South Sudan, 12 years of independence, Cape Verde, population 560,000… Basketball World Cup first win
Following Angola and Côte d’Ivoire… All 4 African teams sounded the victory and brought in Asian and naturalized players…
All defeat except for Japan captured by Finland
South Sudan
South Sudan, which has been independent for 12 years now, and Cape Verde,
a small country with 560,000 people living in half the area of Chungcheongnam-do,
have won their first historic victory in the FIBA World Cup. 바카라사이트
The South Sudan basketball team defeated China 89-69 in the second group B match of the tournament held at Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines on the 28th,
the Cape Verde team defeated Venezuela 81 in the second group F match held at Okinawa Arena in Japan. Knocked out with -75.
Both teams have reached the World Cup finals for the first time this time.
FIBA Rankings
The FIBA rankings are 62nd and 64th, the lowest among the 32 teams participating in this tournament.
South Sudan, nestled in the interior of Africa, is where the late Father Lee Tae-seok trained his disciples while doing medical volunteer work.
After decades of civil war, a referendum in 2011 led to secession from Muslim-majority Sudan, but bloodshed between government forces and rebels continued.
Luol Deng
Former NBA player Luol Deng is cited as the person who contributed the most to the rapid growth of basketball in South Sudan.
Forward Deng, who played in the NBA from 2004 to 2019, was born in South Sudan,
but fled his home country as a refugee and grew up in England and the United States.
After Retirement
he was inaugurated as the president of the South Sudan Basketball Association and devoted himself to expanding basketball infrastructure.
“Deng is our head. We wouldn’t be here without him,” said
Royal Ivy, who coaches the NBA’s Houston Rockets and also leads the South Sudan national team.
“He’s a man with a great vision.”
Wenyan Gabriel
Wenyan Gabriel, a 206cm tall forward who is the star of South Sudan,
played on the NBA stage as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers until last season.
His power is solid, with guard Carlique Jones, who went through Dallas Mavericks,
Denver Nuggets, and Chicago Bulls, also playing an active role.
Jones won the 2022-2023 season G League (NBA’s lower league) Most Valuable Player (MVP).
South Sudan is also a ‘great country’ compared to Cape Verde.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa,
has a land area of about 4,000 km2, less than half of Chungcheongnam-do (about 8,200 km2).
Its population is only 560,000.
It is similar to Gangseo-gu in Seoul.
Will Tavares
Will Tavares, who led the victory against Venezuela by scoring 20 points, said, “It’s like dreaming.”
With this, all four African teams participating in this tournament tasted victory.
The Côte d’Ivoire national team defeated Iran 71-69 in the second round of Group G.
Angola also defeated the Philippines 80-70 in the second match of Group A.
African Teams
‘Latecomer’ African teams are doing well, but Asia’s sluggishness is serious.
Except for Japan, which defeated Europe’s stronghold Finland,
where NBA Utah Jazz forward Lauri Makkanen plays, 98-88 on the 27th, no team has posted a win.
Including Lebanon, where Omari Spellman, a foreign player of professional basketball Anyang KGC Ginseng Corp. joined as a naturalized player, Asia’s leading players China, Iran, and the Philippines all took two losses.
Jordan, who brought Ronde Hollis Jefferson, who played for KCC in Jeonju, as a naturalized player, also lost consecutively to Greece and New Zealand.
Jefferson exploded 39 points against New Zealand, but could not prevent defeat.