’s Basketball League champions.
It is a back-to-back victory and the team will represent Nigeria at the West African zonal qualifiers for the continental championship. They are joined by runners-up, Customs for the Zone 3 competition holding in Liberia from 29 October.
The founder of Christian Ministry that owns the sports outfit, Dr Daniel Olukoya is excited about the feat of the club and has promised his continued support.
It is gathered that youth empowerment through sports is one of the clergyman’s 70-point youth repositioning agenda.
He’s happy that his support has taken the girls out of the streets and got them involved in profitable ventures.
Enakhena narrates the hidden story of the MFM Women’s Basketball Club. “When I birthed this dream about six years ago, it was to key into the vision of MFM General Overseer’s 70-point youth repositioning agenda.
“He spends millions of naira on 70 different projects for the youths and sports happens to be one.
“From free tuition to free accommodation and other empowerment programmes etc. “
“As my name implies, (Godwin), I like to win always because I give anything I do my all, and I mean my very best and I leave the rest to God.
“I thank Dr Olukoya and his wife for this, the players who are the most important persons, the coaches and other backroom staff, my colleagues in the media for your support. I won’t forget all my well-wishers. Power to the Girl-Child. God bless you all.”
In preparation for the Chief of Defence Staff Independence Day Basketball Championship, Brigadier General Aliyu Abdullahi (rtd), Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, has highlighted the objectives of the event.
According to him, it is aimed at fostering Civil-Military cooperation and Inter-Agency collaboration.
The championship, set to take place from October 2 to October 6 at the Mo Arena in Abuja’s Zone 5, aims to engage Nigerian youths positively and contribute to enhancing security through a non-kinetic approach.
He emphasized the importance of the competition in providing a platform for Nigerian youths from across the country to participate in a constructive activity. He noted that the Chief of Defence Staff, General C.G. Musa OFR, a passionate basketball player himself, believes that organizing such competitions can help cultivate the interest of Nigerian youths in the sport.
Additionally, it offers them a legitimate means of livelihood and the opportunity to showcase their talents on the international stage, thereby bringing accolades to Nigeria.
The championship will feature 16 teams representing the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, promising an exciting display of basketball skills and teamwork.
Brigadier General Abdullahi expressed confidence that the competition will not only promote sportsmanship but also serve as a deterrent against negative behaviours such as crime, drug abuse, and other forms of delinquency among the youth.
Petro de Luanda Becomes First Sub-Saharan African Team to Win BAL Finals (BAL.NBA.com); Libya’s Al Ahly Ly Forward Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. Named 2024 BAL Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
Angola’s Petro de Luanda this Sunday defeated Libya’s Al Ahly Ly 107-94 to win the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Championship, which took place at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda and reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages. Petro de Luanda, the 2022 BAL runner-up and one of two teams to have participated in all four BAL seasons, is the first sub-Saharan African team to win the BAL Finals after previous champions from Egypt and Tunisia.
Following the game, BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall and President of FIBA Africa Anibal Manave presented Petro de Luanda with the BAL Championship Trophy and Al Ahly Ly forward Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. with The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy for winning the 2024 BAL Most Valuable Player Award and The Dikembe Mutombo Trophy for winning 2024 BAL Defensive Player of the Year.
Petro de Luanda went 5-2 during the Kalahari Conference group phase in Pretoria, South Africa, and the Playoffs, defeating Senegal’s AS Douanes and South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to advance to the Finals. Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers defeated the Cape Town Tigers 80-57 in the third-place game yesterday.
Lual-Acuil Jr. is also the 2024 BAL Scoring Champion and was named to the 2024 All-BAL First Team and All-BAL Defensive Team after leading Al Ahly Ly to a 5-4 record during the Nile Conference group phase in Cairo, Egypt, and the Playoffs, recording per game averages of 21.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.
Several former NBA players attended games throughout the 2024 BAL Playoffs and Finals, including BAL Ambassadors and NBA Africa investors Luol Deng (South Sudan), Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin) and Joakim Noah (grandfather from Cameroon); 2015 NBA champion Festus Ezeli (Nigeria), and New York Knicks President of G League Operations Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Ghana).
The BAL has also announced the 2024 Coach of the Year, Sportsmanship Award winner, All-BAL First Team, All-BAL Defensive Team, and Ubuntu Award winner. The voting panels varied for each award and were comprised of fans, coaches, team captains, media, broadcasters, and scouts.
2024 BAL Coach of the Year
Rivers Hoopers head coach Odaudu Ogoh led his team to a third-place finish with a 6-3 record during the Sahara Conference group phase in Dakar, Senegal, and the Playoffs.
2024 BAL Sportsmanship Award
Rivers Hoopers point guard Will Perry received The Manute Bol Trophy for exemplifying the ideals of sportsmanship and camaraderie. Perry was also named to the 2024 All-BAL First Team.
2024 All-BAL First TeamPositionPlayerTeamPoint GuardWill PerryRivers HoopersGuardSamkelo CeleCape Town TigersGuardChris CrawfordUS MonastirForwardJo Lual-Acuil Jr.Al Ahly LyForward / CenterAliou DiarraFUS Rabat Basketball
2024 All-BAL Defensive TeamPositionPlayerTeamPoint GuardSouleyman DiabateAl Ahly LyGuardSamkelo CeleCape Town TigersGuardAbdoulaye HarounaAS DouanesForwardJo Lual-Acuil Jr.Al Ahly LyForward / CenterAliou DiarraFUS Rabat Basketball
2024 BAL Ubuntu Award
AS Douanes guard and team captain Alkaly Ndour won the 2024 BAL Ubuntu Award in recognition of his ongoing efforts to use the game of basketball to positively impact the lives of youth in his native Senegal. Ndour is the founder of “Kayelennioufo” (which translates to “Let’s have fun”), a basketball tournament for nearly 250 amateur players in his home neighbourhood of Bopp in Dakar. Ndour was presented with the 2024 BAL Ubuntu Trophy during an on-court ceremony on May 25 in conjunction with Africa Day.
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