KIGALI, Rwanda — The Basketball Africa League semi-final on May 24 between Al Ahly and Stade Malien will be a win-win for Malian basketball, regardless of the result.
If Ahly win, then one of Mali’s brightest prospects in Dramane Camara will play in the BAL final. If Stade Malien cause an upset, then their very own team from Bamako will have a shot at being the most unlikely African champions.
The country was inspired recently by Adama Sanogo‘s key role in UConn’s Men’s Basketball NCAA tournament win. Furthermore, the women’s national team received a silver medal at AfroBasket 2021.
“I think that in Mali, you’ve got a lot of talent – a lot of players from Mali who are very, very good,” Camara, a 19-year-old shooting guard who recently committed to DePaul University, told ESPN.
“Adama Sanogo, who just won the NCAA tournament – I look up to him. I had the chance to talk to him a few years ago and he gave me some advice. It was very interesting to hear from someone who is not too old and not younger than me. Our age is similar… He gave me advice to play hard, to stay focused.”
Sanogo, 21, was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, and is by and large the face of Mali’s basketball uprising, but he is by no means their only success story in recent…
