Captain Kuany banks on South Sudan’s support ahead of Senegal clash
The national basketball team captain Kuany Ngor Kuany appealed to the South Sudanese to rally behind the team as the South Sudan national team begins preparation for the Senegal matchup.
Bright Stars will face Senegalese heavyweights who denied them the right to purchase their first FIBA World Cup ticket in the second round and could make history by defeating them on February 24, 2023.
The Bright Stars would be guaranteed a spot in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines for the FIBA World Cup with a victory over the Senegalese team.
Although, the squad has the best chance to represent Africa at the FIBA World Cup this year, Kuany says his team must work hard to realize the dream.
“We need to concentrate on the task at hand and our general attitude toward approaching each game with the goal and desire to win and keep advancing,” he told The City Review sports desk. “We all know how important these games are, so our expectations are the same as always,” he added.
South Sudan just needs a win to qualify for the FIBA World Cup, but Kuany said the team must aim for more than just one win.
“Of course, we need one victory to qualify, but that doesn’t mean that’s all we hope for. “We need to keep winning, and that’s what we expect.”
He assured the South Sudanese basketball supporters that the squad would make every effort to qualify for the FIBA World Cup.
“For the fans at home and worldwide, we know how eager and excited we all are for SSD to get that win and qualify for the World Cup, so we’ll go out there and do our best, keep cheering, and bring that love and support,” the skipper added.
The team is already in Egypt, Cairo and kicked off preparation on Monday.
Twelve of the continent’s top teams are vying for four World Cup spots in Alexandria, Egypt, for the last round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers,
There will be three games played by each country. South Sudan is in Group F, where any four teams have a good chance of moving on.
According to the FIBA ranking presented by Nike, the South Sudan basketball team has the highest chance of qualifying to represent Africa in this year’s World Cup.
“The team’s morale and eagerness to make history play in their favor,” although the Bright Stars know too well that they need to be in their prime to succeed against a Senegalese team that desperately needs wins to return to the World Cup for the third straight time,” FIBA’s latest ranking stated.
