The men’s basketball Leopards won on July 2, ahead of the Teranga Lions of Senegal by 72 points to 60, on the second day of the second window of the specialty World Cup qualifiers scheduled simultaneously in Indonesia, the Philippines and in Japan, in August 2023.
The players of French coach Thomas Drouot were superior in all four quarters of the game, with a good performance from Christian Lutete, basketball player from Lapuan Korikobrat, a D1 club in Finland. But the man of the match was Malela Mutuala from Orléans (club recently relegated to D2 in France), who splashed the game with his talent.
Previously on 1is July, the Leopards won by forfeit against the Harambee basketball stars of Kenya (20 points to 0), absent at the start of the game. Initially scheduled for 4 p.m. (Alexandria time), this match was postponed to 9 p.m. to allow the Kenyan team to be at the competition venue, but they were unable to come. Victorious twice, the Congolese had to approach the third match, on July 3, against the Pharaohs of Egypt, with determination.
With these two victories in group D of the qualifiers with Egypt, Senegal and Kenya, the DRC is already qualified for the third and final window. Note that in the workforce of coach Thomas Drouot, we note the absence of young Jonathan Kuminga, NBA champion with Golden States Warriors of San Francisco, and Christian Eyenga of Urbas Fuenlabrada in D1 Spain. Authorized to play with the Leopards by the NBA, the young Jonathan Kuminga, who stayed in Kinshasa, did not go to Alexandria where he was eagerly awaited, for private administrative reasons. It seems that he would not have had his service passport.
The twelve Leopards selected for this window are therefore Malela Mutuale (Orléans, relegated to D2 France), Narcisse Ambanza (Espoir Fukash / DRC), Christian Lutete (Lapuan Korikobrat / D1 Finland), Maxi Munanga Shamba (Calais / D4 France), Rodrigue Ebondo (El Ansar Sports Union/D1 Tunisia), Rolly Fula (Youth Club of Abidjan/D1 Ivory Coast), Patrick Mwamba (Texas-Arlington Mavericks/NCAA-USA), Henry Pwono (Sparta Bartreng/D1 Luxembourg), Jordan Sakho (Rio Breogan / D1 Spain), Jonathan Kasibabu (Nantes Hermine / D2 France), Hervé Kabasele (Oviedo Club Baloncesto / D2 Spain), and Myck Kabongo (Cape Town Tigers / D1 South Africa).
