The FIBA U18 AfroBasket Tournament has arrived, and Egypt, with an impressive six titles to its name, is aiming for a seventh championship. Given their storied basketball history, the Egyptians appear well-positioned to achieve this ambitious goal.
Last Updated on
September 1, 2024
Njie Trompovsky
Staff Writer
Egypt, the defending champions, have been a dominant continental force in the FIBA U18 Afrobasket with six African titles only bettered by Nigeria. However, the Egyptians are now keen on climbing atop the continental pecking order as the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 gets underway in Pretoria, South Africa from September 2-14.
Will Pretoria in South Africa be the venue where Egypt wins their seventh U18 AfroBasket title?
This is the wish of coach Ahmed El Garhi whose team is mostly dominated by young talents drawn from the local leagues and academies. The team has been reinforced by two members of the NBA Academy of Senegal power forward Ahmed Nedal who announced himself on the continental stage at the 2021 FIBA U16 African Championship where he scored 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds and Ali Assran. Guard Anas Rezk from American college Darrow School also joins the team as they seek a seventh continental crown.
Coach Ahmed El Garhi’s team has been in camp for one month, playing four games against Asian teams. Ahmed El Garhi recognizes that his team is in a difficult group with Angola, Uganda, and Nigeria. However, with a team in top physical shape and a crop of up-and-coming players, he is upbeat his side will be able to worm its way to another major distinction.
With six African Champion titles in the U-18 category, Egypt is one of the continent’s most successful teams.
Since the inception of the competition in 1977, the young Egyptians have finished on the podium 11 times, winning the continental showpiece six times, coming second twice, and securing the bronze medal three times. The Egyptians had already sounded their ambitions on homecourt in Cairo during the maiden tournament in 1977 lifting the competition’s trophy in a triumph foretelling of many more to come.
Despite being continental champions, Egypt was stunned in 1980 in Angola as the host won the trophy while the defending champions had to settle for a fifth spot. This will be the only time that Egypt won’t make it to the podium in the event. Seven years later in 1984, still in Cairo, the young Egyptians returned to continental prominence beating Angola to lift their second continental trophy. In 2008, the continental trophy was played a few kilometers from Cairo, in Alexandria. The final was a remake of the 1984 edition with the young Egyptians facing the Angolans. The Egyptians scrapped an 85-84 victory in an epic and tightly contested final to pick up their third title.
In 2010, the Rwandan capital of Kigali received the tournament with Egypt cruising to its fourth title humbling Tunisia 67-54. Four years later but this time around in Antananarivo, Madagascar both protagonists will clash in the final, and Egypt the better side will get away with an 80-69 win to secure yet another continental crown.
Finally in 2022, still in Madagascar, a country that seems to bring luck to the pharaohs, the young Egyptians humbled the host 81-54 to lift the trophy for an incredible sixth time.
As always there will be huge expectations around the Egyptians and as they’ve previously shown, they’re able to live up to the expectations of their fans.
[Photography / Imagery Courtesy of FIBA & Anas Rezk X]
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