FIBA AfroBasket 2021: Kenya Morans in bid to make history when they play ‘minnows’ South Sudan

With group winners – Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia – taking the automatic quarter final slots of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 championships in Kigali, Rwanda, the quest for the remaining four berths begun in earnest Monday night.

Hosts Rwanda, among the list of those chasing the slots alongside Angola, Egypt, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda; the home side were unfortunate as they crashed out of the event in the hands of Guinea.

It was a major upset as the Guineans rallied from a 11-point deficit to win 72-68 and advance to the last eight round.

Kenya Morans will face off with South Sudan hoping to get one better over the South Sudanese whom they beat during the qualifiers for the championships.

South Sudan are the only debutant team in the tournament, while Kenya have qualified for Africa’s flagship basketball tournament for the first time since 1993.

South Sudan reached this phase of the competition after an off-court win against Cameroon.

After conceding a heavy defeat to Senegal, South Sudan retransformed themselves in a matter of two days to beat neighbouring Uganda 88-86 in their Group D’s last game.

The only reason why South Sudan fell short in the FIBA AfroBasket pre-qualifiers, and had to try different avenues to reach this tournament, was because they lost to hosts Kenya 74-68 in January 2020 in Nairobi.

South Sudan defeated Somalia, Burundi, Eritrea and Tanzania before losing to Pre-Qualifiers eventual champions Kenya. So, there is unfinished business between these two teams.

Kenya reached the Qualification Round for the Quarter-Finals after finishing third in Group C thanks to a 72-66 win over Mali.

Kenya’s Tylor Ongwae has been the engine to this Kenya team. He has averaged team-highs 15 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in three games.

The forward has been so impactful for Kenya that he established a tournament record for the highest minutes played (38:57) in a 40-minute game during the must-win clash against Mali. Only Cape Verde’s Walter Tavares spent more time (41 minutes) on the floor when his team beat Angola in overtime.

But, Ongwae is not the only one making wakes for Team Morans. Albert Odero and Ronald Gombe have been sensational for Kenya.

Four players have been crucial for South Sudan so far. Teny Puot, Deng Acuoth, Mathiang Muo and youngster Dhieu Deing, who turned 20 last Saturday.

Additional reporting courtesy of FIBA