Tunisia men's national basketball team

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Tunisia
FIBA ranking35 Increase 1 (1 March 2024)[1]
Joined FIBA1956
FIBA zoneFIBA Africa
National federationFTBB
CoachMehdy Mary
Nickname(s)نسور قرطاج (Eagles of Carthage)[2]
Olympic Games
Appearances1
MedalsNone
FIBA World Cup
Appearances2
MedalsNone
AfroBasket
Appearances23
MedalsGold Gold: (2011, 2017, 2021)
Silver Silver: (1965)
Bronze Bronze: (1970, 1974, 2009, 2015)
African Games
Appearances4
MedalsGold Gold: (1973)
Bronze Bronze: (1978)
Arab Championship
Appearances13
Medals1st place, gold medalist(s) Gold: (1981, 1983, 2008, 2009)
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver: (2022)
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze: (1991, 1992, 2002, 2007)
First international
 Tunisia 77–68 Morocco 
(Beirut, Lebanon; 1957)
Biggest win
 Tunisia 101–40 Chad 
(Yaoundé, Cameroon; 25 November 2017)
Biggest defeat
 Tunisia 63–110 United States 
(London, United Kingdom; 31 July 2012)
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
AfroBasket 3 1 4
African Games 1 0 1
Arab Championship 4 1 4
Pan Arab Games 0 0 3
Mediterranean Games 0 0 1
Stanković Cup 0 1 2
Total 8 3 15

The Tunisia men's national basketball team (Arabic: منتخب تونس لكرة السلة), nicknamed The Eagles of Carthage, represents Tunisia in international basketball. The team is governed by the Tunisia Basketball Federation (FTBB). To date, she has taken part in the regional championship the AfroBasket 23 times. In terms of the number of successful performances, it is inferior to the traditionally strong teams of Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Egypt. In 2011, the Tunisian national team became the champion of Africa for the first time in its history, defeating the Angola team in the AfroBasket 2011 final. The team's previous success was silver at the home Africa Championship 1965. The team also won bronze medals in the 1970, 1974, 2009 and 2015 competitions.

Despite fairly successful performances (the Tunisian national team never finished lower than eighth), the team was unable to repeat or even come close to the successes of the 1970s. The success of the 2009 was quite unexpected, when the team took third place at the AfroBasket 2009. Following the results of the draw, forward Amine Rzig was included in the symbolic team of the tournament, and the team in the preliminary round won 4 games with two defeats, but in three matches the Tunisian team won with a difference of two or one point. Tunisia reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 1974, where they defeated Mali by one point. And although Tunisia lost to Angola in the semi-finals, Cameroon was beaten in the bronze medal match, and the Tunisian team automatically qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. This was also the first time in the team's history that they qualified for the world championship. However, the team performed poorly at the World Cup, losing all five matches in Group B and eventually finishing in 24th place. In 2017 as co-hosts,[3] Tunisia won its second AfroBasket by beating Nigeria 77–65 in the final.[4] It retains its title in 2021 by beating Ivory Coast in the final with a score of 78–75.[5]

History[edit]

In 2011, they won their first ever FIBA Africa Championship, after beating Angola in the final. Their previous best finish was at the FIBA Africa Championship 1965, when they won the silver medal as the host country.[6] They also won a bronze medal at the FIBA Africa Championship 1970 and FIBA Africa Championship 1974.[7][8]

Although the Tunisians never finished worse than eighth in any of their succeeding appearances, they were not able to break onto the podium again until a surprise bronze medal run at the FIBA Africa Championship 2009. Led by All-Tournament First Team forward Amine Rzig,[9] the Tunisians went 4–2 in the preliminary rounds, winning three games by two points or less. They reached the semi-finals for only the second time since 1974, by another slim margin – this time a one-point victory over Mali. Although they were defeated by Angola in the semi-finals, the Tunisians topped Cameroon in the bronze medal game, to claim Africa's third and final automatic berth in the 2010 FIBA World Championship – its first ever FIBA World Cup berth. The Tunisians struggled to compete in the World Championship, losing all five of their games, and finishing last in Group B, and 24th overall. Yet, after almost forty years of mediocrity in Africa, Tunisia has become one of the continent's prime competitors again. Its appearances at the global stage have become a new milestone in the team's history.

