Flashback to Our First Continental Title in 2011 in Madagascar, One of the Most Beautiful Memories of this Sport of Giants
The Press — Sunday, August 28, 2011, is a date to be marked with a white stone for Tunisian basketball. On that day, the Tunisian men's team put an end to Angola's undisputed dominance over African basketball (all titles since 1989, with the exception of the 1997 title won by Senegal, the host country), by beating Angola in the final of the 26th edition of the AfroBasket at the Sports Palace in Antananarivo, Madagascar, with a score of 67-56, to win the first African championship title in the history of the national team and secure a spot in the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
During this continental competition, Tunisia achieved a perfect run with convincing victories in all its matches.
The Inside Story of a Triumph
This resounding victory by the Tunisians was the culmination of 10 years of hard work. It all started in the Kingdom of Morocco, during the semifinals of the 2001 AfroBasket, which was lost to Algeria with a very tight score of 76-77. On that day, the decision-makers of Tunisian basketball understood that they had to change their approach and strategy, with the coach in place, Adel Tlatli.
On the championship side, there was the dominance of JS Kairouanaise during this period, with a team filled with quality players such as Radhouen Slimane, Atef Maoua, Wassef, Souhail, and Marouen Kechrid, Samir Bouden (three championship titles in 2001, 2002, and 2003), followed by the rise of Stade Nabeulien (Amine Rzig, Hamoudi Hadidane, Bechir Hadidane, Nizar Knioua, Bechir Mouine, Aymen Trabelsi, etc.) and Etoile Sportive du Sahel (Makram Ben Romdhane, Zied Toumi, Salah Mejri, etc.).
Tunisian basketball became more competitive, placing itself among the continent's top teams (Angola, Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria, etc.). From 2001 to 2011, this decade was the age of renewal for Tunisian basketball, with excellent training at the club level (Stade Nabeulien, Etoile Sportive du Sahel, Jeunesse Sportive Kairouanaise, Ezzahra Sports, and its Mourad Mabrouk, as well as Chahir Ben Zekri, Club Africain with Ali Amri, etc.).
At the same time, the Tunisian team finally had an international-level pivot, in the person of Salah Mejri. We remember how, in 2007, the coach of Etoile Sportive du Sahel, the late Ridha Laâbidi, in collaboration with Nabil Hattab, accomplished a titanic task to condition and refine this 2.18m giant, making him the dominant pivot, the best player on the continent, and the first Tunisian basketball player to play under the banner of Real Madrid and in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks.
Between good training at the club level, which began in the late 1990s, an informed federal office that allocated many resources, under the leadership of Adel Tlatli, who gained stature and experience, the team finally came together.
Back to the Roots
Today, everyone agrees that the development strategy of Tunisian basketball needs to be revised from scratch. Without basic training at the club level, a national roadmap (short, medium, and long term) to revamp the championship and make it more competitive and attractive, and especially without meticulous talent detection, it is impossible to hope to regain the podium in continental competitions and qualify for international tournaments (World Cup and Olympics).
No doubt, passion and patience are needed to restore the team's momentum and reconnect with the successes of the past. From the final of the 1965 African Nations Championship, held in Tunis and lost to Morocco with a score of 57-70, to the 2011 title won on Malagasy soil, including two third-place finishes in 1970 in Egypt and 1974 in Central Africa, Tunisian basketball experienced a 46-year desert crossing... to reach a final of the African Nations Championship.
Generations of talented players, such as Mounir Garali, Mounir Ben Messaoud, alias Nefzi, Mustapha Bouchnak, Taoufik Bouhima, Mohamed Aref Snoussi, Rached Ezzahi, Taoufik Ben Abdallah, Lamjad Njah, Chokri Ben Yedder, Salah Ben Mbarek, Faouzi Trabelsi, Lotfi Ghrib, Amor Bouzgarrou, Walid Gharbi, Walid and Cherif Ben Ameur, Slah Ferchichi, Najeh Abid, etc., did not experience championship consecration with the Tunisian team. The 2011 title paved the way and can serve as an example to regain momentum.
