Keep The Steam

Cameroon’s defeat to Guinea in the last match of Window 4 of the African qualifiers for the 2027 Basketball World Cup should be taken very seriously by the technical staff and the players. This defeat may not have cost them the top spot of Group E, but it is a call for the team to remain focused. There is no doubt that Cameroon is presenting a very strong squad that is giving hope to basketball lovers at home. But it would be even more catas­ trophic if these strong performances end in disappointment after the team came so close. Since AfroBasket 2025, Cameroon fielded a robust and determi­ ned squad but left in tears after being beaten by host Angola in the semi-finals. They needed just a little much resilience and re­ sistance to go through. But that never hapened. This should not be the case for this World Cup qualifiers. No doubt, the current team is collectively strong, physically and technically solid as well. The wins over Nigeria and Tunisia in Window 4 spoke vo­ lumes about their strengths, while the defeat to Guinea must have exposed some weaknesses. With the fifth and last window of these qualifiers billed for Fe­ bruary next year, Coach Aboya and the boys have about six months to correct their mistakes and further sharpen their claws. No one can ignore the NBA effect in this squad. Yves Missi is there, Christian Koloko is ...