Africa’s Best On Display at the FIBA World Cup
Evaluating the historic play of the continent’s top teams
This year’s FIBA World Cup gave us revelation after revelation, regardless of the well-publicized absences from the event.
We learned that France might not be the juggernaut they were thought to be. Latvia and Arturs Zagars made impressive World Cup debuts. And we realized that despite NBA norms, rebounding still matters in the international game.
One of the more under the radar revelations of the competition though, was the overall progress African teams made on the global stage. Although none of these teams made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, they battled for a spot at the 2024 Olympics in the classification stage. South Sudan ultimately won the African ticket as the best team from the continent while Egypt, Angola and Côte d’Ivoire each earned a spot in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Cape Verde was the only team from Africa to miss out on all Olympic chances.
For the first time in at least 20 years, no African teams went winless in the competition. That feat is even greater given the number of teams that are now allowed to participate. South Sudan’s heartwarming underdog story is now well-known, but every African nation had valid reasons to be proud at the World Cup. Here’s a rundown of what each team did well and where they can improve before the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
South Sudan: 17th place, qualified for 2024 Olympics
What they did well:
South Sudan’s high-speed, super spread offense powered them to being a top ten team of the competition in just about every offensive metric: points per game (6th at 91.2ppg), assists per game (8th at 22.6apg), field goal percentage (10th at 47.7%), efficiency (9th at 106.8 per game) and turnovers (5th at 11 per game). They lost six players to injury right before the World Cup began, but it didn’t drastically affect the team identity South Sudan set in the qualifiers, as they let threes fly from anywhere. Again, they shot lights out with a third-best three point percentage of 40.7% and were the only team outside USA with three players in the top 25 three-point shooters of the tournament (Peter Jok, Nuni Omot and Marial Shayok). The world was introduced to the flawless decision-making of Carlik Jones, who led the tournament in assists per game (10.4) and was a top ten scorer with 19.4 points per game on good shooting splits. There was no defensive slippage from South Sudan’s usual style of play; the team averaged the third most rejections in the world with 4.4 blocks per game, and Wenyen Gabriel blocked 2.6 of them per game which led all players in the competition.
Where they need to improve:
Roster turnover due to injury damaged this nucleus in terms of continuity, which meant at least half of this team had to learn to play with one another during this tournament and the prep games that preceded it. Newer team members were visibly gassed in the first game and even if the group was able to put it together later on, learning teammate tendencies during official competition is an uphill battle.
South Sudan will need consistency as a group if they want to build on their success. The more team chemistry they can find early, the easier it will be for them to trust one another to perform in key moments like the game against Puerto Rico that stopped them from advancing to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Egypt: 20th place, qualified for Olympic Qualifying Tournament
What they did well:
Egypt’s offense didn’t always produce, but their defense usually looked principled and cohesive in the World Cup. Egypt’s team defensive stats didn’t pop but they had individual defensive playmakers in Ehab Amin who led all players at the World Cup with 2.6 steals per game, and Anas Mahmoud who was the second leading shot blocker of the tournament with 2.2 rejections per contest. Egypt communicated well throughout the tournament, showing good help when necessary and consistently displaying effort throughout various schemes (hard hedges vs. drops, full court man to man vs. zone). They hit the glass hard, as they had a top rebounder in Assem Marei, who was 11th among all players with eight rebounds per game. Egypt also showed they trusted their youth, bringing three players under 23 years old (more than any other African team) onto their final 12-man roster, which is a promising statement for their future and a bet on development.
Where they need to improve:
Egypt’s offense left much to be desired. They have a core group of capable players in Amin who averaged 19 points per game (on high-volume and usage), Mahmoud, who led the tournament with a 72% field goal percentage, and Marei who shot an efficient 51% from the field. The latter two averaged 12 points per game each and shot efficiently, but it was on relatively low volume comparatively. An offense that was more tailored to this team’s personnel should have featured schemes to get these efficient scorers more easy looks instead of the stagnant system Egypt displayed that often devolved into necessary hero-ball from Amin and others. He is a phenomenal player with heart to match his skill, but an attack more reliant on ball and player movement to free up the bigs or isolate Marei in the post could have made Amin a more efficient scorer and the big men more productive scorers. As connected as Egypt was on defense, the opposite was true on offense, as they were the fifth worst team of the tournament in terms of taking care of the ball — They turned it over 15.2 times per game. We mentioned Amin’s usage earlier and he was in the top 5 in both minutes (35 mpg) and turnovers per game (3.8 tpg). He needed help on the perimeter which could have come in the form of personnel and play-calling adjustments.
Egypt showed a lot of fight against high-performing teams like Lithuania and Georgia, especially considering a quarter of their roster was so young. A consistent offensive identity and a few capable talents to complement this group would take the team to another level.
Angola: 26th place, qualified for Olympic Qualifying Tournament
What they did well:
When this Angolan team wants to play in the half court, they know how to execute their sets better than almost any other African nation. What Angola’s floor generals lack in size, they make up for in toughness and leadership. Both the starting and backup point guards, Childe Dundao and Gerson Domingos, averaged 5.2 assists per game, which were good numbers individually. This group was also able to take care of the ball, averaging just 11 turnovers per game. It’s rare to see bigs sprint to their spots and screens faster than those of this group. The big men were a bright spot for this team, as they propelled Angola to being the top rebounding team of the competition. That was due in large part to the incredible 20 offensive rebounds they averaged per game — the next closest team to that figure averaged 14 offensive boards per contest. Angola’s poor shooting no doubt contributed to many rebounding opportunities but at the end of the day it’s still up to them to actually corral the ball. Their defense was intense and it was clear that this is where they got their energy from as they were a top ten team in steals per game, with 8.2 per match.