Honours[edit]

Awards[edit]

2011: Salah Mejri[10]
2021: Makram Ben Romdhane[11]
2009: Amine Rzig
2011: Marouan Kechrid, Makrem Ben Romdhane, Salah Mejri
2015: Makram Ben Romdhane (2)[12]
2017: Mourad El Mabrouk, Mohamed Hdidane[13]
2021: Omar Abada, Makram Ben Romdhane (3)[14]

Competitive record[edit]

Tunisia vs Nigeria at the FIBA AfroBasket 2017 final.

Unlike other team sports, where Tunisia is well positioned at the regional level, the Tunisian men's basketball team has not managed to expand its list of trophies even if at the continental level it can consider among the most awarded countries. Finalist of the African championship held in home in 1965, four times third and twice fourth, Tunisia did not succeed in becoming African champion of the discipline until 2011 without however maintaining its rank since, during the following edition, it is relegated to ninth place.

At the Arab level, the prize list is more extensive with four champion titles, in 1981, 1983, 2008 and 2009, a second place and three third places. On 28 August 2011, the team won the AfroBasket for the first time after defeating Angola 67–56 in the final and qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[15]

In 2017 as co-hosts,[16] Tunisia won its second AfroBasket by beating Nigeria 77–65 in the final.[17] It retains its title in 2021 by beating Ivory Coast in the final with a score of 78–75.[18] On 16 February 2022, Tunisia lost the final of the 2022 Arab Championship against Lebanon 69–72 in the United Arab Emirates.

  Champions    Runners up    Third place    Fourth place

  • Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Olympic Games[edit]

Olympic Games
Year Round Position GP W L
Nazi Germany 1936 Part of France
United Kingdom 1948
Finland 1952
Australia 1956 Did not qualify
Italy 1960
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980
United States 1984
South Korea 1988
Spain 1992
United States 1996
Australia 2000
Greece 2004
China 2008
United Kingdom 2012 Group stage 11th 5 0 5
Brazil 2016 Did not qualify
Japan 2020
France 2024
Total Group stage 1/18 5 0 5

FIBA World Cup[edit]

World Cup
Year Round Position GP W L
Argentina 1950 Part of France
Brazil 1954
Chile 1959 Did not qualify
Brazil 1963
Uruguay 1967
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1970
Puerto Rico 1974
Philippines 1978
Colombia 1982
Spain 1986
Argentina 1990
Canada 1994
Greece 1998
United States 2002
Japan 2006
Turkey 2010 Group stage 24th 5 0 5
Spain 2014 Did not qualify
China 2019 Group stage 20th 5 3 2
PhilippinesJapanIndonesia 2023 Did not qualify
Qatar 2027 To be determined
Total Group stage 2/17 10 3 7

AfroBasket[edit]

AfroBasket
Year Round Position GP W L
Egypt 1962 Did not enter
Morocco 1964 Fourth place 4th 5 2 3
Tunisia 1965 Runners-up 2nd 4 2 2
Morocco 1968 Did not enter
Egypt 1970 Third place 3rd 4 2 2
Senegal 1972 Group stage 5th 6 4 2
Central African Republic 1974 Third place 3rd 6 4 2
Egypt 1975 Classification stage 5th 5 0 5
Senegal 1978 Did not enter
Morocco 1980
Somalia 1981 Classification stage 6th 5 3 2
Egypt 1983 Did not enter
Ivory Coast 1985 Classification stage 8th 6 2 4
Tunisia 1987 Classification stage 5th 4 2 2
Angola 1989 Classification stage 8th 6 2 4
Egypt 1992 Classification stage 7th 5 1 4
Kenya 1993 Classification stage 8th 5 1 4
Algeria 1995 Did not enter
Senegal 1997
Angola 1999 Classification stage 5th 6 4 2
Morocco 2001 Fourth place 4th 7 4 3
Egypt 2003 Classification stage 6th 6 3 3
Algeria 2005 Quarter-finals 8th 8 2 6
Angola 2007 Quarter-finals 6th 6 3 3
Libya 2009 Third place 3rd 9 6 3
Madagascar 2011 Champions 1st 7 7 0
Ivory Coast 2013 Round of 16 9th 5 4 1
Tunisia 2015 Third place 3rd 7 6 1
TunisiaSenegal 2017 Champions 1st 6 6 0
Rwanda 2021 Champions 1st 6 6 0
2025 To be determined
Total 3 Titles 23/30 134 76 58

AfroCan[edit]

AfroCan
Year Round Position GP W L
Mali 2019 Quarterfinals 7th 5 3 2
Angola 2023 Quarterfinals 5th 5 4 1
Total Quarterfinals 2/2 10 7 3

African Games[edit]

