FIBA Africa Zone 6 Weekly Review: 09/09/2024

FIBA Africa Zone 6 Weekly Review: 09/09/2024

There is a lot of buzz and excitement around the FIBA U18 AfroBasket tournament taking place in Pretoria South Africa as we get to witness Africa’s future champions. However, this tournament has also exposed just how far behind Zone 6 is with regards to basketball on the continent, especially at youth level. There are 4 countries from Zone 6 taking part in the competition and only Angola is likely to qualify for the playoffs in both the men’s and women’s categories.

The host nation, South Africa has lost all their games in the men's and women's categories and are out of playoff contention. The Zambian women also suffered a terrible loss against the defending champions, Mali. The Zambian men picked up their first win against South Africa in a closely contested matchup. The Zimbabwean women also lost all their group stage games and are out of playoff contention. This is a direct reflection of the absence of very vibrant and competitive leagues in these countries. Angola’s first division, Unitel Basket, is a long and functioning league that is present in the various regions and thus able to identify and develop talent from a young age. The same however, cannot be said about the other countries. Will this awaken the various federations to start running youth programs and close the gap with other zones?

Botswana continues to improve the state of their basketball federation. They have shone a light on the development of basketball as they are not only running a well organized first division but have also started the second division. This weekend saw some thrilling action as several second division games took place. Elite Academy defeated UB Rebels 49-47. Mustang defeated BA Isago 67-59. The Spartans defeated Elite Academy 58-50. The weekend was closed off with an encounter between Tigers and Lions where the Tigers won 53-38. This is an ongoing effort to reach players and talent in all four corners of the country and thus aid the country become a giant in Southern Africa. More thrilling games have been lined up for next weekend in the capital city, Gaborone.  

Basketball National League (BNL) in South Africa, with the help of Home Affairs, handed out forfeits to teams that used foreign players with false permits and visas. One of the teams affected was KwaZulu Marlins who found themselves at the bottom of the pool despite winning all their games. This decision was then reversed last week when Marlins were able to show to the league and Home Affairs that their players had the right permits and visas. This followed up with their 89-57win against the North West Eagles sees them at the top of Pool Band go through to the playoffs where they will most likely face MBB in the semifinals. This has set a precedent and many teams will probably follow suit and appeal to the league and Home Affairs.

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[Photography / Imagery Courtesy of FIBA, BNL and BBA]