Men’s Afro-basketball draw set for March 30

THE draw for the 2013 African Nations Cup for Men Basketball (Afro-basket 2013) will be held on March 30 in Abidjan, the Ivorian capital.Disclosing the development on Thursday, Rwanda Basketball Federation (Ferwaba) Secretary General Richard Mutabazi said the federation will be fully represented at the event.Rwanda men’s basketball team was granted passage to participate in the 2013 African Cup of Nations due to be held in August in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire by the Executive Committee of FIBA Africa following their performance at the Zone 5 African Cup of Nations qualifiers in Tanzania, which Egypt won.The men’s team-ranked 67th in the world and 13th in Africa, reached the final only to be denied the title by mighty Egyptians following a 82-76 victory. Kenny Gasana was Rwanda’s top scorer with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds.This was Rwanda’s second loss to Egypt in the same tournament. Both sides met in the opening match where Egypt ruthlessly beat Rwanda 96-57. Besides Rwanda, the Executive Committee of FIBA Africa also granted another wild card to Mali. The two countries were picked to compete in the continental championships after analysing several parameters including their performance in qualifying zones. It will be Mali’s 17th appearance after finishing ninth at the 2011 event in Madagascar, while Rwanda, who finished 12th in 2011 will be making her third appearance in the biggest basketball competition on the continent. The other finalists include; hosts Cote d’Ivoire, defending champions Tunisia, 2011 runner-up Angola, 2011 bronze medallist Nigeria, Morocco (qualified zone 1), Algeria (qualified zone 1), Senegal (qualified zone 2), Cape Verde (qualified zone 2).Burkina Faso (qualified zone 3), Central Africa Republic (qualified zone 4), Cameroon (qualified zone 4), Congo (qualified zone 4), Egypt (qualified zone 5) and Mozambique (qualified zone 6).The Nations Cup tournament is also the qualifier for 2014 World Cup in Spain.

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Men’s Afro-basketball draw set for March 30