Afghanistan men's national basketball team
 | |||
| FIBA ranking | NR (1 March 2024)[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Joined FIBA | 1968 | ||
| FIBA zone | FIBA Asia | ||
| National federation | National Basketball Association of Afghanistan (NBAA) | ||
| Coach | Mamo Rafiq | ||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Appearances | None | ||
| FIBA World Cup | |||
| Appearances | None | ||
| Asian Championship | |||
| Appearances | None | ||
| South Asian Games | |||
| Appearances | 1 | ||
| Medals |  Gold: 2010 | ||
|
| |||
The Afghanistan national basketball team is the basketball side that represents Afghanistan in international competitions.[2][3][4][5]
The gold medal at the 2010 South Asian Games was the first ever gold medal of any Afghan sports team in the history of the country.[6]
History
Basketball was first played in Afghanistan in 1936. In 1966, the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee (ANOC) founded the first national basketball team after receiving challenges from India and Pakistan. Tom Gouttierre, an American Peace Corps volunteer and coach of the team at Habibia High School, became the first coach. Using detailed, confidential instructions from John Wooden, the Afghan team became the only other to run the famous UCLA zone press.[7]
Although the international games were canceled, in 1969 Gouttierre returned on a Fulbright Fellowship and again became the Habibia coach, and in 1970 Bill Bradley of the New York Knicks tutored the team while visiting the country. That year China challenged the ANOC. Because of the lack of preparation time, Gouttierre decided that current and former Habibia players were the best choice for a second Afghan national team. Using the zone press, it defeated a much larger Chinese team in Parwan Province in the Afghan team's first international victory.[7]
Competitive record
Summer Olympics
World championships
yet to qualify
FIBA Asia Championship
yet to qualify
Asian Games
- 1970-2002 : Did not qualify
- 2006 : 13th
- 2010 : 13th
- 2014 : Did not qualify
- 2018 : To be determined
South Asian Games
- 1995-2004 : Did not participate
- 2010 : 1st
- 2018 : To be determined
Honours
- 2010 South Asian Games: Gold Medal
Head coach position
Mamo Rafiq – 2007-now
See also
External links
Videos
- Afghanistan Basketball Team Youtube.com video
References
- ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "FIBA National Federations – Afghanistan". Fiba.com. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ "Keeping Afghan Men's basketball Alive is a Scramble". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
- ^ "Afghan national team making basketball inroads". Usatoday.Com. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ^ "Afghan Men's Basketball Team Denied Chance at Olympics". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
- ^ "Afghan Sports Federation – 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh; BREAKING NEWS: Afghanistan National Basketball Team Wins Gold". AfghanSportsFederation.org. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ a b Ballard, Chris (22 July 2013). "The Wizard of Kabul". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
