After frustrating host Rwanda in the FIBA U18 Africa Championship game over the weekend, Malian youth basketball coach KabaKante has set his sight on finishing at the podium. Coach Kante who has clinched two wins so far has admitted the competition is tough, after observing teams like Egypt, and Angola affirm their presence in the tournament. Kante who spoke to Time Sport after the win against the host said “Honestly the competition is tough, but we are prepared to confront any team because we want to be part of the podium finishers. We have proved that against a buoyant side like Rwanda.” With two victories, Mali is third with two points behind Rwanda and Algeria in Group B.In their opening crusade, Kante’s boys saw off Ivory Coast 63-44, before halting Rwanda. Back in 2014, the West African fell just short of advancing to the final after a heartbreaking 73-72 loss against Egypt in the semi-final. But later bounced back to clinch a 75-65 triumph in the third-place game against Angola and since then, Kante, who took away positive lesson from the last edition of the championship, is now eager to reach the podium this year in Kigali. On Tuesday, Kante and his side take on Algeria before they meet Gabon on Wednesday in the last group phase.
