2021 Afrobasket Qualifiers: Iroegbu in top 10 stars to watch

By Olalekan OkusanAhead of the second round of the AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers, DTigers Ikenna Iroegbu has been listed by FIBA among the top 10 players to look out for next month.According to FIBA Africa editorial team, players were selected based on notes were gathered during the November window of the qualifiers played in Alexandria and Kigali.The 25-year-old, who plies his trade with Rast Vechta in the Basketball Bundesliga in Germany, is a regular member of the DTigers since his debut at AfroBasket 2017 and has since being the engine to the Nigerian offense.Unsurprisingly, he led Nigeria with team-highs 15.7 points and 7 assists per game while contributing 4 rebounds per contest. A potential fit for the Tokyo Olympics-bound Nigeria, FIBA wrote.Other players that made the list includes, Senegals duo of Clevin Hannah and Ibrahima Faye, Ugandas pair of Robinson Opong and Ishmail Wainright, Cape Verdes Ivan Almeida, Tunisias Omar Abada, South Sudans Deng Acuoth, DR Congos Myck Kabongo, and Kenyas Tylor Ongwae.Meanwhile, Malis point guard Mahamadou Kante is ready to turn the tide against Nigeria when the second round resumes next month.We missed some collective play and preparation, he says, talking to FIBA.basketball.We need to remain focused on our goal, which is to qualify for the Final Round, he insisted.Clearly, we came for something better than this. But we must say that we were caught unaware by South Sudan, who displayed discipline and physical abilities, he said.The next window, in February, will determine who will advance to Final Round; and for Mali to be there, they need to secure victories over Nigeria and South Sudan at the least.
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