The President of the Liberia Basketball Association (LBA), Abraham Samukai, has extended heartfelt congratulations to the Lone Star male and female Under-18 teams for their participation in the 2024 Zone Three Championship held in Ivory Coast.
This competition served as the qualifying event for the South Africa 2025 Under-19 qualifiers for Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) Zone Three member countries. Remarkably, this was Liberia’s first participation in such a competition since 2007.
Despite the overall results not meeting the high expectations of many Liberians, President Samukai emphasized the significance of the experience gained. He particularly highlighted the male U-18 team’s victory over Benin in their final match on Saturday, which ended with a score of 87-58. This win, he noted, is a testament to the team’s resilience and should be celebrated.
The competition saw the Liberia men’s U-18 team suffer three consecutive defeats against Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria before their triumphant win over Benin. Samukai described the event as a valuable experience for the young athletes, marking a significant milestone in Liberia’s re-engagement with international basketball.
Following their participation in the 2024 Afrobasket Zone-3 South Africa 2025 Under-19 qualifiers, the 37-member LBA delegation, comprising both male and female Under-18 teams, safely returned home from Abidjan on Monday, August 5, 2024. Upon their arrival at the SKD Sports Complex Basketball Gym in Paynesville, they were warmly welcomed by President Samukai, who commended them for their dedication and effort.
Meanwhile, the LBA league continued over the weekend, with the Cestos Mongors securing a 63-52 victory over the LPRC Oilers in the first division category. This marks the Cestos Mongors’ second consecutive win, following their recent triumph over Mighty Barrolle.
In a related development, the Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) has called on all member countries to submit proposals aimed at preventing dishonesty in player recruitment for competitions. This comes in the wake of the Lone Star female U-18 team’s crushing 90-9 defeat to Nigeria’s U-18 team in the just-concluded South Africa U-19 Afrobasketball 2025 Championship qualifiers.
An emergency meeting was convened at the Palais de Sports in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, following the match, which was attended by Liberia Basketball Association Secretary General Calvin Diggs. FIBA, in a communication from its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, expressed deep disappointment over the heavy defeat, describing it as a disgrace to the institution.
Both the Nigerian U-18 male and female teams emerged victorious in the Zone Three qualifiers, securing their spots in the South Africa 2025 U-19 FIBA Afrobasketball Championship after overpowering all participating countries. The Nigerian male team achieved an impressive 87-58 points win over Liberia in their second game, followed by victories over Ghana and host nation Ivory Coast. The female team dominated with a 90-9 win over Liberia and a 94-23 victory over Ivory Coast.
The competition concluded on Sunday, August 4, with Ivory Coast finishing as the second-best performing nation, followed by Ghana and Liberia. Benin finished at the bottom of the group, failing to secure a single win throughout the tournament.
President Abraham Samukai reiterated his congratulations to the Lone Star teams and expressed optimism for their future endeavors. He emphasized the importance of building on this experience to strengthen Liberia’s presence in international basketball competitions.
