The bird African basketball roundup: Toure breaks FIBA U17 record, Nairobi City Thunder win Kenyan league, FUS Rabat clinch Moroccan title

Guinea’s Abdouramane Toure outperforms at the U17 Basketball World Cup, Nairobi City Thunder end a 37-year wait for championship silverware and FUS Rabat become back-to-back league champions in Morocco.

Silalei Shani, bird story agency

History was made at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup as Guinea’s Abdouramane Toure tied the record for the most points in a single U17 World Cup Game. Despite the team’s 105-101 loss to China, Toure scored a staggering 50 points. The forward made 21 of 27 field goal attempts, including 6 of 11 from beyond the arc, and 2 of 2 free throws.

“It feels good. I wish we would have gotten that W(in). It would have felt way better. It means a lot, but it doesn’t mean as much as I wish it did with the win,” Toure posted. “I’m happy to get 50 finally.”

The previous record was held by Bosnian teenager Dzanan Musa, who scored 50 points against Chinese Taipei in the 2016 FIBA U17 World Cup. Toure’s previous highest score was in an American high school game, where he scored 49 points.

“It means a lot to represent where I am from and have the most points in this event’s history,” the Guinean national shared. “It is a big achievement to represent my country and where my family is from.”

Toure, playing in his first FIBA tournament, managed to include 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency score of 51, making him the third-best in tournament history.

Nairobi City Thunder swept Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) with a 84-48 landslide victory in Game 3 of the KBF Men’s Premiere League best-of-five series play-off final at Kenya’s Nyayo National Stadium. Thunder capped an unprecedented unbeaten season by defeating KPA in their first game 73-70 and then the following day 59-50 at KPA’s Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa.

Securing the title, Thunder ended their 37 year wait for a championship win since the league’s inception.

“It was massive for me. The sweetest moment was watching Coach Gaya and Griffins Liagre embrace as he came off the court. They have been laboring with a lot less than what we had last year,” said Thunder’s head coach, Brad Ibs.

Veteran point guard, Ligare finished the final game with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists and went on to be named Playoffs MVP, a fitting accolade in his 19th year of competition in the league.

Kenyan international sensation Albert Odero was named the season’s MVP after also delivering an impressive performance contributing 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the final game. He has been a pivotal player for Nairobi City Thunder after joining the squad this past season.

“The team put in a lot of time. Management put in a lot of time. We weren’t just playing for fun. We were here to win something,” Odero shared as he reflected on the season. “We want to go to BAL.”

With their championship win, Nairobi City Thunder earn the opportunity to play in the Road to BAL, an entry tournament to the Basketball Africa League. Previously, only KPA have qualified from Kenya for the tightly contested tournament.

In North Africa, Moroccan powerhouses FUS Rabat secured their 19th DEX-H Championship title in the fourth game of their five-game playoffs series, winning 77-59 against fierce rivals AS Sale. FUS Rabat won the series 3-1, further asserting their dominance in the Moroccan men’s league.

FUS Rabat started their season with a nine-game winning streak to finish the domestic season with an impressive 27-4 record. Despite a performance that fell short of many fans’ expectations in their maiden Basketball Africa League outing, the 2023-2024 season for the team has been hugely successful.

bird story agency