African Games
Appearances : 3
Year Position Tournament
Republic of the Congo 1965 1965 African Games
Nigeria 1973 Gold 1973 African Games
Algeria 1978 Bronze 1978 African Games
Egypt 1991 1991 African Games
Zimbabwe 1995 1995 African Games
South Africa 1999 1999 African Games
Nigeria 2003 2003 African Games
Algeria 2007 10 2007 African Games
Mozambique 2011 2011 African Games
Republic of the Congo 2015 2015 African Games

Arab Championship[edit]

Arab Championship
Appearances : 13
Year Position Tournament
Tunisia 1981 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1981 Arab Championship
Jordan 1983 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1983 Arab Championship
Egypt 1985 Not held 1985 Arab Championship
Syria 1989 4 1989 Arab Championship
Egypt 1991 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1991 Arab Championship
Syria 1992 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1992 Arab Championship
Algeria 2000 4 2000 Arab Championship
Egypt 2002 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2002 Arab Championship
Saudi Arabia 2005 4 2005 Arab Championship
Egypt 2007 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2007 Arab Championship
Tunisia 2008 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2008 Arab Championship
Morocco 2009 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2009 Arab Championship
Qatar 2011 4 2011 Arab Championship
United Arab Emirates 2022 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2022 Arab Championship
Egypt 2023 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2023 Arab Championship

Pan Arab Games[edit]

Pan Arab Games
Appearances : 4
Year Position Tournament
Lebanon 1957 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1957 Pan Arab Games
Morocco 1985 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1985 Pan Arab Games
Syria 1992 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1992 Pan Arab Games
Qatar 2011 4 2011 Pan Arab Games

Mediterranean Games[edit]

Mediterranean Games
Appearances : 5
Year Position Tournament
Algeria 1975 7 1975 Mediterranean Games
Morocco 1983 7 1983 Mediterranean Games
Syria 1987 4 1987 Mediterranean Games
Tunisia 2001 5 2001 Mediterranean Games
Turkey 2013 2013 Mediterranean Games

Islamic Solidarity Games[edit]

Islamic Solidarity Games
Appearances : 1
Year Position Tournament
Saudi Arabia 2005 4 2005 Islamic Solidarity Games
Iran 2010 Cancelled 2010 Islamic Solidarity Games
Indonesia 2013 Did not enter 2013 Islamic Solidarity Games

Others[edit]

FIBA Stanković Cup[edit]

FIBA Stanković Cup
Appearances : 3
Year Position Tournament
China 2012 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2012 Stanković Cup
China 2018 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2018 Stanković Cup
China 2019 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2019 Stanković Cup

King's Cup[edit]

King Abdullah II International Cup
Appearances : 7
Year Position Tournament
Jordan 2003 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2003 King's Cup
Jordan 2004 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2004 King's Cup
Jordan 2007 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2007 King's Cup
Jordan 2008 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2008 King's Cup
Jordan 2011 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2011 King's Cup
Jordan 2021 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2021 King's Cup

Czech Republic Basketball Tournament[edit]

Czech Republic Basketball Tournament
Appearances : 1
Year Position Tournament
Czech Republic 2019 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2019 Czech Republic Tournament

Team[edit]

Current roster[edit]

Roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers matches on 26, 27 and 28 August 2022 against Egypt, Senegal and DR Congo.[19]

Tunisia men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
G 1 Oussama Marnaoui 23 – (1999-06-16)16 June 1999 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) US Monastir Tunisia
G 3 Achref Gannouni 25 – (1997-04-16)16 April 1997 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Étoile Sportive du Sahel Tunisia
PG 4 Omar Abada 29 – (1993-04-20)20 April 1993 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) Al-Ittihad Jeddah Saudi Arabia
SG 5 Ziyed Chennoufi 23 – (1998-11-29)29 November 1998 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) US Monastir Tunisia
SG 7 Mourad El Mabrouk 35 – (1986-10-19)19 October 1986 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Jalaa SC Syria
PF 9 Mohamed Hadidane 36 – (1986-04-27)27 April 1986 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Al Wahda Syria
PF 10 Yacine Toumi 21 – (2000-10-12)12 October 2000 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) BWB Team 3 Men United States
C 11 Mokhtar Ghyaza 35 – (1986-11-15)15 November 1986 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) US Monastir Tunisia
PF 12 Makrem Ben Romdhane 33 – (1989-03-27)27 March 1989 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Benfica Portugal
SG 20 Michael Roll 35 – (1987-04-12)12 April 1987 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Pınar Karşıyaka Turkey
PF 23 Firas Lahiani 31 – (1991-07-16)16 July 1991 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Smouha SC Egypt
C 50 Salah Mejri 36 – (1986-06-15)15 June 1986 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in) Al-Jahra SC Kuwait
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 24 August 2021

