First international appearance for Mali!
To win the 2007 FIBA Africa Championship was totally unexpected for Mali. Since 1968, when the Mali women won a bronze medal in their first participation in the African event, they had failed to bring home another medal.
When Mali went into last year's FIBA Africa Championship in Dakar, they didn't know what to expect. What unfolded was incredible. Mali didn't just play well. They reached the title game against the tournament hosts and eternal rivals, Senegal. It got even better because José Ruiz's team, who had lost to Senegal earlier in the tournament, avenged that setback with a 65-58 victory! And by winning the event in the Stadium Marius N'Diaye - the venue for many of Senegal's successes over the years - the impact on Mali basketball was extraordinary. The president of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, offered to each player a piece of land and a house in Bamako, Mali's capital. Touré even promised the construction of a brand new arena to both the federation, and the basketball fans.
Following the great triumph, the president of the Malian Basketball Federation, Hamane Niang, became the country's Secretary of Youth and Sports and his first task was to build the new indoor gym of 5,000 seats to host the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship for Women.
This summer's experience for Mali will be their first ever in a top level international competition. It hasn't happened by accident, either, but as a result of a development program that started in the mid-nineties with a systematic participation of all youth competitions for Mali, something that is quite rare in African basketball. Each year, boys and girls enter FIBA Africa Youth competitions, and most of the time, they qualify for U19 and U21 FIBA World Championships. It was inevitable that this commitment at youth level would eventually pay dividends for the seniors.
Hamchetou Maïga-Ba will be the true leader of the "Amazons" in Beijing, since she is the only player with big experience at top European or WNBA level. Maiga played in the EuroLeague Women Final this season Gambrinus Brno and has been a WNBA player for many years. While the other Mali players do not compete for EuroLeague Women teams, or even first division outfits in Europe, each is talented and has played the game since childhood. And they are tall!
The National Team's most prominent players on the interior, Djene Diawara and Aminata Sininta, are extremely quick but could have a tough time because of their lack of experience in major competitions. Diawara sure made her presence felt at the 2007 FIBA Africa Championship where she poured in 11.1 points and grabbed 8.8 rebounds per game. Anything close to that in Beijing would be much appreciated by Ruiz.
To be at the Olympics for Mali is a big reward for the country's efforts for sports in general and basketball in particular. All of Africa will be hoping that Mali finds some success in China. Last year's great run in Senegal is still strong in the memory of everyone who follows the game. Mali blitzed the opposition, with the lone exception that early defeat to Senegal which they ultimately made up for by beating the same opponents in the final. Ruiz will have been reminded that four years ago, Nigeria beat Korea to clinch 11th place at the Athens Games. That was the first win for an African women's team at the Olympics. He and his players will be desperate to achieve something in Beijing.
How did they qualify?
2007 FIBA Africa Championship, Final Round
Gold Medal (7 W - 1 L)
Preliminary Round
Sept-21th 2007 Mali b Tunisie 93-49
Sept-22nd 2007 Mali b Madagascar 108-49
Sept-23rd 2007 Mali b Côte d'Ivoire 74-34
Sept-25th 2007 Mali b Mozambique 64-46
Sept-26th 2007 Senegal b Mali 48-37
Quarter Final
Sept-28th 2007 Mali b Cameroon 72-41
Semi-final
Sept-29th 2007 Mali b Angola 69-60
Final
Sept-30th 2007 Mali b Senegal 65-58
