Tunisia men's national basketball team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Tunisia women's national basketball team.

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.

Tunisia

FIBA ranking	35 1 (1 March 2024)^[1]
Joined FIBA	1956
FIBA zone	FIBA Africa
National federation	FTBB
Coach	Mehdy Mary
Nickname(s)	نسور قرطاج (Eagles of Carthage)^[2]
Olympic Games
Appearances	1
Medals	None
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	2
Medals	None
AfroBasket
Appearances	23
Medals	Gold: (2011, 2017, 2021) Silver: (1965) Bronze: (1970, 1974, 2009, 2015)
African Games
Appearances	4
Medals	Gold: (1973) Bronze: (1978)
Arab Championship
Appearances	13
Medals	Gold: (1981, 1983, 2008, 2009) Silver: (2022) Bronze: (1991, 1992, 2002, 2007)
Home Away
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

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

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

Official competitions AfroBasket   Champions: 2011, 2017, 2021   Runner-up: 1965   Third place: 1970, 1974, 2009, 2015 African Games   Champions: 1973   Third place: 1978 Arab Championship   Champions: 1981, 1983, 2008, 2009   Runner-up: 2022   Third place: 1991, 1992, 2002, 2007 Pan Arab Games   Third place: 1957, 1985, 1992 Mediterranean Games   Third place: 2013

Minor competitions FIBA Stanković Cup   Runner-up: 2018   Third place: 2012, 2019 King Abdullah II International Cup   Champions: 2008   Runner-up: 2004, 2007, 2011   Third place: 2003, 2021 Czech Republic Basketball Tournament   Runner-up: 2019

Awards

• AfroBasket Most Valuable Player

2011: Salah Mejri^[10]

2021: Makram Ben Romdhane^[11]

• AfroBasket All-Tournament Team

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

 

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

Olympic Games
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L
1936	Part of France
1948
1952
1956	Did not qualify
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012	Group stage	11th	5	0	5
2016	Did not qualify
2020
2024
Total	Group stage	1/18	5	0	5

FIBA World Cup

World Cup
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L
1950	Part of France
1954
1959	Did not qualify
1963
1967
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010	Group stage	24th	5	0	5
2014	Did not qualify
2019	Group stage	20th	5	3	2
2023	Did not qualify
2027	To be determined
Total	Group stage	2/17	10	3	7

AfroBasket

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

AfroCan

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

African Games

African Games
Appearances : 3
Year	Position	Tournament
1965	–	1965 African Games
1973		1973 African Games
1978		1978 African Games
1991	–	1991 African Games
1995	–	1995 African Games
1999	–	1999 African Games
2003	–	2003 African Games
2007	10	2007 African Games
2011	–	2011 African Games
2015	–	2015 African Games

Arab Championship

Arab Championship
Appearances : 13
Year	Position	Tournament
1981		1981 Arab Championship
1983		1983 Arab Championship
1985	Not held	1985 Arab Championship
1989	4	1989 Arab Championship
1991		1991 Arab Championship
1992		1992 Arab Championship
2000	4	2000 Arab Championship
2002		2002 Arab Championship
2005	4	2005 Arab Championship
2007		2007 Arab Championship
2008		2008 Arab Championship
2009		2009 Arab Championship
2011	4	2011 Arab Championship
2022		2022 Arab Championship
2023		2023 Arab Championship

Pan Arab Games

Pan Arab Games
Appearances : 4
Year	Position	Tournament
1957		1957 Pan Arab Games
1985		1985 Pan Arab Games
1992		1992 Pan Arab Games
2011	4	2011 Pan Arab Games

Mediterranean Games

Mediterranean Games
Appearances : 5
Year	Position	Tournament
1975	7	1975 Mediterranean Games
1983	7	1983 Mediterranean Games
1987	4	1987 Mediterranean Games
2001	5	2001 Mediterranean Games
2013		2013 Mediterranean Games

Islamic Solidarity Games

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

Others

FIBA Stanković Cup

FIBA Stanković Cup
Appearances : 3
Year	Position	Tournament
2012		2012 Stanković Cup
2018		2018 Stanković Cup
2019		2019 Stanković Cup

