GABON has long lurked in the shadows of continental basketball until the recent AfroCan qualifiers.
The Central African nation earned their spot in next year’s AfroCan in Rwanda. While the qualification was a cause for celebration, how Gabon secured their ticket to the development tournament for local-based players made it even more special.
Going 2-0 in the qualifiers was sublime, but beating a more fancied Cameroon on their home court (83-80) and Congo, who finished winless, was probably an unimaginable feat, but the Gabonese did it. This will be Gabon’s second tournament after they finished ninth in 2023 in Angola.
Leading Gabon to their second Afrocan, experienced players like Hermann Boukosso (15 points and 3 assists) and Dolivitch Moupomo (12 points and 12 rebounds), who competed at the 2023 tournament in Angola, stepped up to place their country on a pedestal.
Long-serving coach Johd Masnoudji left Cameroon satisfied, feeling his charges performed to expectations.
“It had been a long time since we last saw such a well-organised Gabonese national team competing on the international stage… Two games on Cameroonian soil, resulting in two victories,” said Masnoudji, who went to pay compliments to the youngsters in the team. “The young players took their chances; they are reaping the rewards of the combined efforts of the entire squad in Douala.”
Masnoudji laid out his strategy during the qualifying tournament, saying that the team’s aggressive attack was the determining factor.
“The coaching staff implemented a major squad rotation, adopting an attacking style of play aimed at disrupting the opposition’s rhythm,” said Masnoudji.
“The strategy paid off, as Abessolo Adams and Moupomo Lendangha, who had been somewhat subdued in the first game, found their rhythm. Alongside the dazzling Boukosso, arguably the best player of the competition, they left their opponents dizzy with their dynamic play.”
Boukosso says the growing pains from previous qualifying tournaments helped the Gabon team mature.
The shooting guard also says the win over Cameroon was a measure of revenge after Gabon suffered an 80-71 loss in the same tournament qualifiers in 2023.
“Securing qualification for the national team to compete in AfroCan fills us with a deep sense of gratitude. After suffering defeats in the past, we came back more determined than ever to get our revenge and secure qualification here in Cameroon,” said Boukosso. We came here (to Cameroon) with a winning mentality, and were determined to secure this qualification.”
Gabon has shown growth, and time is on their side to strengthen and to further dot i’s and cross t’s, because when they arrive in Rwanda next year, their fortitude will be tested by the other 11 nations.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter for all the latest feature stories and previews of events on the African continent.