Where they need to improve:
As crisp as some of their sets looked, Angola shot miserably in this tournament, finishing as a bottom three team in points per game (73.6) and had the worst team field goal percentage of 35.6%. Shooting was a concern for this squad coming into the World Cup and opponents took advantage of their paltry 19% 3-point field goal percentage by daring them to shoot even more threes. Sixteen teams attempted fewer threes than this team, so it would have been completely reasonable if the team had opted for an offense that targeted more paint touches and less long-distance shots to mitigate this weakness that carried over from the qualifiers. From field goal percentages to free throws, there is plenty of room for shooting improvement for this team. Poor point production also means less opportunities for assists, which showed up in the stats as well as they averaged just 17 assists as a team per game. Fouls were an issue too as they lacked composure in key moments, generating the most fouls per outing of any team with 25.6 fouls per game.
It wasn’t long ago that Angola was at the top of African basketball. These young players know this and have witnessed it, which goes a long way in terms of their expectations. In addition to gaining experience and development, adding players (or refining the skill sets of existing players) who can efficiently put the ball in the basket will help this country challenge for pole position on the continent once again.
Ivory Coast: 27th place, qualified for Olympic Qualifying Tournament
What they did well:
Côte d’Ivoire’s offense moved the ball well in open sets and they showed a lot of promise in pick and roll situations, especially with empty side ball screens. The best part of the team’s offense is veteran Point God Solo Diabate single-handedly changing the pace and energy of the game by getting the ball moving, directing traffic and generally being impossible for the defense to predict. His savviness and acumen for dishing the rock elevate everyone. Despite his greatness, Diabate is aging, but Côte d’Ivoire seems to be grooming his replacement in young player, Assemian Moulare.
On defense, the team showed tremendous versatility with many different schemes, even when they seemed to just go through the motions. Côte d’Ivoire had defensive play calls for days, showing us a matchup zone that morphed from zone to man throughout the possession, as well as a 2–1–2 that turned into a traditional 2–3. Their PNR defense was also intriguing because it was dictated by the offensive personnel. Against Iran and the legendary Hamed Haddaddi, they switched, X-ing out on the backside when Haddaddi was the screener. Against France, they started the game icing screens and later switched to a hard show. Their strong defense had them leading the world in steals at 10 thefts per match.
Where they need to improve:
This team’s defensive struggles typically came in transition. Guys were often concerned about matching up in transition before the crucial steps of getting all the way back and stopping the ball. This allowed way too many runouts and easy fast breaks. Offensively, they often ran their plays too cleanly, walking through the choreography and telegraphing passes and movements. This may have led to them being one of the lowest scoring teams of the tournament at 74.6 points per game. Another factor affecting this was their poor field goal percentage of 40.1% despite the respectable 35% three point field goal percentage and tournament-leading 86.7% free throw percentage. Aside from these numbers Côte d’Ivoire was a bottom 5–10 team in almost every offensive statistic. They rarely made on-court adjustments outside of Diabate individually reading and reacting.
Côte d’Ivoire’s defensive intricacies lead us to believe that they’re ready for a more sophisticated offense as well. A system that makes better use of their PNR skills and caters more to their efficient outside shooters would be ideal. The team is pretty complete, comprised of vets and young guys who typically know what’s expected of them. They even have a microwave scorer in Nisre Zouzoua, though they could use other players who just know how to get a bucket. This team has to shore up a lot of the details and fundamentals which come with continuity. If they can rely on a consistent group with more scoring ability to practice and play together long term, they could rise up the ranks quickly.
Cape Verde: 28th place
What they did well:
Cape Verde is a dynamic team filled with savvy veterans such as Will Tavares, the dominant Edy Tavares, and the brotherly duo of Joel and Ivan Almeida. They dictate games with their athleticism and overwhelming defensive pressure. Edy Tavares is a force in the paint, commanding multiple help defenders which creates scoring opportunities for the Cape Verdean offense on the weak side. Their wings do a good job of cutting off-ball, and the team would benefit from seeing similar off-ball activity more often.
Where they need to improve:
Having watched Cape Verde in multiple qualifying tournaments prior to the World Cup, they are on the brink of breakthrough. However, in order to join the likes of South Sudan as a high-achieving program, they must correct a few noticeable issues. From a defensive standpoint, their lack of off-ball awareness was evident, especially in their match against Georgia. In transition, teams easily went on runs specifically due to a lack of transition resistance. Details such as not boxing out or not taking away multiple offensive opportunities from opponents during possessions proved to be costly. Offensively, we would like to see Cape Verde capitalize on the paint presence that is Edy Tavares, and adding sufficient shooting around him is a must. Reflective of their final ranking, this squad was a bottom three team in just about every offensive statistic and a middle of the road team for defense statistically.
A sign of a talented team is their ability to stay in games even when playing at their worst. Cape Verde was in this situation a few times early in group play and with a few specific adjustments they should be in decent shape for the future.
With two of the five participating African teams in the FIBA World Cup making history and winning games in their first ever appearances, the perception around African basketball has never been more positive.
We may very well still be at least a decade away from African teams consistently competing with top European nations, but most who watched these teams play recognize and respect the fact that it’s only a matter of time before one or two of these teams arrive in a very real way. One thing is undeniable: the culture and development of basketball on the continent is growing stronger by the year and the results of the latest World Cup proved it.
Photos and stats: FIBA.basketball