YAOUNDE (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - The Cameroon capital of Yaounde will this weekend play host to the FIBA AfroBasket 2017 Zone 4 Group D as Cameroon put their basketball pedigree at stake before Gabon and Chad.

The qualification battle begins on Friday with Cameroon taking on Chad in the opening game of the first leg while will Chad take on Gabon on Saturday and the last game will be between Cameroon and Gabon.

This last game promises to be tough for both sides as it will determine who goes with an advantage into the second leg. Without any doubt, the Cameroonians are the team to beat going by their last two consecutive appearances at the 2013 and 2015 editions of FIBA AfroBasket.

Perhaps the only strong opponent before Cameroon will be Gabon who also played at FIBA AfroBasket in Tunisia two years ago, finishing in eighth-place just a step below Cameroon.

In that game, Cameroon trounced Gabon 93-67.

Meanwhile, Chad, who last appeared at FIBA AfroBasket in 2011, face a huge task of going past Gabon and Cameroon.

Try, they will, but the task will be herculean for them. It will not be the case for Gabon, who are eager to secure a place in the Final Round in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville in August.

Cameroon have a rich reserve of players from the NBA and in Europe who can get the job done but their head coach Lazare Adingono needs to be careful who he picks in the final analysis.

FIBA