King's Cup

King Abdullah II International Cup
Appearances : 7
Year	Position	Tournament
2003		2003 King's Cup
2004		2004 King's Cup
2007		2007 King's Cup
2008		2008 King's Cup
2011		2011 King's Cup
2021		2021 King's Cup

Czech Republic Basketball Tournament

Czech Republic Basketball Tournament
Appearances : 1
Year	Position	Tournament
2019		2019 Czech Republic Tournament

Team

Current roster

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   G 3 Achref Gannouni 25 – (1997-04-16)16 April 1997 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Étoile Sportive du Sahel   PG 4 Omar Abada 29 – (1993-04-20)20 April 1993 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) Al-Ittihad Jeddah   SG 5 Ziyed Chennoufi 23 – (1998-11-29)29 November 1998 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) US Monastir   SG 7 Mourad El Mabrouk 35 – (1986-10-19)19 October 1986 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Jalaa SC   PF 9 Mohamed Hadidane 36 – (1986-04-27)27 April 1986 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Al Wahda   PF 10 Yacine Toumi 21 – (2000-10-12)12 October 2000 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) BWB Team 3 Men   C 11 Mokhtar Ghyaza 35 – (1986-11-15)15 November 1986 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) US Monastir   PF 12 Makrem Ben Romdhane 33 – (1989-03-27)27 March 1989 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Benfica   SG 20 Michael Roll 35 – (1987-04-12)12 April 1987 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Pınar Karşıyaka   PF 23 Firas Lahiani 31 – (1991-07-16)16 July 1991 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Smouha SC   C 50 Salah Mejri 36 – (1986-06-15)15 June 1986 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in) Al-Jahra SC	Head coach     Erman Kunter Assistant coach(es)   Amine Rzig   Oualid Zrida Legend Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 24 August 2021

Depth chart

 

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

Period Head Coach 1957–1959   Hammadi Driss 1960–1961   Griffith 1961–1962   Borhane Errais 1962–1963   Miodrag Stefanović 1963–1965   Borhane Errais 1965–1966   Valensky 1966–1967   Faherty 1967–1968   Katarinsky 1968–1971   Igor Tocigl 1971   Václav Krása 1971–1972   Bill Sweek 1972–1978   Mohamed Senoussi

Period Head Coach 1978–1979   Khaled Senoussi 1979–1981   Mohamed Senoussi 1981   Khaled Senoussi 1982–1983   Mohamed Zaouali 1983–1987   Youri Velligoura 1988–1990   Ridha Laabidi 1990–1991   Mohamed Senoussi 1991–1992   Khaled Senoussi 1992–1994   Mohamed Zaouali 1994–1996   Igor Tocigl 1997–1998   Juan Manuel Monsalve 1998–1999   Mustapha Bouchenak

Period Head Coach 1999–2000   Zoran Zupecevic 2000–2001   Francis Jordane &   Mounir Ben Sliman 2001–2002   Adel Tlatli 2002–2003   Marijan Novović 2004   Walid Gharbi 2004–2016   Adel Tlatli 2016–2020   Mário Palma 2020–2022   Dirk Bauermann 2022–2023     Erman Kunter 2023   Mário Palma 2023–present   Mehdy Mary

Kit

Manufacturer

2015 – Nike^[20]

Sponsor

2015 – Tunisie Telecom^[20]

See also

•  Basketball portal
•  Africa portal

• Tunisia A' national basketball team
• Tunisia women's national basketball team
• Tunisia men's national under-20 basketball team
• Tunisia national under-19 basketball team
• Tunisia national under-17 basketball team
• Tunisia women's national under-20 basketball team
• Tunisia women's national under-19 basketball team
• Tunisia women's national under-17 basketball team
• Tunisia national 3x3 team
• Tunisia women's national 3x3 team
• Tunisia Basketball Federation

References

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. 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
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. . 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. . 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. 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. , FIBA.com. Retrieved 27 January 2016.

External links

• Official website  
• FIBA profile
• Tunisia Basketball Records at FIBA Archive
• Afrobasket – Tunisia Men National Team

Videos

• Olympic Basketball Tournament – Team Tunisia Youtube.com video