Depth chart[edit]

Salah Mejri is the country's most recognized player
Michael Roll is a starter on the team
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Salah Mejri Mokhtar Ghyaza
PF Makram Ben Romdhane Firas Lahiani Yacine Toumi
SF Michael Roll Ziyed Chennoufi Mohamed Hadidane
SG Mourad El Mabrouk Oussama Marnaoui
PG Omar Abada Achref Gannouni

All Time Head coaches[edit]

Period Head Coach
1957–1959 Tunisia Hammadi Driss
1960–1961 United States Griffith
1961–1962 Tunisia Borhane Errais
1962–1963 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Miodrag Stefanović
1963–1965 Tunisia Borhane Errais
1965–1966 Poland Valensky
1966–1967 United States Faherty
1967–1968 Poland Katarinsky
1968–1971 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Igor Tocigl
1971 Czechoslovakia Václav Krása
1971–1972 United States Bill Sweek
1972–1978 Tunisia Mohamed Senoussi
Period Head Coach
1978–1979 Tunisia Khaled Senoussi
1979–1981 Tunisia Mohamed Senoussi
1981 Tunisia Khaled Senoussi
1982–1983 Tunisia Mohamed Zaouali
1983–1987 Soviet Union Youri Velligoura
1988–1990 Tunisia Ridha Laabidi
1990–1991 Tunisia Mohamed Senoussi
1991–1992 Tunisia Khaled Senoussi
1992–1994 Tunisia Mohamed Zaouali
1994–1996 Croatia Igor Tocigl
1997–1998 Spain Juan Manuel Monsalve
1998–1999 Tunisia Mustapha Bouchenak
Period Head Coach
1999–2000 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Zupecevic
2000–2001 France Francis Jordane &
Tunisia Mounir Ben Sliman
2001–2002 Tunisia Adel Tlatli
2002–2003 Serbia and Montenegro Marijan Novović
2004 Tunisia Walid Gharbi
2004–2016 Tunisia Adel Tlatli
2016–2020 Portugal Mário Palma
2020–2022 Germany Dirk Bauermann
2022–2023 Turkey France Erman Kunter
2023 Portugal Mário Palma
2023–present France Mehdy Mary

Kit[edit]

Manufacturer[edit]

2015 – Nike[20]

[edit]

2015 – Tunisie Telecom[20]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Omnisports – Basketball : Le Nigéria toujours " Number One " en Afrique". AfricaFootUnited.com (in French). 3 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Tunisia and Senegal to co-host FIBA AfroBasket 2017". FIBA. 1 July 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Tunisia crowned FIBA AfroBasket 2017 Champions". fiba.basketball. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Mejri and Roll spark Tunisia to FIBA AfroBasket 2021 title". FIBA. 5 September 2021.
  6. ^ 1965 African Championship at FIBA archive
  7. ^ 1970 African Championship at FIBA Archive
  8. ^ 1974 African Championship at FIBA.com
  9. ^ LBA – Gomes Leads All-Star Team
  10. ^ "Mavericks sign 7-2 Tunisian center Salah Mejri". ESPN.com. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  11. ^ "MVP Ben Romdhane headlines FIBA AfroBasket 2021 All-Star team". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Oguchi named MVP of AfroBasket 2015, headlines All-Star Five". FIBA. 30 August 2015. Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Dieng and Diogu headline All-Star Five at FIBA AfroBasket 2017". FIBA. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  14. ^ "MVP Ben Romdhane headlines FIBA AfroBasket 2021 All-Star team". FIBA. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  15. ^ "26th Afrobasket: Tunisia is Africa of the court, bag olympic ticket". fiba.com. 28 August 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  16. ^ "Tunisia and Senegal to co-host FIBA AfroBasket 2017". FIBA. 1 July 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Tunisia crowned FIBA AfroBasket 2017 Champions". fiba.basketball. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Mejri and Roll spark Tunisia to FIBA AfroBasket 2021 title". FIBA. 5 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Tunisia during the 2023 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers in August 2022". Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  20. ^ a b 2015 FIBA Africa Championship – Tunisia, FIBA.com. Retrieved 27 January 2016.

External links[edit]

Videos[edit]